Jayaraj Rajagopal

Oct 16, 2024 | nature.com | Mor Grinstein |Miho Tanaka |Terence D. Capellini |Jayaraj Rajagopal

AbstractA tendon’s ordered extracellular matrix (ECM) is essential for transmitting force but is also highly prone to injury. How tendon cells embedded within and surrounding this dense ECM orchestrate healing is not well understood. Here, we identify a specialized quiescent Scx+/Axin2+ population in mouse and human tendons that initiates healing and is a major functional contributor to repair. Axin2+ cells express stem cell markers, expand in vitro, and have multilineage differentiation potential.