Thy1 Marks a Distinct Population of Slow-Cycling Stem Cells in the Mouse Epidermis

Here, we report a discrete population of keratinocytes, marked by Thy1, in the basal layer of the IFE. We find that basal keratinocytes expressing differential levels of Thy1 display distinct transcriptional signatures. Thy1+ keratinocytes do not express T cell markers, express a unique transcriptional profile, cycle significantly slower than epidermal progenitors and display significant expansion potential in vitro. Collectively, these results reveal a distinct stem cell population that plays a critical role in epidermal homeostasis and repair. We performed gene expression profiling analysis using data obtained from RNA-seq of dorsal epidermal skin of 8-week old mice. 5 different cell populations were isolated using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). RNA-seq samples were prepared and run in two separate batches, and 3 or more biological replicates were obtained for each sample in total.