# Skin Stem Cells: Purification and Characterization

> **NIH NIH R01** · ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $372,900

## Abstract

Project Summary
The global objective of this research is to elucidate the mechanisms underlying tissue homeostasis and
regeneration in mammalian skin and to understand how this process goes awry in human disorders, including
cancers. Central to achieving this goal is the characterization of the different stem cells (SCs) within skin,
determining their relative contributions to tissue homeostasis and wound-repair, and elucidating how changes
in niche microenvironments impact these events. Past AR050452 research led to purification of hair follicle
(HF) bulge and basal inter-follicular epidermal (Epd) cells, and established them as long-lived, self-renewing
SCs that function in tissue regeneration and wound-repair. However, both in their biology and their tissue
regenerative tasks, these SCs display distinct behaviors that appear to be predicated on their unique
microenvironments (niches). The field still lacks a comprehensive knowledge of the constituents of these niches,
the nature of SC:niche interactions, and how they help stem cells cope with stressful situations. Past AR050452
research has set the foundations to tackle the following key questions: (1). What are the niche components
of HFSCs and how do they change with the hair cycle? (2) What are the relative contributions of Epd- and HF-
SCs to wound repair? Does this differ in superficial vs deep wounds? In young vs aging mice? (3) What are the
changes in SC-niche crosstalk that occur in response to injury and aging and what is their physiological
relevance? (4) How do SCs respond to and orchestrate the repair of local breaches in their niche barrier? Which
cells transmit damage signals to the surrounding immune cells and how are they triggered to do so? How do
SCs survive? (5) How do SCs protect themselves at the end of the hair cycle, when the bulk of the HF undergoes
apoptosis and terminal differentiation? To answer these questions, we’ll use FACS, single cell RNA-seq, ChIP-
seq, conditional gene knockout and RNAi screens in vivo and employ these methods to explore skin stem cells
in their native, mutant and wound-induced environments.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9923545
- **Project number:** 5R01AR050452-17
- **Recipient organization:** ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** ELAINE FUCHS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $372,900
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2004-02-26 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9923545

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9923545, Skin Stem Cells: Purification and Characterization (5R01AR050452-17). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9923545. Licensed CC0.

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