MicroRNA调控造血干细胞发育

造血干细胞是目前研究最为深入的成体干细胞,是极富应用前景的研究领域,然而其维持自我更新以及多向分化潜能的分子机制尚不明.MicroRNA (miRNA)是一类崭新的调控性非编码小分子RNA,在监控生物体个体发育和细胞增殖、分化进程中起着重要作用.miRNA参与包括胚胎干细胞和多种成体干细胞的发育进程,人类造血干细胞及其发育过程中也存在特征性miRNA表达谱,参与调控造血干细胞发育进程,以miRNA为分子靶点的防治造血功能低下疾患的研究具有广阔的应用前景.     

MicroRNA参与的调控网络

成熟的microRNA（miRNA）是一类长约18～24个核苷酸、内源性非编码小RNA分子,它在体内下调靶基因的表达。迄今在不同物种中已发现的miRNA达上千种。miRNA的发现为基因表达调控研究打开了新的窗口。目前研究者不仅关注miRNA在发育、分化、生长和代谢等诸多生物过程中的作用,而且开始进一步探寻其发挥作用的分子机理,以期重新描绘基因表达调控网络图。文章综述了miRNA对其靶基因的调控特点,介绍了miRNA自身调控研究的最新进展,从而有助于理解miRNA参与的基因表达调控网络的复杂性。     

MicroRNA调控被子植物花发育的研究进展

MicroRNA（miRNA）是一类由内源基因编码的长度为21～23nt的非编码单链小RNA分子,通过与靶基因的互补位点结合而降解或抑制靶mRNA的翻译,从而在转录后水平上调控基因的活性。miRNA在调控植物发育方面发挥着广泛的作用。从成花诱导到花器官特征属性的形成,miRNA在整个花发育过程均发挥着关键作用。miRl72和miRl56／157参与由营养生长向生殖生长转换的调控,miRl72和miRl69在花发育的早期阶段通过界定靶基因的表达区域而调控花器官的属性,miR319、miRl59、miRl64以及miRl67在花发育的晚期阶段决定细胞的特化。文章综述了miRNA调控被子植物花发育的研究进展,为深入了解miRNA的作用机制奠定基础。     

MicroRNA对干细胞调控作用的研究进展

干细胞是具有自我复制及更新能力的原始不成熟细胞,可向不同组织及器官分化,在胚胎和成体组织中都有存在.干细胞的应用作为组织修复和重建的一种新策略,近几年来受到了医学界和生物学界的广泛关注,而microRNA(miRNA)作为一种长约21～23个核苷酸的内源性非编码RNA的分子,其通过与靶mRNA结合,发挥负向基因转录调控作用的功能已在研究中被证实,其对细胞乃至生物体的影响也渐渐成为研究的热点.但干细胞与miRNA两者之间是否存在联系,miRNA是否在干细胞的分化、增殖中也具一定有作用,已逐渐成为一项值得研究的课题.这不仅可以使我们更加全面的了解miRNA的作用,也为干细胞的应用提供了新的研究途径和理论依据.因此本文就miRNA及其对胚胎干细胞和成体干细胞的调控做一综述.     

小鼠皮肤及其毛囊早期发育的组织学观察

目的探讨小鼠皮肤及其毛囊的早期发育规律。方法采用常规石蜡切片和H-E染色技术,观察昆明系小鼠出生前后皮肤及其毛囊的形态发育。结果(1)孕龄16 d胎鼠的皮肤表面形成凹凸不平的深褶皱,但在生后3 d~5 d不仅皱褶的数量减少,而且凹陷变浅;(2)胎鼠孕龄16 d至19 d,其皮肤的表皮、真皮及皮肤总厚度呈现平稳增厚。但是,出生后,其表皮、真皮和皮肤总厚度急剧降低;在生后第1天至第9天,表皮呈现平稳增厚,而真皮则在生后快速厚度,第7天达到最高值(1861.50μm);(3)孕龄16 d的胎鼠皮肤中可观察到初级毛囊,至生后第7天其密度呈现平稳增长;与其相比,次级毛囊从18 d胎鼠开始出现,其密度增长非常迅速,出生后第7天达到1257.14/mm;毛囊的总密度与次级毛囊呈现相似的变化趋势。出生第7天后,由于毛囊的数量急剧增加,无法观察初级毛囊和次级毛囊的变化规律;(4)初级毛囊和次级毛囊的长度与深度变化在出生前后的相对缓慢,与其相比在第3天以后至第7天呈现迅速变化趋势。结论小鼠皮肤及其毛囊的生长性发育发生在胎儿晚期和生后的早期,而其周期性变化可能从出生后的第9天以后开始出现;在孕期16 d至生后第7天可能是检测毛囊特异性基因表达的最佳期。     

MicroRNA 在皮肤创伤愈合中的作用

皮肤创伤愈合过程是一个复杂而连续的过程,这一过程需要多种细胞、多种因子的参与,涉及细胞增殖、细胞分化、细胞运动、细胞黏附等多个细胞生物学过程。 MicroRNA（ miRNA）是一类高度保守的非编码RNA,它通过靶向结合信使RNA（ mRNA）并使其降解或抑制其翻译,实现转录后基因表达调控。 miRNA作为基因表达的重要调控分子,几乎参与了机体所有的生理和病理过程。除了在皮肤发育中发挥重要的作用,还参与多种皮肤病、皮肤癌和皮肤创伤愈合过程的调节。主要总结了miRNA调控皮肤创伤愈合的研究进展。     

miRNA在调控皮肤和毛囊发育中的作用

表皮发生和毛囊的周期性再生涉及一系列基因的激活和沉默。近年来的研究表明, miRNA的表达谱在表皮和毛囊组织中存在组织特异性, 在毛囊周期性发育中存在阶段特异性。大量miRNA参与表皮和毛囊的发生, 色素的沉着以及毛囊的周期性发育过程, 不同类型细胞中的miRNA通过与信号通路和调控因子相互作用形成了一个全方位、多层次的网络调控系统。文章综述了miRNA调控表皮内稳态和毛囊周期性发育的一些研究 进展, 旨在丰富miRNA参与的基因调控网路的研究, 进而为人工调控miRNA进行疾病治疗和分子育种提供 帮助。     

毛囊分子调控机制

毛囊是产生毛被的组织,具有周期性,经历生长期、衰退期和休止期三个时期,毛囊与皮脂腺组成毛囊皮脂腺单位。本文从分子层面分别对调控毛囊周期性变化、毛囊皮脂腺发育以及毛囊中影响毛被光泽度及毡结度的因子等给予了详细阐述,这些均为提高山羊绒产量和质量提供了重要思路。     

皮肤毛囊发育的转录组研究进展

近年来,转录组测序技术在动物重要经济性状受复杂基因网络的调控研究领域取得了显著的成果。作为哺乳动物皮肤的衍生物,毛囊是唯一具有高度自我更新能力、独特的可再生器官,毛囊细胞经增殖分化最终形成毛发。已有的研究表明,诸多生长因子及其受体作为体内分泌协调基因的重要因素,对毛发的生长发育起着重要的调控作用。文章综述了近年来转录组测序技术在人、小鼠及羊等生物的皮肤毛囊发育和再生过程中基因调控方式的研究进展,旨在为今后人工干扰绒毛周期生长发育和分子育种提供理论依据,同时也为皮肤毛囊相关疾病的临床治疗提供新思路。     

新生小鼠不同部位皮肤毛囊早期发育差异的比较

目的观察出生后小鼠不同部位皮肤毛囊早期发育生长差异及细胞色素C的表达分布。方法对新生1~9日龄的KM小鼠背部、尾部和触须部皮肤取材,进行HE染色,用二步法免疫组织化学对组织进行细胞色素C进行表达分布检测。结果新生小鼠不同部位皮肤毛囊发育差异很大,这种差异不仅体现在形态差异上,而发育时间的差异也十分明显。小鼠出生后背部皮肤和尾部皮肤的毛囊发育都经过了一个非线性的发育和生长期,过了非线性的发育和生长期才开始快速生长,相比较尾部发育略迟于背部。触须部毛囊发育特征和背部尾部差异很大,一出生便可看到较成熟的触毛,没有经过稳定期便开始发育。结论通过形态学比较,结合CytC表达分布水平,发现新生小鼠不同部位皮肤毛囊早期发育存在形态和时间上的差异。     

BMP signaling in the control of skin development and hair follicle growth

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), their antagonists, and BMP receptors are involved in controlling a large number of biological functions including cell proliferation, differentiation, cell fate decision, and apoptosis in many different types of cells and tissues during embryonic development and postnatal life. BMPs exert their biological effects via using BMP-Smad and BMP-MAPK intracellular pathways. The magnitude and specificity of BMP signaling are regulated by a large number of modulators operating on several levels (extracellular, cytoplasmic, nuclear). In developing and postnatal skin, BMPs, their receptors, and BMP antagonists show stringent spatio-temporal expressions patterns to achieve proper regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation in the epidermis and in the hair follicle. Genetic studies assert an essential role for BMP signaling in the control of cell differentiation and apoptosis in developing epidermis, as well as in the regulation of key steps of hair follicle development (initiation, cell fate decision, cell lineage differentiation). In postnatal hair follicles, BMP signaling plays an important role in controlling the initiation of the growth phase and is also involved in the regulation of apoptosis-driven hair follicle involution. However, additional efforts are required to fully understand the mechanisms and targets involved in the realization of BMP effects on distinct cell population in the skin and hair follicle. Progress in this area of research will hopefully lead to the development of new therapeutic approaches for using BMPs and BMP antagonists in the treatment of skin and hair growth disorders.     

miR-24 affects hair follicle morphogenesis targeting Tcf-3

During embryonic development, hair follicles (HFs) develop from an epidermal–mesenchymal cross talk between the ectoderm progenitor layer and the underlying dermis. Epidermal stem cell activation represents a crucial point both for HF morphogenesis and for hair regeneration. miR-24 is an anti-proliferative microRNA (miRNA), which is induced during differentiation of several cellular systems including the epidermis. Here, we show that miR-24 is expressed in the HF and has a role in hair morphogenesis. We generated transgenic mice ectopically expressing miR-24 under the K5 promoter. The K5::miR-24 animals display a marked defect in HF morphogenesis, with thinning of hair coat and altered HF structure. Expression of miR-24 alters the normal process of hair keratinocyte differentiation, leading to altered expression of differentiation markers. MiR-24 directly represses the hair keratinocyte stemness regulator Tcf-3. These results support the notion that microRNAs, and among them miR-24, have an important role in postnatal epidermal homeostasis.     

The global regulatory logic of organ regeneration: circuitry lessons from skin and its appendages

In organ regeneration, the regulatory logic at a systems level remains largely unclear. For example, what defines the quantitative threshold to initiate regeneration, and when does the regeneration process come to an end? What leads to the qualitatively different responses of regeneration, which restore the original structure, or to repair which only heals a wound? Here we discuss three examples in skin regeneration: epidermal recovery after radiation damage, hair follicle fate choice after chemotherapy damage, and wound-induced feather regeneration. We propose that the molecular regulatory circuitry is of paramount significance in organ regeneration. It is conceivable that defects in these controlling pathways may lead to failed regeneration and/or organ renewal, and understanding the underlying logic could help to identify novel therapeutic strategies.     

Platelet sonicates activate hair follicle stem cells and mediate enhanced hair follicle regeneration

An increasing number of studies show that platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) is effective for androgenic alopecia (AGA). However, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms along with its effect on hair follicle stem cells are poorly understood. In this study, we designed to induce platelets in PRP to release factors by calcium chloride (PC) or by sonication where platelet lysates (PS) or the supernatants of platelet lysate (PSS) were used to evaluate their effect on the hair follicle activation and regeneration. We found that PSS and PS exhibited a superior effect in activating telogen hair follicles than PC. In addition, PSS injection into the skin activated quiescent hair follicles and induced K15⁺ hair follicle stem cell proliferation in K14‐H2B‐GFP mice. Moreover, PSS promoted skin‐derived precursor (SKP) survival in vitro and enhanced hair follicle formation in vivo. In consistence, protein array analysis of different PRP preparations revealed that PSS contained higher levels of 16 growth factors (out of 41 factors analysed) than PC, many of them have been known to promote hair follicle regeneration. Thus, our data indicate that sonicated PRP promotes hair follicle stem cell activation and de novo hair follicle regeneration.     

Expression profile analysis of microRNAs during hair follicle development in the sheep foetus

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the development and growth cycle of hair follicles (HFs). The molecular mechanism by which miRNAs determine the development of HFs in the sheep foetus remains elusive. In this study, the expression profiles of miRNAs at 11 development periods (45, 55, 65, 75, 85, 95, 105, 115, 125, 135 and 145 d) in sheep foetus skin were analysed by high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. A total of 72 conserved miRNAs, 44 novel miRNAs and 32 known miRNAs were significantly differentially expressed. qRT-PCR results for 18 miRNAs were consistent with the sequencing data. 85 d of foetal development was the starting point for secondary hair follicle (SF) development according to tissue morphology and cluster analysis. In SF development, the prolactin signalling pathway and platelet activation played important roles, and 10 miRNAs were potential candidate miRNAs in SF initiation.     

Development of isolation and cultivation method for outer root sheath cells from human hair follicle and construction of bioartificial skin

Obtaining a sufficient amount of healthy keratinocytes from a small tissue is difficult. However, ORS cells can be a good source of epithelium since they are easily obtainable and patients do not have to suffer from scar formation at donor sites. Accordingly, the current study modified the conventional primary culture technique to overcome the low propagation and easy aging of epithelial cells during culturing. In a conventional primary culture, the average yield of human ORS cells is 2.1×10³ cells/follicle based on direct incubation in a trypsin (0.1%)/EDTA (0.02%) solution for 15 min at 37°C, however, our modified method was able to obtain about 6.9×10³ cells/follicle using a two-step enzyme digestion method involving dispase (1.2 U/mL) and a trypsin (0.1%)/EDTA (0.02%) solution. Thus, the yield of primary cultured ORS cells could be increasd three times higher. Furthermore, a total of 2.0×10⁷ cells was obtained in a serum-free medium, while a modified E-medium with mitomycin C-treated feeder cells produced a total of 6.3×10⁷ cells over 17 days when starting with 7.5×10⁴ cells. Finally, we confirmed the effectiveness of our ORS cell isolation method by presenting their ability for reconstructing the bioartificial skin epitheliumin vitro     

The role of activins and follistatins in skin and hair follicle development and function

Investigations of the signalling between epithelial and mesenchymal compartments of skin during hair follicle initiation in utero and hair cycling have revealed the importance of the TGFβ superfamily in ectodermal organogenesis and morphogenesis. In particular the activins, their receptors and binding proteins such as follistatin, have been shown to be important regulators of cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis in hair follicle initiation, hair cycling, normal skin homeostasis and wound healing. Transgenic mice lacking various components of the activin signalling pathways display varying ectodermal pathologies including altered pelage hair follicle initiation. This review summarises the activin signal transduction pathways and the interactions between activins and other TGFβ signalling systems during hair follicle formation, hair growth cycling, skin function and wound healing.