The chemokine SDF-1/CXCL12 regulates the migration of melanocyte progenitors in mouse hair follicles

Abstract

Mouse skin melanocytes originate from the neural crest and subsequently invade the epidermis and migrate into the hair follicles (HF) where they proliferate and differentiate. Here we demonstrate a role for the chemokine SDF-1/CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 in regulating the migration and positioning of melanoblasts during HF formation and cycling. CXCR4 expression by melanoblasts was upregulated during the anagen phase of the HF cycle. CXCR4-expressing cells in the HF also expressed the stem cell markers nestin and LEX, the neural crest marker SOX10 and the cell proliferation marker PCNA. SDF-1 was widely expressed along the path taken by migrating CXCR4-expressing cells in the outer root sheath (ORS), suggesting that SDF-1-mediated signaling might be required for the migration of CXCR4 cells. Skin sections from CXCR4-deficient mice, and skin explants treated with the CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100, contained melanoblasts abnormally concentrated in the epidermis, consistent with a defect in their migration. SDF-1 acted as a chemoattractant for FACS-sorted cells isolated from the anagen skin of CXCR4–EGFP transgenic mice in vitro, and AMD3100 inhibited the SDF-1-induced migratory response. Together, these data demonstrate an important role for SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling in directing the migration and positioning of melanoblasts in the HF.

iTRAQ-Based Quantitative Proteomic Comparison of Early- and Late-Passage Human Dermal Papilla Cell Secretome in Relation to Inducing Hair Follicle Regeneration

“…CXCR4 is specifically expressed in the hair follicle dermal papilla, where it is localized to a few epidermal cells at the mouth of developing hair follicles. The close juxtaposition and complementary nature of CXCR4 and SDF-1 expression patterns suggest that SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling might play a role in HF development [23]. However, in our induced HF regeneration, compared with passage 9 DPC-CM injected mice, SDF1 was strongly expressed not only in the HF, but also in the epithelium of passage 3 DPC-CM-injected mice.…”

Chicken trunk neural crest migration visualized with HNK1

“…Here cells migrate under ectoderm and above somitic tissue in a nonsegmental pattern since they are not guided by the caudal somites chemorepellants but by ectoderm signals that attract them toward developing skin like SCF and kept away by somite morphogenesis (Fig. 1C, F) (Belmadani et al, 2009; Grichnik, 2006; Tosney, 2004). …”

The neural crest

“…Admittance into the dorsolateral route is mostly controlled by endothelin and Eph/ephrin signalling. In mice, further targeting of melanocytes to the hair follicle is then controlled by Sdf1 (Belmadani et al, 2009). NC cells following the ventral path are restricted to discrete streams by signals produced by the paraxial mesoderm (somites).…”