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Review
. 2023 Oct;98(5):1749-1767.
doi: 10.1111/brv.12975. Epub 2023 May 12.

Dissecting calvarial bones and sutures at single-cell resolution

Bo Li  1 , Jingya Li  2 , Yi Fan  3 , Zhihe Zhao  1 , Longjiang Li  2 , Hideyuki Okano  4   5 , Takehito Ouchi  6
Affiliations
Review

Dissecting calvarial bones and sutures at single-cell resolution

Bo Li et al. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2023 Oct.

Abstract

Cranial bones constitute a protective shield for the vulnerable brain tissue, bound together as a rigid entity by unique immovable joints known as sutures. Cranial sutures serve as major growth centres for calvarial morphogenesis and have been identified as a niche for mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and/or skeletal stem cells (SSCs) in the craniofacial skeleton. Despite the established dogma of cranial bone and suture biology, technological advancements now allow us to investigate these tissues and structures at unprecedented resolution and embrace multiple novel biological insights. For instance, a decrease or imbalance of representation of SSCs within sutures might underlie craniosynostosis; dural sinuses enable neuroimmune crosstalk and are newly defined as immune hubs; skull bone marrow acts as a myeloid cell reservoir for the meninges and central nervous system (CNS) parenchyma in mediating immune surveillance, etc. In this review, we revisit a growing body of recent studies that explored cranial bone and suture biology using cutting-edge techniques and have expanded our current understanding of this research field, especially from the perspective of development, homeostasis, injury repair, resident MSCs/SSCs, immunosurveillance at the brain's border, and beyond.

Keywords: MSC/SSC/SuSC; cranial bone; immune surveillance; meninges; single-cell RNA sequencing; skull-dura vascular channel; suture mesenchyme.

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References

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