美国耶鲁医学院Valentina Greco和Tianchi Xin合作发现尽管毛囊内的生态位结构发生了重组，但器官功能仍得以保留。相关论文于2023年7月6日发表于国际顶尖学术期刊《细胞—干细胞》杂志上。

在毛囊生长过程中，多能上皮祖细胞通过与其重塑成纤维细胞生态位(真皮乳头)的串扰构建毛发，为功能性询问生态位结构提供了强有力的模型。通过小鼠活体成像，他们发现真皮乳头成纤维细胞单独和集体重塑，形成形态极化，结构坚固的生态位。不对称的TGF-β信号传导先于形态生态位极性，真皮乳头成纤维细胞中TGF-β信号的缺失导致它们逐渐失去其固有的结构，而不是围绕上皮。重组的生态位诱导了多能祖细胞的再分配，但仍然支持它们的增殖和分化。然而，分化谱系和由祖先产生的毛发较短。

总的来说，他们的结果表明，生态位结构优化了器官效率，但对器官功能不是绝对必要的。

据了解，干细胞构建和补充组织的能力依赖于其生态位的支持。虽然不同器官的生态位结构不同，但其功能重要性尚不清楚。

附：英文原文

Title: Organ function is preserved despite reorganization of niche architecture in the hair follicle

Author: Haoyang Wei, Shuangshuang Du, Jeeun Parksong, H. Amalia Pasolli, Catherine Matte-Martone, Sergi Regot, Lauren E. Gonzalez, Tianchi Xin, Valentina Greco

Issue&Volume: 2023/07/06

Abstract: The ability of stem cells to build and replenish tissues depends on support from theirniche. Although niche architecture varies across organs, its functional importanceis unclear. During hair follicle growth, multipotent epithelial progenitors buildhair via crosstalk with their remodeling fibroblast niche, the dermal papilla, providinga powerful model to functionally interrogate niche architecture. Through mouse intravitalimaging, we show that dermal papilla fibroblasts remodel individually and collectivelyto form a morphologically polarized, structurally robust niche. Asymmetric TGF-β signalingprecedes morphological niche polarity, and loss of TGF-β signaling in dermal papillafibroblasts leads them to progressively lose their stereotypic architecture, insteadsurrounding the epithelium. The reorganized niche induces the redistribution of multipotentprogenitors but nevertheless supports their proliferation and differentiation. However,the differentiated lineages and hairs produced by progenitors are shorter. Overall,our results reveal that niche architecture optimizes organ efficiency but is not absolutelyessential for organ function.

DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.06.003

Source: https://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(23)00214-X