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Immunology of the Skin pp 203–211Cite as

Hair Follicles

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Abstract

The hair follicle (HF) is a skin appendage providing physical barrier to protect mammals from external stimuli. HF has been attracting great interest as an object of developmental and stem cell research, however, little attention has been paid to HF in the light of immunology. Previous observations supported that HF might enjoy immune privilege by suppressing immune-related antigen expression and producing immunosuppressive molecules, indicating HF possesses intrinsic machinery to escape from unwanted immune response. The recent discovery that HF segments differentially express chemokines, both chemoattractive and possibly suppressive, suggested that HF is not merely an innocent bystander but may play previously unrecognized roles in the regulation of immune reactions in skin. In this chapter, basic knowledge of hair follicle morphology and physiology is summarized. The similarities and differences between mouse pelage and human scalp hair follicles is presented, which is crucial for translational research. Finally, immunological features of hair follicle segments is discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Kyorin University School of Medicine, 6-20-2 Shinkawa Mitaka-shi, Tokyo, 181-8611, Japan

    Manabu Ohyama M.D., Ph.D.

  2. Dermatology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bldg. 10, Rm. 12C432A, Bethesda, MD, 20814-1908, USA

    Keisuke Nagao M.D., Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Manabu Ohyama M.D., Ph.D.
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  2. Keisuke Nagao M.D., Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Manabu Ohyama M.D., Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Kyoto University Grad Sch of Med., Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan

    Kenji Kabashima

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Ohyama, M., Nagao, K. (2016). Hair Follicles. In: Kabashima, K. (eds) Immunology of the Skin. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55855-2_13

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