Fracture callus from young and aged mice

Skeletal stem/progenitor cells are critical for fracture repair by providing osteochondro precursors in the callus, which is impaired in aging. However, the molecular signatures of callus skeletan progenitor cells during aging is not known. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on CD45-CD31-Ter119- skeletan progenitor cells isolated from young and aged mouse calluses. C57BL/6J mice were housed in micro-isolator rodent rooms. Open tibial fractures were performed on one 4-month-old mouse and one 21-month-old mouse. Callus tissues were harvested on day 10.

骨骼干细胞/祖细胞（skeletal stem/progenitor cells）可通过在骨痂中提供成骨软骨前体细胞，在骨折修复过程中发挥关键作用，而该修复功能在衰老状态下会受损。然而，当前对于衰老过程中骨痂骨骼祖细胞的分子特征仍不明确。本研究对从年轻与衰老小鼠骨痂中分离得到的CD45⁻CD31⁻Ter119⁻骨骼祖细胞开展了单细胞RNA测序（single-cell RNA sequencing）。实验所用的C57BL/6J小鼠饲养于微隔离器啮齿动物饲养室中。研究人员对1只4月龄小鼠及1只21月龄小鼠实施开放性胫骨骨折造模，并于造模后第10天收集骨痂组织。