Metabolic (re)programming in skeletal stem cell populations

Current findings imply that skeletal stem cell (SSC) populations intermittently utilize glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation to satisfy energetic demands and accomplish their lineage specification, or even dedifferentiation. Metabolic reprogramming is one of the earliest processes that governs adult bone regeneration. Increasing numbers of findings indicate that SSCs reside in bone and bone marrow compartments and contribute to different phases of bone homeostasis, remodeling, and repair. All these processes have distinct microenvironmental landscapes imposing specific metabolic requirements to SSCs. Although glucose has been considered as the main source of energy for skeleton, novel findings emphasize the importance of still challenging metabolic profiling of SSCs at different stages of bone development, homeostasis, and repair for delicate control of stem cell-guided bone regeneration.