Yang Jie, Wang Zihan, Zhou Hang, Xiong Yuyun, Li Yumei, Zheng Yun-Wen, Liu Liping
Department of Dermatology, and Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212001, China.
Changzhou Jintan First People's Hospital, Affiliated Jintan Hospital of Jiangsu University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213251, China.
iScience. 2025 Apr 8;28(5):112373. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.112373. eCollection 2025 May 16.
Human pigment-related diseases are closely linked to melanocytes, yet our understanding of their development has largely relied on animal models. The utilization of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) has shown immense potential in advancing our knowledge of human developmental biology. This study utilized human PSCs and single-cell sequencing to investigate the cellular heterogeneity and dynamic changes in biological characteristics, differentiation trajectory, and signaling interactions during melanocyte development. By integrating datasets from normal human melanocytes, we verified that PSC-derived melanocytes closely resemble normal human melanocytes, especially in early stages. Exploration of cell-cell communication revealed intricate signaling pathways, including Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP), Wingless/Integrated (WNT), and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), in subpopulations of induced melanocytes. Additionally, PDGFRB may serve as a potential surface marker for stemness maintenance in melanocytes. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that PSCs can effectively stimulate human melanocyte development, thereby providing a valuable tool for further investigations into melanocyte-related diseases.
人类色素相关疾病与黑素细胞密切相关，但我们对其发育的理解很大程度上依赖于动物模型。多能干细胞（PSC）的利用在推进我们对人类发育生物学的认识方面显示出巨大潜力。本研究利用人类PSC和单细胞测序来研究黑素细胞发育过程中的细胞异质性以及生物学特性、分化轨迹和信号相互作用的动态变化。通过整合来自正常人类黑素细胞的数据集，我们证实PSC衍生的黑素细胞与正常人类黑素细胞非常相似，尤其是在早期阶段。对细胞间通讯的探索揭示了诱导黑素细胞亚群中复杂的信号通路，包括骨形态发生蛋白（BMP）、无翅/整合（WNT）和转化生长因子β（TGF-β）。此外，PDGFRB可能作为黑素细胞干性维持的潜在表面标志物。总的来说，这些发现表明PSC可以有效地刺激人类黑素细胞发育，从而为进一步研究黑素细胞相关疾病提供了有价值的工具。
