ArticlePLoS biology2014
Macrophages contribute to the cyclic activation of adult hair follicle stem cells.
Article in PLoS biology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 109 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
109 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 180 citations in OpenAlex.
- Meta-analysis identifies novel risk loci and yields systematic insights into the biology of male-pattern baldness.Nature communications · 2017Pooled it
- Single-Nucleus Transcriptomic Atlas of Human Vellus Hair Pilosebaceous Units Reveals Age-Associated Remodeling.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Tissue mitochondrial activity dictates the macrophage pool size.Science immunology · 2026Article
- Citrus limon-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Promote Hair Growth.Applied biochemistry and biotechnology · 2026Article
- In vitro and in vivo models for androgenetic alopecia drug development.Disease models & mechanisms · 2026Review
- Immunopathogenesis and Experimental Models of Alopecia Areata: From Mechanistic Insights to Translational Platforms.Clinical reviews in allergy & immunology · 2026Review
- Article
- Hair follicle regeneration technology: from microenvironment regulation to functional reconstruction.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2026Review
- Barrier Tissue-Resident Macrophages: Natural Compounds as Modulators in Immune Function and Disease.Current topics in medicinal chemistry · 2026Review
- Engineering immune-competent hair follicle microphysiological systems: from organoid assembly to dynamic immune modelling.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2026Review
- Squaric Acid Dibutylester Promotes Innate Immune-Driven Hair Growth with CD206JID innovations : skin science from molecules to population health · 2026Article
- Early prediction of alopecia areata using machine learning modeling of neuro stress immune signatures from multi datasets.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- How stem cells respond to infection, inflammation and ageing.Nature reviews. Immunology · 2025Review
- Regulatory T cells in skin utilize the Cxcr4-Cxcl12 axis to promote hair follicle regeneration.Cell reports · 2025Article
- The Skin Microenvironment: A Dynamic Regulator of Hair Follicle Development, Cycling and Disease.Biomolecules · 2025Review
- Article
- Single-cell sequencing combined with spatial transcriptomics reveals the characteristics of follicle-targeted inflammation patterns in primary cicatricial alopecia.Cell & bioscience · 2025Article
- Epidermal γδ T cells, CD8 T cells and macrophages are increased in number in alopecia areata and express BST2 as part of an interferon-driven antiviral gene signature.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Cyclic renewal in three ectodermal appendage follicles: Hairs, feathers and teeth.Developmental biology · 2025Review
- Double-sided niche regulation in skin stem cell and cancer: mechanisms and clinical applications.Molecular cancer · 2025Review
49 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Skin epithelial stem cells operate within a complex signaling milieu that orchestrates their lifetime regenerative properties. The question of whether and how immune cells impact on these stem cells within their niche is not well understood. Here we show that skin-resident macrophages decrease in number because of apoptosis before the onset of epithelial hair follicle stem cell activation during the murine hair cycle. This process is linked to distinct gene expression, including Wnt transcription. Interestingly, by mimicking this event through the selective induction of macrophage apoptosis in early telogen, we identify a novel involvement of macrophages in stem cell activation in vivo. Importantly, the macrophage-specific pharmacological inhibition of Wnt production delays hair follicle growth. Thus, perifollicular macrophages contribute to the activation of skin epithelial stem cells as a novel, additional cue that regulates their regenerative activity. This finding may have translational implications for skin repair, inflammatory skin diseases and cancer.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.