A population of stem cells with strong regenerative potential discovered in deer antlers

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Qin, Tao; Zhang, Guokun; Zheng, Yi; Li, Shengyou; Yuan, Yuan; Li, Qingjie; Hu, Mingliang; Si, Huazhe; Wei, Guanning; Gao, Xueli; Cui, Xinxin; Xia, Bing; Ren, Jing; Wang, Kun; Ba, Hengxing; Liu, Zhen; Heller, Rasmus; Li, Zhipeng; Wang, Wen; Huang, Jinghui; Li, Chunyi; Qiu, Qiang
• 署名单位: Northwestern Polytechnical University; Air Force Medical University; Changchun University of Chinese Medicine; Jilin Agricultural University; Jilin University; University of Copenhagen; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Jilin Agricultural University
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-10686
• DOI: 10.1126/science.add0488
• 发表日期: 2023-02-24
• 页码: 840-847
• 关键词: organ regeneration; repair

摘要

The annual regrowth of deer antlers provides a valuable model for studying organ regeneration in mammals. We describe a single-cell atlas of antler regrowth. The earliest-stage antler initiators were mesenchymal cells that express the paired related homeobox 1 gene (PRRX1+ mesenchymal cells). We also identified a population of antler blastema progenitor cells (ABPCs) that developed from the PRRX1+ mesenchymal cells and directed the antler regeneration process. Cross-species comparisons identified ABPCs in several mammalian blastema. In vivo and in vitro ABPCs displayed strong self-renewal ability and could generate osteochondral lineage cells. Last, we observed a spatially well-structured pattern of cellular and gene expression in antler growth center during the peak growth stage, revealing the cellular mechanisms involved in rapid antler elongation.