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Isolation of Epidermal and Hair Follicle Melanocytes

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Book cover Molecular Dermatology

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2154))

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Abstract

Here we describe the isolation of epidermal melanocytes and hair follicle melanocytes from human skin tissue. Epidermal and hair follicle melanocytes are two distinct populations of melanocytes which are contained within the skin and the hair follicle, with differing yet overlapping roles. Epidermal melanocytes are normally isolated from the epidermis of vellus-haired skin tissue (e.g., face, breast, abdomen), while hair follicle melanocytes are derived from the outer root sheath (ORS) of the middle/lower terminal anagen hair follicles of the scalp. These methods utilize ethically sourced human skin tissue obtained from donors undergoing plastic surgery.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Centre for Skin Sciences, University of Bradford, UK.

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Correspondence to Richard Baker .

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Baker, R., Thornton, M.J. (2020). Isolation of Epidermal and Hair Follicle Melanocytes. In: Botchkareva, ​.V., Westgate, G.E. (eds) Molecular Dermatology. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2154. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0648-3_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0648-3_3

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-0647-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-0648-3

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