Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 1, 2025
09:04
Analysis of Retinoic Acid-induced Neural Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells in Two and Three-dimensional Embryoid Bodies
Published on: April 22, 2017
9.0K
Vitamin A resolves lineage plasticity to orchestrate stem cell lineage choices
Matthew T Tierney1, Lisa Polak1, Yihao Yang1
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Robin Chemers Neustein Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|March 7, 2024
Summary
Lineage plasticity allows skin stem cells to regenerate tissues. Retinoic acid is crucial for this process, enabling hair growth and wound repair, with implications for treating wounds and cancers.
Area of Science:
- Stem cell biology
- Developmental biology
- Regenerative medicine
Background:
- Lineage plasticity is essential for stem cell function and tissue regeneration.
- Unresolved lineage plasticity impairs skin stem cell differentiation and tissue repair.
- Understanding regulators of lineage plasticity is critical for therapeutic applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of lineage plasticity in skin stem cell function.
- To identify key regulators of lineage plasticity in tissue regeneration.
- To explore the therapeutic potential of modulating lineage plasticity.
Main Methods:
- Small-molecule screening to identify regulators of lineage plasticity.
- High-throughput approaches and cell culture techniques.
- In vivo mouse genetics to study stem cell behavior and tissue repair.
Main Results:
- Retinoic acid was identified as a critical regulator of lineage plasticity.
- Retinoic acid is locally produced in hair follicle stem cell niches.
- Local retinoic acid levels dictate stem cell identity and usage in regeneration.
Conclusions:
- Resolving lineage plasticity is necessary for effective skin stem cell function in vitro and in vivo.
- Retinoic acid plays a pivotal role in regulating lineage plasticity and tissue regeneration.
- Targeting retinoic acid pathways offers therapeutic potential for hair growth, chronic wounds, and cancer treatment.
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