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Updated: Dec 20, 2025

Author Spotlight: Advancements in Cell and Tissue Engineering for Tendon Repair
Published on: March 1, 2024
The mevalonate pathway is a crucial regulator of tendon cell specification
Jessica W Chen1,2, Xubo Niu1, Matthew J King1
1Center for Regenerative Medicine, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 185 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Abstract:
Tendons and ligaments are crucial components of the musculoskeletal system, yet the pathways specifying these fates remain poorly defined. Through a screen of known bioactive chemicals in zebrafish, we identified a new pathway regulating tendon cell induction. We established that statin, through inhibition of the mevalonate pathway, causes an expansion of the tendon progenitor population. Co-expression and live imaging studies indicate that the expansion does not involve an increase in cell proliferation, but rather results from re-specification of cells from the neural crest-derived sox9a skeletal lineage. The effect on tendon cell expansion is specific to the geranylgeranylation branch of the mevalonate pathway and is mediated by inhibition of Rac activity. This work establishes a novel role for the mevalonate pathway and Rac activity in regulating specification of the tendon lineage.
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