Interactions Between Epidermal Keratinocytes, Dendritic Epidermal T-Cells, and Hair Follicle Stem Cells

Methods Mol Biol. 2019:1879:285-297. doi: 10.1007/7651_2018_155.

Abstract

The interplay of immune cells and stem cells in maintaining skin homeostasis and repair is an exciting new frontier in cutaneous biology. With the growing appreciation of the importance of this new crosstalk comes the requirement of methods to interrogate the molecular underpinnings of these leukocyte-stem cell interactions. Here we describe how a combination of FACS, cellular coculture assays, and conditioned media treatments can be utilized to advance our understanding of this emerging area of intercellular communication between immune cells and stem cells.

Keywords: Coculture; Conditioned media; Explants; FACS; Immune cells; Skin; Stem cells.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Communication*
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Coculture Techniques
  • Epidermis / metabolism*
  • Hair Follicle / cytology
  • Hair Follicle / metabolism*
  • Homeostasis
  • Keratinocytes / cytology
  • Keratinocytes / metabolism*
  • Langerhans Cells / cytology
  • Langerhans Cells / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Stem Cells / cytology
  • Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • T-Lymphocytes / cytology
  • T-Lymphocytes / metabolism*