The in vitro properties of dermal papilla cell lines established from human hair follicles.

The in vitro properties of cells cultured from the dermal papilla of human hair follicles were studied and compared with those of lines of dermal fibroblasts derived from the same material. In serial subcultures, the dermal papilla cells displayed a spread out, polygonal cellular morphology at stationary growth phases and a tendency to form multi-layered aggregates before reaching confluence. Aggregation was particularly marked when papilla cells were grown on collagen gels. In contrast, dermal fibroblasts grew as branching, parallel arrays of spindle-shaped cells which remained as monolayers until confluence. Compared with dermal fibroblasts, papilla cells also exhibited a shorter in vitro survival time. The properties of cultured human papilla cells are similar to those of rat vibrissa papilla cells.