Vitamin D receptor is required for proliferation, migration and differentiation of epidermal stem cells and progeny during cutaneous wound repair

Epidermal stem cells residing in the skin play an essential role in epidermal regeneration. When skin is injured, the stem cells are first activated to proliferate, and subsequently the progeny migrate and differentiate to regenerate the epidermis. Here, we demonstrate that the vitamin D receptor (VDR) is essential for these processes to occur. The requirement for VDR on epidermal stem cell function was revealed in conditional VDR knockout (cKO) mice, in which VDR was deleted from stem cells and progeny, and mice were maintained on a low calcium diet.
Source: Journal of Investigative Dermatology - Category: Dermatology Authors: Tags: Original Article Source Type: research