Most people are familiar with the sebaceous glands which are responsible for moisturising the skin, and during puberty sometimes more so.
Most people are familiar with the sebaceous glands which are responsible for moisturising the skin, and during puberty sometimes more so. But even though the glands are a main component of our skin, scientists know surprisingly little about how they form and how they are subsequently maintained.
In a new study, researchers from the Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC) and the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology (DanStem) at the University of Copenhagen have gained new insight into how the skin, and in particular the sebaceous gland, forms during development and how it is replenished throughout life. Moreover, they reveal how a mutation often found in cancer affects normal cell behaviour.
‘We demonstrate for the first time ever how the sebaceous glands that contribute to the natural moisture of the skin are formed and how they are maintained throughout life by stem cells. This knowledge may be transferred to individuals with sebaceous gland conditions, e.g. acne or very dry skin’, says Postdoc Marianne Stemann Andersen from BRIC.
At the same time, the study shows that the behaviour of the stem cells changes when the researchers introduce a specific and frequently found cancer mutation to the skin stem cells. Surprisingly, the mutation did not as expected cause cells to divide more often; instead stem cells had a tendency to generate more stem cells and not mature sebaceous gland cells when they divided.
Read more at: University of Copenhagen
