[PDF][PDF] Regulatory T cells in skin facilitate epithelial stem cell differentiation

N Ali, B Zirak, RS Rodriguez, ML Pauli, HA Truong… - Cell, 2017 - cell.com
N Ali, B Zirak, RS Rodriguez, ML Pauli, HA Truong, K Lai, R Ahn, K Corbin, MM Lowe…
Cell, 2017cell.com
The maintenance of tissue homeostasis is critically dependent on the function of tissue-
resident immune cells and the differentiation capacity of tissue-resident stem cells (SCs).
How immune cells influence the function of SCs is largely unknown. Regulatory T cells
(Tregs) in skin preferentially localize to hair follicles (HFs), which house a major subset of
skin SCs (HFSCs). Here, we mechanistically dissect the role of Tregs in HF and HFSC
biology. Lineage-specific cell depletion revealed that Tregs promote HF regeneration by …
Summary
The maintenance of tissue homeostasis is critically dependent on the function of tissue-resident immune cells and the differentiation capacity of tissue-resident stem cells (SCs). How immune cells influence the function of SCs is largely unknown. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) in skin preferentially localize to hair follicles (HFs), which house a major subset of skin SCs (HFSCs). Here, we mechanistically dissect the role of Tregs in HF and HFSC biology. Lineage-specific cell depletion revealed that Tregs promote HF regeneration by augmenting HFSC proliferation and differentiation. Transcriptional and phenotypic profiling of Tregs and HFSCs revealed that skin-resident Tregs preferentially express high levels of the Notch ligand family member, Jagged 1 (Jag1). Expression of Jag1 on Tregs facilitated HFSC function and efficient HF regeneration. Taken together, our work demonstrates that Tregs in skin play a major role in HF biology by promoting the function of HFSCs.
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