Stem cells specializing in fracture healing
Stem cells have been identified in the bone marrow of mice,
which are capable of providing regeneration of bone and cartilage tissue
sci-lib based on ScienceDaily: Bone stem cells shown to regenerate bones, cartilage in adult miceThe cells, called osteochondroreticular (OCR) stem cells, were discovered by tracking the protein Gremlin 1 expressed by them. Using it, scientists determined that OCR self-renew and give key bone and cartilage cells, including osteoblasts and chondrocytes.
The authors of the study published in the journal Cell (Worthley et al., Gremlin 1 Identifies a Skeletal Stem Cell with Bone, Cartilage, and Reticular Stromal Potential) It was shown that stem osteochondroreticulocytes, when transferred to the fracture area, contribute to bone restoration.
Image of the femoral head. Osteochondroreticular stem cells are highlighted in red.
"Now we are trying to understand whether these cells can be used to specifically recover after a fracture. If you cause a fracture in a mouse, these cells will come to life and generate bone and cartilage tissue, healing the fracture. The question is, can this happen in humans?" says Siddhartha Mukherjee, an employee of Columbia University Medical Center, lead author of the study.
Scientists believe that OCR stem cells will also be found in human bone tissue, since the biology of mouse and human bones is similar. Further research can deepen the existing understanding of how to resist the development of osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, the occurrence of fractures, as well as how to treat these pathologies.
"The results of our research increase the likelihood of creating drugs and drugs aimed at stimulating the production of OCR stem cells and increasing the body's ability to heal a fracture. This process worsens significantly with age," says Timothy C. Wang, an employee of the Columbia University Medical Center, the initiator of the study. Earlier, Dr. Wong discovered similar stem cells (reticular stem cells) forming connective tissue surrounding the intestinal epithelium.
Diagram from the article in Cell
"These cells are especially active during development, but, in addition, their number increases in the adult body as a result of bone damage," says Gerard Karsenty (Gerard Karsenty, head of the Department of Genetics and Development, one of the members of the scientific group that conducted the study).
The scientific work carried out also showed that adult OCRs are different from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are involved in the generation of bone tissue during development and in adulthood. It was assumed that MSCs provided the origin of all bone, cartilage and adipose tissue. However, the current study has shown that mesenchymal stem cells do not form young bone and cartilage tissue. The work of Columbia University Medical Center specialists confirms that in fact OCR stem cells perform this function and that MSCs and OCR stem cells are involved in maintaining health and bone healing in adults. The authors of the study believe that OCR may be involved in the development of soft tissue cancer.
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