Live Cell Imaging with Time Lapse Photography to Study Epidermal Keratinocyte Proliferation Kinetics

Brook Abegaze; Giselle Vitcov; Richard Kim; Ruby Ghadially

doi:10.3791/67855

Live Cell Imaging with Time Lapse Photography to Study Epidermal Keratinocyte Proliferation Kinetics

JoVE Journal
Biochemistry

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JoVE Journal Biochemistry

Live Cell Imaging with Time Lapse Photography to Study Epidermal Keratinocyte Proliferation Kinetics

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07:21 min

June 6, 2025

DOI: 10.3791/67855-v

Brook Abegaze¹, Giselle Vitcov², Richard Kim³, Ruby Ghadially¹

¹The University of California, San Francisco, and San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System, ²The University of Arizona College of Medicine, ³Department of Medicine,Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Overview

This research focuses on hyper and hypoproliferative diseases, such as psoriasis and aging, and their impact on stem cell proliferation. We provide a method for live cell imaging that allows tracking of keratinocyte lineages and collection of proliferation metrics.

Key Study Components

Area of Science

Neuroscience
Cell Biology
Stem Cell Research

Background

Hyper and hypoproliferative diseases affect stem cell behavior.
Tracking committed progenitors over generations has been challenging.
Live cell imaging provides insights into progenitor behavior.
Understanding these mechanisms can lead to targeted therapies.

Purpose of Study

To develop a method for tracking keratinocyte lineages.
To collect metrics on cell division fate and cycle duration.
To understand the behavior of committed progenitors in vitro.

Methods Used

Live cell imaging techniques.
Tracking of keratinocyte lineages.
Analysis of proliferation metrics.
In vitro studies of committed progenitor cells.

Main Results

Stem cells divide less frequently but more rapidly when they do.
Live cell imaging allows observation of progenitor behavior across generations.
Insights gained can inform the development of targeted therapies.
Understanding tissue damage response mechanisms is enhanced.

Conclusions

Live cell imaging is a valuable tool for studying keratinocyte lineages.
Identifying proliferative defects can lead to better therapies.
Further research is needed to explore the implications of these findings.

Frequently Asked Questions

What diseases are being studied?

The study focuses on hyper and hypoproliferative diseases such as psoriasis and aging.

What is the significance of live cell imaging?

Live cell imaging allows tracking of committed progenitors over multiple generations, providing insights into their behavior.

How does this research impact therapy development?

By identifying specific proliferative defects, the research can lead to more targeted therapies for skin diseases.

What metrics are collected in this study?

Metrics include cell division fate and cell cycle duration.

What is the main finding regarding stem cells?

Stem cells divide less frequently than committed progenitors but do so more rapidly when they divide.

Why is tracking keratinocyte lineages important?

It helps understand the behavior of progenitor cells and their role in skin diseases.

Here, we provide a method for live cell imaging analysis that can be used to manually track the lineages of passage 0 keratinocytes and that allows the collection of proliferation metrics, including cell division fate and cell cycle duration.

This research focuses on hyper and hypoproliferative diseases such as psoriasis and aging, with an emphasis on how these conditions affect stem cell and progenitor cell proliferation. Identifying the specific sites of proliferative defects will enable the development of more precisely targeted therapies. For human epidermis, we have not had techniques that allow tracking of committed progenitors for multiple generations.

Finally, live cell imaging lets us follow a committed progenitor through multiple generations in vitro and has provided many insights into human committed progenitor behavior. We have used live cell imaging to show that while we know that stem cells divide less frequently than committed progenitors, when they do divide, they divide more rapidly. When tissue damage occurs, stem cells can respond using rapid turnover.

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hyperproliferative diseases hypoproliferative diseases psoriasis aging stem cells progenitor cells cell proliferation targeted therapies human epidermis live cell imaging