American researchers have identified are isolated for the first time, a population of stem cells involved in the skull formation and repair of craniofacial bones. The study published in "Nature Communications" magazine is an important step towards the use of stem cells in the bone reconstruction of the face and head in the future.
The study, conducted by researchers at the Medical Center of the University of Rochester, USA, aimed to deepen knowledge and find a therapy through the use of cells to a condition known as craniosynostosis, a skull deformity in children. This condition leads to many developmental delays and high pressure on the brain that can put life in jeopardy.
In the opinion of one of the authors of the study, Wei Hsu, these findings contribute to an emerging field that involves tissue regeneration using stem cells and other materials in order to develop better ways to replace damaged craniofacial bones in humans due to congenital disease, trauma or cancer surgery.
In the study, investigators led by Takamitsu Maruyama, have focused on the function of Axin2 gene and a mutation that causes craniosynostosis in mice.
Due to the unique pattern of gene expression of Axin2 the skull, the researchers began to study the activity of cells expressing the Axin2 gene and its role in bone formation, repair and regeneration.
The study found that stem cells involved in the skull formation were part of the populations of cells expressing the gene Axin2, comprising about 1%. Laboratory tests used to find the skeletal stem cells may be useful for finding bone diseases caused by abnormal stem cells.
The researchers also confirmed that this population of stem cells is one of the bones of the head, which separates and distinguishes the stem cells that are responsible for bone formation legs and other body parts.