Alkaline Ceramidase 1 Protects Mice from Premature Hair Loss by Maintaining the Homeostasis of Hair Follicle Stem Cells

Ceramides and their metabolites are important for the homeostasis of the epidermis, but much remains unknown about the roles of specific pathways of ceramide metabolism in skin biology. With a mouse model deficient in the alkaline ceramidase (Acer1) gene, we demonstrate that ACER1 plays a key role in the homeostasis of the epidermis and its appendages by controlling the metabolism of ceramides. Loss of Acer1 elevated the levels of various ceramides and sphingoid bases in the skin and caused progressive hair loss in mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that loss of Acer1 widened follicular infundibulum and caused progressive loss of hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) due to reduced survival and stemness. These results suggest that ACER1 plays a key role in maintaining the homeostasis of HFSCs, and thereby the hair follicle structure and function, by regulating the metabolism of ceramides in the epidermis. •Acer1 is a skin-specific ceramidase that controls the catabolism of ceramides•Acer1 plays a key role in the homeostasis of the epidermis and its appendages•Acer1−/− mice suffer from progressive alopecia•Loss of Acer1 progressively depletes the population of hair follicle stem cells Acer1 is a skin-specific ceramidase that controls the catabolism of ceramides. Lin et al. show that Acer1 plays a key role in maintaining the homeostasis of the hair follicle stem cell and the hair follicle structure and function by regulating the metabolism of ceramides in the epidermis.