The fact that differentiated cell types had specific patterns of proteins suggested irreversible epigenetic modifications or genetic alterations to be the cause of unidirectional cell differentiation.
It showed that a differentiated cell nucleus has retained the capacity to successfully revert to an undifferentiated state, with a potential to restart development (pluripotent capacity).
Generally, the idea boils down to harnessing the power of plasticity and the ability to go from an unspecialized cell to a highly specialized differentiated cell.
The epidermis tissue includes several differentiated cell types: epidermal cells, epidermal hair cells (trichomes) cells in the stomatal complex; guard cells and subsidiary cells.