小鼠和人類的指尖再生是哺乳動物器官再生的一個引人注目的例子,。然而,，這種能力是非常有限的：如果指頭在超過指甲的地方被截掉的話是從不會再生的,。Mayumi Ito及其同事為這一過程提供了新見解,。他們發(fā)現(xiàn),，控制小鼠指甲干細胞分化的機制直接耦合到其協(xié)調(diào)指頭再生的能力上,。位于指甲干細胞區(qū)域遠端的指甲祖細胞在一個依賴于Wnt信號作用的過程中分化成指甲。Wnt信號作用的激發(fā)也是指甲再生以及吸引那些促進整個指頭在切除后再生的神經(jīng)所必需的,。作者提出,，指甲干細胞也許可用于為截肢者開發(fā)新的治療方法,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦英文摘要：
Nature doi:10.1038/nature12214
Wnt activation in nail epithelium couples nail growth to digit regeneration
Makoto Takeo,Wei Chin Chou,Qi Sun,Wendy Lee,Piul Rabbani,Cynthia Loomis,M. Mark Taketo & Mayumi Ito
The tips of mammalian digits can regenerate after amputation, like those of amphibians. It is unknown why this capacity is limited to the area associated with the nail. Here we show that nail stem cells (NSCs) reside in the proximal nail matrix and that the mechanisms governing NSC differentiation are coupled directly with their ability to orchestrate digit regeneration. Early nail progenitors undergo Wnt-dependent differentiation into the nail. After amputation, this Wnt activation is required for nail regeneration and also for attracting nerves that promote mesenchymal blastema growth, leading to the regeneration of the digit. Amputations proximal to the Wnt-active nail progenitors result in failure to regenerate the nail or digit. Nevertheless, β-catenin stabilization in the NSC region induced their regeneration. These results establish a link between NSC differentiation and digit regeneration, and suggest that NSCs may have the potential to contribute to the development of novel treatments for amputees.
