by - Deer can regrow their antlers every year thanks to stem cells at their base
- These turn into “blastema” cells that grow into bone and antlers cartilage
- Scientists grew antler-like stumps into mice by transplanting the blastema cells
Scientists have succeeded in growing antler-like structures on the foreheads of mice by transplanting stem cells from deer.
Deer antlers fall off and grow back every year—in spring, they lengthen at a rate of about an inch per day.
In their new study, researchers at Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi’an, China, identified the cells responsible for this regrowth.
Just 45 days after transplanting these cells onto the foreheads of hairless laboratory mice, they began growing small stumps.
The team hopes this technique could one day be used to repair bone or cartilage in humans — or even regrow lost limbs.
Deer antlers are the only mammalian body part that regenerates every year and are one of the fastest growing living tissues found in nature.
After some animals lose a limb, a population of cells called “blastema” develops, which can eventually transform into cells that regrow that limb.
Deer possess blastema cells that regenerate the antler tissue and bone after the molting event.
In 2020, another team of scientists found they could grow stumps on the heads of mice by inserting a piece of deer antler tissue under their forehead skin.
But for the new study, published in Science, the researchers wanted to identify the specific blastoma cells in the tissue that are responsible for the regenerative effects.
The team used RNA sequencing to study 75,000 sika deer cells, Cervus nipponin the tissues in and near their antlers.
By performing this technique on the cells before, during and after the animals’ antlers were shed, they were able to identify exactly which ones initiated regrowth.
The results showed that 10 days before the antlers were shed, there were abundant stem cells in the antler stalk – the stumps left over on the day of shed.
Five days after molting, these cells had generated a separate subtype of stem cells, which the team dubbed “antler blastema progenitor cells” (ABPCs).
And 10 days after shedding, the ABPCs had started to transform into cartilage and bone.
After discovering the cells responsible for antler regrowth in deer, the team cultured ABPCs in a laboratory Petri dish.
Five days later, they transplanted the cells between the ears of mice, where they grew into an antler-like structure[s]’ with cartilage and bone within just 45 days.
Although the results are preliminary, the researchers believe the findings could have important implications for humans.
The authors, led by Tao Quin, wrote: “Our results suggest that deer have application in clinical bone repair.
“In addition, human cell induction into ABPC-like cells could be used in regenerative medicine for skeletal injury or limb regeneration.”
