This work is supported by NIH grant R01AR054593 and R01AR054593-S1 to Xu.

1. Preparation of Tissue Culture Plates
<ol>
 <li>Coat each well with enough Poly-D-Lysine (PDL) to cover the bottom of the well. Allow the plates to dry in the hood.</li>
 <li>After the wells are dry, rinse with sterile water, and aspirate. Allow the plates to dry in the hood.</li>
 <li>When dry, coat with fibronectin (that was dissolved in biowhittaker water overnight at 37 &deg;C at a concentration of 1 mg in 6 ml).</li>
 <li>Add NCSC medium [95 ml DMEM/F12, 1 ml Penn/Strep (P/S), 1 ml N2, 2 ml B27, 100 &mu;l mercap...

<ol>
	<li>Cotsarelis, G., Cheng, S. Z., Dong, G., Sun, T. T., Lavker, R. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Existence+of+slow-cycling+limbal+epithelial+basal+cells+that+can+be+preferentially+stimulated+to+proliferate:+implications+on+epithelial+stem+cells.">Existence of slow-cycling limbal epithelial basal cells that can be preferentially stimulated to proliferate: implications on epithelial stem cells.</a> Cell. 57, 201-209 (1989).</li><li>Cotsarelis, G., Sun, T. T., Lavker, R. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Label-retaining+cells+reside+in+the+bulge+area+of+pilosebaceous+unit:+implications+for+follicular+stem+cells,+hair+cycle,+and+skin+carcinogenesis.">Label-retaining cells reside in the bulge area of pilosebaceous unit: implications for follicular stem cells, hair cycle, and skin carcinogenesis.</a> Cell. 61, 1329-1337 (1990).</li><li>Tanimura, S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Hair+follicle+stem+cells+provide+a+functional+niche+for+melanocyte+stem+cells.">Hair follicle stem cells provide a functional niche for melanocyte stem cells.</a> Cell Stem Cell. 8, 177-187 (2011).</li><li>Yu, H., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Isolation+of+a+novel+population+of+multipotent+adult+stem+cells+from+human+hair+follicles.">Isolation of a novel population of multipotent adult stem cells from human hair follicles.</a> Am. J. Pathol. 168, 1879-1888 (2006).</li><li>Yu, H., Kumar, S. M., Kossenkov, A. V., Showe, L., Xu, X. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Stem+cells+with+neural+crest+characteristics+derived+from+the+bulge+region+of+cultured+human+hair+follicles.">Stem cells with neural crest characteristics derived from the bulge region of cultured human hair follicles.</a> J. Invest. Dermatol. 130, 1227-1236 (2010).</li><li>Wong, C. E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Neural+crest-derived+cells+with+stem+cell+features+can+be+traced+back+to+multiple+lineages+in+the+adult+skin.">Neural crest-derived cells with stem cell features can be traced back to multiple lineages in the adult skin.</a> J. Cell Biol. 175, 1005-1015 (2006).</li><li>Sieber-Blum, M., Grim, M., Hu, Y. F., Szeder, V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Pluripotent+neural+crest+stem+cells+in+the+adult+hair+follicle.">Pluripotent neural crest stem cells in the adult hair follicle.</a> Dev. Dyn. 231, 258-269 (2004).</li><li>Amoh, Y., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Implanted+hair+follicle+stem+cells+form+Schwann+cells+that+support+repair+of+severed+peripheral+nerves.">Implanted hair follicle stem cells form Schwann cells that support repair of severed peripheral nerves.</a> Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102, 17734-17738 (2005).</li><li>Koliatsos, V. 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The cell isolation and culture methods described are reproducible and robust. We have generated NCSCs from dozens of individuals across a broad age range. Although it is best to process the tissue right after tissue harvest, we found that scalp tissues can be safely stored in media on ice for overnight transportation with minimal impact on cell viability.
It is important to treat the scalp tissue with antibiotics and use aseptic technique during hair follicle isolation to avoid potential micro...

<table border="1">
 <tbody>
 <tr>
 <td>Name of the reagent</td>
 <td>Company</td>
 <td>Catalogue number</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>DMEM</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>11965-092</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>DMEM/F12</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>11330-32</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Heat-inactivated FBS</td>
 <td>Hyclone</td>
 <td>SH30071.03</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>B27 supplement</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>17504044</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>N2 supplement</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>17502048</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>bFGF</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>PHG0026</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>EGF</td>
 <td>R&amp;D system</td>
 <td>236-EG-01M</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>IGF-I</td>
 <td>R&amp;D system</td>
 <td>291-G1-050</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>0.05% Trypsin/EDTA</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>25300-054</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Dispase</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>17105041</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Penicillin-Streptomycin</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>15070063</td>
 </tr>
 </tbody> 
</table>
Table 1.

isolation and culture of neural crest stem cells from human hair follicles

Hair follicles undergo lifelong growth and hair cycle is a well-controlled process involving stem cell proliferation and quiescence. Hair bulge is a well-characterized niche for adult stem cells1. This segment of the outer root sheath contains a number of different types of stem cells, including epithelial stem cells2, melanocyte stem cells3 and neural crest like stem cells4-7. Hair follicles represent an accessible and rich source for different types of human stem cells. We and others have isolated neural crest stem cells (NCSCs) from human fetal and adult hair follicles4,5. These human stem cells are label-retaining cells and are capable of self-renewal through asymmetric cell division in vitro. They express immature neural crest cell markers but not differentiation markers. Our expression profiling study showed that they share a similar gene expression pattern with murine skin immature neural crest cells. They exhibit clonal multipotency that can give rise to myogenic, melanocytic, and neuronal cell lineages after in vitro clonal single cell culture. Differentiated cells not only acquire lineage-specific markers but also demonstrate appropriate functions in ex vivo conditions. In addition, these NCSCs show differentiation potential toward mesenchymal lineages. Differentiated neuronal cells can persist in mouse brain and retain neuronal differentiation markers. It has been shown that hair follicle derived NCSCs can help nerve regrowth, and they improve motor function in mice transplanted with these stem cells following transecting spinal cord injury8. Furthermore, peripheral nerves have been repaired with stem cell grafts9, and implantation of skin-derived precursor cells adjacent to crushed sciatic nerves has resulted in remyelination10. Therefore, the hair follicle/skin derived NCSCs have already shown promising results for regenerative therapy in preclinical models.
Somatic cell reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells has shown enormous potential for regenerative medicine. However, there are still many issues with iPS cells, particularly the long term effect of oncogene/virus integration and potential tumorigenicity of pluripotent stem cells have not been adequately addressed. There are still many hurdles to be overcome before iPS cells can be used for regenerative medicine. Whereas the adult stem cells are known to be safe and they have been used clinically for many years, such as bone marrow transplant. Many patients have already benefited from the treatment. Autologous adult stem cells are still preferred cells for transplantation. Therefore, the readily accessible and expandable adult stem cells in human skin/hair follicles are a valuable source for regenerative medicine.

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Isolation and Culture of Neural Crest Stem Cells from Human Hair Follicles

This article presents a robust protocol for isolation and culture of neural crest stem cells from human hair follicles.

Hair follicles undergo lifelong growth and hair cycle is a well-controlled process involving stem cell proliferation and quiescence. Hair bulge is a ...

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Neuroscience

16.8K vistas.  School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. En este artículo se presenta un robusto protocolo para el aislamiento y cultivo de células de la cresta neural madre de folículos pilosos humanos.