©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Stem Cells. Mar 26, 2015; 7(2): 495-501
Published online Mar 26, 2015. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v7.i2.495
Published online Mar 26, 2015. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v7.i2.495
Niche interactions in epidermal stem cells
Hye-Ryung Choi, Sang-Young Byun, Soon-Hyo Kwon, Kyoung-Chan Park, Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyounggi-do 463-707, South Korea
Author contributions: All authors contributed to this work.
Supported by A grant from the Korea Healthcare Technology R and D Project, provided by the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, South Korea No. A103017 and HN10C0001.
Correspondence to: Kyoung-Chan Park, MD, PhD, Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gumi-ro 166 Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 463-707, South Korea. gcpark@snu.ac.kr
Telephone: +82-31-7877311 Fax: +82-2-36751187
Received: August 11, 2014
Peer-review started: August 11, 2014
First decision: October 14, 2014
Revised: October 22, 2014
Accepted: October 31, 2014
Article in press: November 3, 2014
Published online: March 26, 2015
Processing time: 221 Days and 3 Hours
Peer-review started: August 11, 2014
First decision: October 14, 2014
Revised: October 22, 2014
Accepted: October 31, 2014
Article in press: November 3, 2014
Published online: March 26, 2015
Processing time: 221 Days and 3 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Epidermal stem cells reside in a unique niche within the skin, which is shaped by interactions between stem cell-associated integrins and components of the extracellular matrix. Here, we review literature evaluating the role that integrins play in epidermal stem cell maintenance and proliferation, and highlight methods that have been used to enrich for epidermal stem cells. We stress that by understanding the epidermal stem cell niche, new regenerative medicine applications can be developed.