Mitochondrial Regulation of Stem Cells in Bone Homeostasis

• Published in: Trends in molecular medicine Vol. 26; no. 1; pp. 89 - 104
• Main Authors: Zheng, Chen-Xi, Sui, Bing-Dong, Qiu, Xin-Yu, Hu, Cheng-Hu, Jin, Yan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2020
• Subjects: bone; differentiation; mitochondria; osteoporosis; regeneration; stem cells; stem cells; bone; differentiation; osteoporosis; regeneration; mitochondria
• ISSN: 1471-4914; 1471-499X; 1471-499X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2019.04.008

Mitochondria have emerged as key contributors to the organismal homeostasis, in which mitochondrial regulation of stem cells is becoming increasingly important. Originated from mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) and hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) lineage commitments and interactions, bone is a representative organ where the mitochondrial essentiality to stem cell function has most recently been discovered, underlying skeletal health, aging, and diseases. Furthermore, mitochondrial medications based on modulating stem cell specification are emerging to provide promising therapies to counteract bone aging and pathologies. Here we review the cutting-edge knowledge regarding mitochondrial regulation of stem cells in bone homeostasis, highlighting mechanistic insights as well as mitochondrial strategies for augmented bone healing and tissue regeneration. Mitochondrial bioenergetics, quality control systems, and metabolite signaling have continuously been revealed to modulate stem cell commitments in bone.Increasing evidence suggests that mitochondrial compromise, including metabolic decline, oxidative stress, structural disruption, and quality control failure, is a key contributor to stem cell dysfunction in bone aging and diseases.Recent studies have demonstrated that stem cell-based mitochondrial therapeutics through metabolic modulation agents and antioxidants have the potential to alleviate bone aging and pathologies, while they also show promise to realize bone regeneration.A better understanding of mitochondrial modulation of stem cell specification in bone will provide novel insights into how bone stem cells are regulated and how the bone homeostasis is maintained.