ABSTRACT

The epidermis is the outermost layer of the human skin and comprises a multilayered epithelium, the interfollicular epidermis, with associated hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and eccrine sweat glands. There are many origins of stem cells in the skin and skin appendages. These stem cells are localized in different part of the pilosebaseous units and also express many different genes. Epidermal stem cells in the pilosebaseous units not only ensure the maintenance of epidermal homeostasis and hair regeneration, but also contribute to repair of the epidermis after injury. In recent years, human induced pluripotent skin stem cells are produced from the epidermal cells such as keratinocytes, fibroblasts and melanocytes. These cells can be transdifferentiated to embriyonic stem cells. Human induced pluripotent stem cells have potential applications in cell replacement therapy and regenerative medicine. These cells provide a means to create valuable tools for basic research and may also produce a source of patient-matched cells for regenerative therapies. In this review, we aimed an overview of epidermal stem cells for better understanding their functions in the skin. Skin will be main organ for using the epidermal cells for regenerative medicine in near future.