About this Research Topic
The skeleton plays essential physiological functions throughout life from structural support and movement for the entire body, to storage of minerals and hematopoiesis, as well as endocrine functions. Skeletal integrity is maintained by the efficient remodeling and repair abilities of bone tissue that involves multiple skeletal stem/progenitor cell (SSPC) populations within bone compartments. These populations change their properties during development, growth and aging and can be affected by disease and trauma. SSPCs also interact with bone marrow, blood vessels, nerves, and adjacent soft tissues. The close communication between various skeletal and extra-skeletal cell populations is required for bone maintenance and function, and during bone regeneration following injury or trauma.
Tremendous advances have been made in the past decade on the characterization of SSPCs that support skeletal regeneration. Yet, we still do not fully understand the basic cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the high regenerative potential of bone and how disease or trauma can reduce SSPC functions and lead to impaired healing.
The scope of this Topic includes cell characterization and functions, elucidating how SSPCs support the normal bone regeneration process and may be altered in models of musculoskeletal regeneration, trauma and disease. Studies may include mouse genetics or other animal models, animal or human cell characterization, description of cellular and molecular functions in the physiological context and the complex physiological environment of skeletal tissues. We encourage integrative or more focused approaches that help advance our understanding of skeletal cell functions in bone regeneration.
We welcome Original Research Articles, Brief Research Reports, Reviews, Mini Reviews and Perspectives on the following (or related) research areas:
-Identification and characterization of SSPCs that participate in bone formation and bone regeneration
-Molecular regulation of SSPCs
-Crosstalk between SSPCs and their environment
-Mechanotransduction on SSPCs
-Dysfunctional SSPCs for tissue repair during aging and diseases
Tremendous advances have been made in the past decade on the characterization of SSPCs that support skeletal regeneration. Yet, we still do not fully understand the basic cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the high regenerative potential of bone and how disease or trauma can reduce SSPC functions and lead to impaired healing.
The scope of this Topic includes cell characterization and functions, elucidating how SSPCs support the normal bone regeneration process and may be altered in models of musculoskeletal regeneration, trauma and disease. Studies may include mouse genetics or other animal models, animal or human cell characterization, description of cellular and molecular functions in the physiological context and the complex physiological environment of skeletal tissues. We encourage integrative or more focused approaches that help advance our understanding of skeletal cell functions in bone regeneration.
We welcome Original Research Articles, Brief Research Reports, Reviews, Mini Reviews and Perspectives on the following (or related) research areas:
-Identification and characterization of SSPCs that participate in bone formation and bone regeneration
-Molecular regulation of SSPCs
-Crosstalk between SSPCs and their environment
-Mechanotransduction on SSPCs
-Dysfunctional SSPCs for tissue repair during aging and diseases
Keywords: Bone regeneration, Skeletal stem/progenitor cells, Endochondral ossification, Musculoskeletal injury, Stem cell niche
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
