Single-cell revolution unveils the mysteries of the regenerative mammalian digit tip.

The digit tip is an exciting model for studying regeneration in mammals, but the precise mechanisms and the populations of cells involved in the formation and remodeling of the blastema remain unknown. In an exciting new work, Storer et al. take advantage of single-cell RNAseq combined with Pdgfra+ ​lineage-tracing to open the way into the enigmatic world of mammalian tissue regeneration. Image 1 • PDGFRa+ ​mesenchymal progenitors are required for mammalian digit tip regeneration. • Permissive regenerative blastema, but not non-regenerative fibroblasts, is what primed these cells to regenerate. • Comparisons between digit development and regeneration in mammals suggest that blastema progenitor cells do not recapitulate development. • Growing evidence indicates the essential contribution of mesenchymal progenitors to the regeneration and repair of most tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]