Cytoplasmic GW bodies and Cutaneous Stem Cells

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Cytoplasmic GW bodies and Cutaneous Stem Cells

• Karalee Shideler

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Dermatology

• The skin is a very complex organ
• The skin serves many functions
• Keeps water in
• Keeps pathogens out

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Cutaneous Stem Cells

• Bulge region of the outer root sheath in the hair
  follicle
• Deep rete ridges
• These cells help
• to retain the dynamic
• nature of the skin.

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Markers for Cutaneous Stem Cells

• Keratins are the main proteins of the skin and
  form the cytoskeleton. Different Keratins are
  expressed in different types of keratinocytes.

• Keratin 15 and Keratin 19 are
  cutaneous stem cells markers

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Markers for Cutaneous Stem Cells

• Stem cells are typically slow cycling
• Proliferation markers like Ki67, should not label
  cutaneous stem cells in tissue sections.

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GW Bodies

• Novel cytoplasmic foci
• Named for the presences of the protein GW 182
• Involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation

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Methods

• Using archive tissue from a tissue bank at CLS we
  did Indirect Immunofluorescene (IIF) and double
  labeling.

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My Results

• Originally observed that GWBs were in the bulge
  region of hair follicles.

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The Bulge Region Contains Stem Cells
arrector pili muscle
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K15- specific for Stem Cells
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Keratin 15
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Normal Epidermis
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Psoriasis
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Basal Cell Carcinoma
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Squamous Cell Carcinoma
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Melanoma
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Summary

• Our IIF studies were able to confirm the presence
  of stem cells in the bulge region
• GWBs are in follicular stem cells and transit
  amplifying cells
• GWBs are organized differently in several
  pathological states, an observation that requires
  further investigation.

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Questions?
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Acknowledgements

• Huge Thank You to
• My Lab
• Dr. Régine Mydlarski
• Jen Zee
• Eli Akbari
• USRP
• Bachelor of Health Sciences