Summary Skeletal stem cells regulate bone growth and homeostasis by generating diverse cell types including chondrocytes, osteoblasts and marrow stromal cells. The emerging model postulates a distinct type of skeletal stem cells closely associated with the growth plate 1 - 4 , a special cartilaginous tissue playing critical roles in bone elongation 5 . The resting zone maintains the growth plate by expressing parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) that interacts with Indian hedgehog (Ihh) released from the hypertrophic zone 6 - 10 , while providing a source of other chondrocytes 11 . However, the identity of skeletal stem cells and how they are maintained in the growth plate are unknown. Here we show that skeletal stem cells are formed among PTHrP + chondrocytes within the resting zone of the postnatal growth plate. PTHrP + chondrocytes expressed a panel of markers for skeletal stem/progenitor cells and uniquely possessed the properties as skeletal stem cells in cultured conditions. Cell lineage analysis revealed that PTHrP + resting chondrocytes continued to form columnar chondrocytes long term, which underwent hypertrophy and became osteoblasts and marrow stromal cells beneath the growth plate. Transit-amplifying chondrocytes in the proliferating zone, which was concertedly maintained by a forward signal from undifferentiated cells (PTHrP) and a reverse signal from hypertrophic cells (Ihh), provided instructive cues to maintain cell fates of PTHrP + resting chondrocytes. Our findings unravel a unique somatic stem cell type that is initially unipotent and acquires multipotency at the post-mitotic stage, underscoring the malleable nature of the skeletal cell lineage. This system provides a model in which functionally dedicated stem cells and their niche are specified postnatally and maintained throughout tissue growth by a tight feedback regulation system.

Highlights d scRNA-seq of the healthy and injured liver epithelium reveals dynamic heterogeneity d Transcriptional heterogeneity is driven by fluctuating activation of YAP signaling d YAP is essential for adult biliary cell survival under homeostatic conditions d YAP is required in hepatocytes for the ductular response during regeneration

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) are versatile mesenchymal cell populations underpinning the major functions of the skeleton, a majority of which adjoin sinusoidal blood vessels and express C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12). However, how these cells are activated during regeneration and facilitate osteogenesis remains largely unknown. Celllineage analysis using Cxcl12-creER mice reveals that quiescent Cxcl12-creER + perisinusoidal BMSCs differentiate into cortical bone osteoblasts solely during regeneration. A combined single cell RNA-seq analysis demonstrate that these cells convert their identity into a skeletal stem cell-like state in response to injury, associated with upregulation of osteoblast-signature genes and activation of canonical Wnt signaling components along the single-cell trajectory. β-catenin deficiency in these cells indeed causes insufficiency in cortical bone regeneration.Therefore, quiescent Cxcl12-creER + BMSCs transform into osteoblast precursor cells in a manner mediated by canonical Wnt signaling, highlighting a unique mechanism by which dormant stromal cells are enlisted for skeletal regeneration.

Formation of functional skeletal tissues requires highly organized steps of mesenchymal progenitor cell differentiation. The dental follicle (DF) surrounding the developing tooth harbors mesenchymal progenitor cells for various differentiated cells constituting the tooth root–bone interface and coordinates tooth eruption in a manner dependent on signaling by parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) and the PTH/PTHrP receptor (PPR). However, the identity of mesenchymal progenitor cells in the DF and how they are regulated by PTHrP-PPR signaling remain unknown. Here, we show that the PTHrP-PPR autocrine signal maintains physiological cell fates of DF mesenchymal progenitor cells to establish the functional periodontal attachment apparatus and orchestrates tooth eruption. A single-cell RNA-seq analysis revealed cellular heterogeneity of PTHrP+ cells, wherein PTHrP+ DF subpopulations abundantly express PPR. Cell lineage analysis using tamoxifen-inducible PTHrP-creER mice revealed that PTHrP+ DF cells differentiate into cementoblasts on the acellular cementum, periodontal ligament cells, and alveolar cryptal bone osteoblasts during tooth root formation. PPR deficiency induced a cell fate shift of PTHrP+ DF mesenchymal progenitor cells to nonphysiological cementoblast-like cells precociously forming the cellular cementum on the root surface associated with up-regulation of Mef2c and matrix proteins, resulting in loss of the proper periodontal attachment apparatus and primary failure of tooth eruption, closely resembling human genetic conditions caused by PPR mutations. These findings reveal a unique mechanism whereby proper cell fates of mesenchymal progenitor cells are tightly maintained by an autocrine system mediated by PTHrP-PPR signaling to achieve functional formation of skeletal tissues.

Lipids in our body, which are mainly composed of fatty acids, triacylglycerides, sphingolipids, phospholipids, and cholesterol, play important roles at the cellular level. In addition to being energy sources and structural components of biological membranes, several types of lipids serve as signaling molecules or secondary messengers. Metabolic reprogramming has been recognized as a hallmark of cancer, but changes in lipid metabolism in cancer have received less attention compared to glucose or glutamine metabolism. However, recent innovations in mass spectrometry- and chromatography-based lipidomics technologies have increased our understanding of the role of lipids in cancer. Changes in lipid metabolism, so-called “lipid metabolic reprogramming”, can affect cellular functions including the cell cycle, proliferation, growth, and differentiation, leading to carcinogenesis. Moreover, interactions between cancer cells and adjacent immune cells through altered lipid metabolism are known to support tumor growth and progression. Characterization of cancer-specific lipid metabolism can be used to identify novel metabolic targets for cancer treatment, and indeed, several clinical trials are currently underway. Thus, we discuss the latest findings on the roles of lipid metabolism in cancer biology and introduce current advances in lipidomics technologies, focusing on their applications in cancer research.