Diverse mechanisms for endogenous regeneration and repair in mammalian organs

Abstract

Mammalian organs comprise an extraordinary diversity of cell and tissue types. Regenerative organs, such as the skin and gastrointestinal tract, use resident stem cells to maintain tissue function. Organs with a lower cellular turnover, such as the liver and lungs, mostly rely on proliferation of committed progenitor cells. In many organs, injury reveals the plasticity of both resident stem cells and differentiated cells. The ability of resident cells to maintain and repair organs diminishes with age, whereas, paradoxically, the risk of cancer increases. New therapeutic approaches aim to harness cell plasticity for tissue repair and regeneration while avoiding the risk of malignant transformation of cells.

Limited Regeneration of Adult Salivary Glands after Severe Injury Involves Cellular Plasticity

“…In vivo lineage tracing demonstrates that acinar cells can be regenerated through either acinar or duct cells, following severe cell loss, and reveals a role for cellular plasticity in repairing the salivary gland. Our data show that acinar cells can retain proliferative activity long after radiation injury and suggest the exciting possibility that stimulation of endogenous cells, which has been demonstrated in various tissues (Wells and Watt, 2018), may be a potential strategy for engineering the regeneration of salivary glands in head and neck cancer patients with radiation-induced dry mouth.…”

Keratin 14-dependent disulfides regulate epidermal homeostasis and barrier function via 14-3-3σ and YAP1

“…It maintains a vital and multidimensional barrier to the outside environment, and to water, while renewing itself with rapid kinetics even under normal physiological conditions (Kubo et al 2012). The mechanisms through which new progenitor cells are produced at the base of this stratified epithelium, pace themselves through differentiation, and maintain tissue architecture and function in spite of a high rate of cell loss at the skin surface are only partially understood (Wells and Watt 2018).…”

The Regenerative Horizon: Opportunities for Nursing Research and Practice

“…While still a nascent notion, regaining form plus function altered by disease or injury is the driving imperative of regenerative technologies (Nelson, Behfar, & Terzic, 2008 ). Indeed, regenerative technologies have the potential to shape the ongoing healthcare revolution by leveraging diverse mechanisms for endogenous regeneration and repair (Wells & Watt, 2018 ). In addressing unmet patient needs, the restorative approaches of regenerative technologies are poised to offer therapies that go beyond symptom mitigation.…”