Fibrous-layer resident Angptl7⁺ periosteal stem cells sense injury inflammation to orchestrate fracture repair.

ABSTRACT: Periosteum contains abundant Ctsk-lineage skeletal stem cells (P-SSCs) that are key drivers of intramembranous ossification during bone development and maintenance. However, P-SSCs regenerate fractured bones by mediating endochondral ossification, raising the question of whether distinct P-SSCs subsets separately mediate steady-state bone formation and fracture repair. Here we uncover the heterogeneity of P-SSCs, identifying an Angptl7-expressing quiescent P-SSCs subset, which is restricted to the fibrous-layer of periosteum and barely contributes to postnatal bone development. After bone fracture, these cells largely contribute to bone healing by dedicating to endochondral ossification, regenerating the entire bone architecture. Dysfunction of Angptl7-lineage P-SSCs strongly impairs the b

SUBMITTER: Jiang B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12847966 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature