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

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 ( mesenchymal cells). We also iden...

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Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2023-02, Vol.379 (6634), p.840-847
Main Authors: 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
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Antlers - cytology
Antlers - physiology
Deer - physiology
Homeodomain Proteins - metabolism
Mesenchymal Stem Cells - physiology
Regeneration
Single-Cell Analysis
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Summary: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 ( mesenchymal cells). We also identified a population of "antler blastema progenitor cells" (ABPCs) that developed from the 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.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.add0488