Time-driven molding of the epidermal stem cell transcriptome

Epidermal stem cells ensure proper faring of skin homeostatic processes under both physiological and challenging conditions. Currently, the molecular events underpinning ageing within the epidermal stem cell niche are poorly understood. Here, we report that epidermal stem cells are endowed with a collection of time-sensitive genes which constitute specific functional programs that become deregulated in an age-dependent manner. Epidermal stem cells (CD34+;Itga6+) from dorsal skin of 0.6-, 1-, 2.5-, 4-, 6- and 12-month-old mice (n = 3 per time point)