AsianScientist (Nov. 10, 2017) – In a study published in Developmental Cell, scientists in Japan have identified a group of progenitor cells that are critical in zebrafish bone regeneration.
When a fracture occurs, cells known as osteoblasts will invade the fracture site to produce new bone. However, the source of these osteoblasts has been controversial among bone researchers.
In this study, a team of scientists led by Associate Professor Atsushi Kawakami used genetically engineered zebrafish to show that a population of progenitor cells marked by high expression of matrix metalloproteinase 9, an enzyme that catabolizes collagens, supplies osteoblasts during regeneration. They called these cells osteoblast progenitor cells (OPCs). Eliminating OPCs prior to tissue injury significantly impaired bone regeneration. This suggested that OPCs are essential for bone regeneration.
The researchers further investigated the developmental origin of OPCs. Embryonic somites produce osteoblasts during vertebrate development, but their relationship to adult osteoblasts was not known. The researchers found that OPCs are derived from embryonic somites and reserved in niches of bone-forming tissues in adult animal as the source of osteoblasts.
The collective findings suggest that a lineage of bone-producing cells, which are specified in embryonic somites, are maintained throughout the animals’ lives as progenitor cells for bone regeneration and also for bone maintenance.
“We use animal models because they show us a number of essential cellular and molecular mechanisms behind our existence. Our study reveals that OPCs will be a potential target for enhancing bone regeneration in mammals,” said Kawakami.
The article can be found at: Ando et al. (2017) Osteoblast Production by Reserved Progenitor Cells in Zebrafish Bone Regeneration and Maintenance.
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Source: Tokyo Insititute of Technology; Photo: Shutterstock.
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