Prrx1 marks stem cells for bone, white adipose tissue and dermis in adult mice.
Huijuan LiuPing LiShaoyang ZhangJinnan XiangRuichen YangJiajia LiuShafiquzzaman MdSoma BiswasZhanying WeiZhenlin ZhangXin ZhouFeng YinYangli XieStephen P GoffLin ChenBaojie LiPublished in: Nature genetics (2022)
Specialized connective tissues, including bone and adipose tissues, control various physiological activities, including mineral and energy homeostasis. However, the identity of stem cells maintaining these tissues throughout adulthood remains elusive. By conducting genetic lineage tracing and cell depletion experiments in newly generated knock-in Cre/CreER T2 lines, we show here that rare Prrx1-expressing cells act as stem cells for bone, white adipose tissue and dermis in adult mice, which are indispensable for the homeostasis and repair of these tissues. Single-cell profiling reveals the cycling and multipotent nature of Prrx1-expressing cells and the stemness of these cells is further validated by transplantation assays. Moreover, we identify the cell surface markers for Prrx1-expressing stem cells and show that the activities of these stem cells are regulated by Wnt signaling. These findings expand our knowledge of connective tissue homeostasis/regeneration and may help improve stem-cell-based therapies.
Keyphrases
- stem cells
- adipose tissue
- single cell
- induced apoptosis
- cell therapy
- cell cycle arrest
- gene expression
- insulin resistance
- rna seq
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- high throughput
- soft tissue
- signaling pathway
- oxidative stress
- high fat diet
- depressive symptoms
- type diabetes
- high fat diet induced
- cell death
- mesenchymal stem cells
- cell proliferation
- postmenopausal women
- body composition