Studying the role of dermal-epidermal junction topography in regulating the differentiation of human epidermal stem cells

In the lab we are interested in studying how mechanical cues affect the differentiation of keratinocytes and in this project, we are specifically looking into the role of one such cue: the topography of the rete ridges.

In young healthy adults, the dermis projects into the epidermis to form a network of undulating structures called the rete ridges. Though we know that the ridges serve as niches for undifferentiated keratinocytes called epidermal stem cells, the relationship between rete ridge topography and epidermal stem cell differentiation remains unclear.

To understand how topographical cues may regulate the differentiation of keratinocytes we are using surfaces of varying curvatures to model the shape of the rete ridges (Mobasseri et al, 2019; Viswanathan et al, 2016). Curvature can affect several different properties of cell collectives and we are currently investigating the contribution of cell density, spread, and area in controlling differentiation.