A vast stem‐progenitor cell pool, richly vascular system, and hybrid ossification drive the daily centimeter‐scale elongation of bony antlers
Bone growth and regeneration remain major clinical challenges. Deer antlers, the fastest-growing mammalian bone, regenerate via endochondral ossification and elongate up to 2 cm per day, far surpassing the ~2 cm annual growth of human growth plates. Here, we systematically mapped the cellular landscape of the antler growth center (AGC) using single-nucleus RNA sequencing, chromatin accessibility profiling, and spatial transcriptomics. The AGC harbors a large stem-progenitor pool that drives rapid elongation through vigorous proliferation supported by paracrine signaling. These proliferative cells exhibit a transcriptional program with intrinsically low tumorigenic potential, associated with apoptotic regulation. The AGC also establishes a vascularized niche that supports robust angiogenesis, sustains accelerated cartilage growth, and enables efficient recruitment of osteogenic cells. Notably, antlers employ a hybrid ossification strategy, combining endochondral ossification with direct hypertrophic chondrocyte-to-osteoblast transdifferentiation, likely via <i>PHEX</i>⁺ intermediates. Collectively, these findings refine fundamental concepts of endochondral ossification and offer insights for regenerative bone therapies.
Authors
- Datao Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8372-9133)
- Shidian He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2743-818X)
- Liuwei Xie
- Chuanyu Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2258-0897)
- Hengxing Ba (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0882-8841)
- Qiuting Deng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3245-8954)
- Guokun Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2177-418X)
- Dawn Elizabeth Coates (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4242-6846)
- Hai‐Xi Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2719-6456)
- Qianqian Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7983-3731)
- Ying Gu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7822-0570)
- Pengfei Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3816-1849)
- Jimei Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6755-8709)
- Xin Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1721-0234)
- Nan Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1303-0343)
- Chang Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8913-2092)
- Zhen Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2725-8322)
- Hang Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4049-3769)
- Chao Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9882-1918)
- Chunyi Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7275-4440)
- Yue Yuan
- Jiping Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5719-5054)
- Yujiao Tang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8710-6988)
Institutions
- BGI Group (China) (CN)
- Southern University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Beijing Graphene Institute (CN)
- Changchun Institute of Technology (CN)
- Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital (CN)
- Jilin Agricultural University (CN)
- Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences (CN)
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering (CN)
- Criminal Investigation Police University of China (CN)
- Shenzhen Second People's Hospital (CN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- BGI Research (CN)
- Changchun University (CN)
- University of Otago (NZ)
Publication Details
- Journal
- iMeta
- Published
- 2025-12-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/imt2.70097
- Primary Topic
- Mesenchymal stem cell research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- People's Government of Jilin Province