Lichen Planopilaris and Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia as Model Epithelial Stem Cell Diseases

Matthew J Harries, Francisco Jimenez, Ander Izeta, Jonathan Hardman, Sreejith Parameswara Panicker, Enrique Poblet, Ralf Paus

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

380 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Inflammation-associated, irreversible damage to epithelial stem cells (eSCs) of the hair follicle in their immunologically privileged niche lies at the heart of scarring alopecia, which causes permanent difficult-to-treat hair loss. We propose that the two most common and closely related forms, lichen planopilaris (LPP) and frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA), provide excellent model diseases for studying the biology and pathology of adult human eSCs in an easily accessible human mini-organ. Emphasising the critical roles for interferon (IFN)-γ and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ-mediated signalling in immune privilege (IP) collapse and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of these eSCs respectively, we argue that these pathways deserve therapeutic targeting in the future management of LPP/FFA and other eSC diseases associated with IP collapse and EMT.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)435-448
Number of pages14
JournalTrends in molecular medicine
Volume24
Issue number5
Early online date13 Apr 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2018

Keywords

  • epithelial–mesenchymal transition
  • hair follicle
  • immune privilege
  • interferon-γ
  • peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ
  • stem cells

Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms

  • Lydia Becker Institute

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Lichen Planopilaris and Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia as Model Epithelial Stem Cell Diseases'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this