Single-cell transcriptomic analysis identifies a highly replicating Cd168+ skeletal stem/progenitor cell population in mouse long bones

作者：Rui-Cong Hao, Zhiling Li, Feiyan Wang, Jie Tang, Peilin Li, Bo-Feng Yin, Xiaotong Li, Meng-Yue Han, Ning Mao, Bing Liu, Li Ding, Heng Zhu · 发表于：Journal of genetics and genomics/Journal of Genetics and Genomics · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1016/j.jgg.2023.04.004 · 被引用次数：10 · 研究领域：MicroRNA in disease regulation、Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research、Mesenchymal stem cell research

Skeletal stem/progenitor cells (SSPCs) are tissue-specific stem/progenitor cells localized within skeletons and contribute to bone development, homeostasis and regeneration. However, the heterogeneity of SSPC populations in mouse long bones and their respective regenerative capacity remain to be further clarified. In this study, we perform integrated analysis using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets of mouse hindlimb buds, postnatal long bones, and fractured long bones. Our analyses reveal the heterogeneity of osteochondrogenic lineage cells and recapitulate the developmental trajectories during mouse long bone growth. In addition, we identify a novel Cd168+ SSPC population with highly replicating capacity and osteochondrogenic potential in embryonic and postnatal long bones. Moreover, the Cd168+ SSPCs can contribute to newly formed skeletal tissues during fracture healing. Furthermore, the results of multicolor immunofluorescence show that Cd168+ SSPCs reside in the superficial zone of articular cartilage as well as in growth plates of postnatal mouse long bones. In summary, we identify a novel Cd168+ SSPC population with regenerative potential in mouse long bones, which adds to the knowledge of the tissue specific stem cells in skeletons.