近日，北京生命科学研究所陈婷团队发现，毛干的缩小会导致干细胞的减少。相关论文于2021年10月7日在线发表在《细胞—干细胞》杂志上。
研究人员表明，毛干丢失或直径减少会缩小物理微环境的大小，从而导致毛囊干细胞（HFSC）的机械压缩和凋亡。从机制上讲，细胞压缩激活了机械敏感通道Piezo1，从而引发了钙的流入。这以头发周期依赖性的方式在其他抗性的HFSC中赋予了肿瘤坏死因子α（TNF-α）的敏感性，并诱导异位凋亡。在衰老和遗传性贫血疾病期间，持续的毛干缩小会通过Piezo1诱导持续的异位细胞凋亡，从而导致长期的HFSC损失。这些研究结果确定了惰性毛干结构作为管理HFSC生存的功能性微环境组件的非经典作用，并揭示了一个调节体内物理性萎缩诱导干细胞耗竭的机械感知信号轴。
据介绍，在衰老、雄性激素性脱发和遗传性脱发疾病中，毛发轴的小型化往往与HFSC的丢失有关。然而，在体内造成这种干细胞损耗的机制仍然难以捉摸。
附：英文原文
Title: Hair shaft miniaturization causes stem cell depletion through mechanosensory signals mediated by a Piezo1-calcium-TNF-α axis
Author: Yuhua Xie, Daoming Chen, Kaiju Jiang, Lifang Song, Nannan Qian, Yingxue Du, Yong Yang, Fengchao Wang, Ting Chen
Issue&Volume: 2021-10-07
Abstract: In aging, androgenic alopecia, and genetic hypotrichosis disorders, hair shaft miniaturizationis often associated with hair follicle stem cell (HFSC) loss. However, the mechanismcausing this stem cell depletion in vivo remains elusive. Here we show that hair shaft loss or a reduction in diameter shrinksthe physical niche size, which results in mechanical compression of HFSCs and theirapoptotic loss. Mechanistically, cell compression activates the mechanosensitive channelPiezo1, which triggers calcium influx. This confers tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)sensitivity in a hair-cycle-dependent manner in otherwise resistant HFSCs and inducesectopic apoptosis. Persistent hair shaft miniaturization during aging and genetichypotrichosis disorders causes long-term HFSC loss by inducing continuous ectopicapoptosis through Piezo1. Our results identify an unconventional role of the inerthair shaft structure as a functional niche component governing HFSC survival and reveala mechanosensory axis that regulates physical-niche-atrophy-induced stem cell depletionin vivo.
DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2021.09.009
Source: https://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(21)00385-4
Cell Stem Cell：《细胞—干细胞》，创刊于2007年。隶属于细胞出版社，最新IF：25.269
官方网址：https://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/home
投稿链接：https://www.editorialmanager.com/cell-stem-cell/default.aspx
本期文章：《细胞—干细胞》：Online/在线发表
