Generation of bioengineered feather buds on a reconstructed chick skin from dissociated epithelial and mesenchymal cells

The study developed a bioengineering method to reconstruct embryonic dorsal skin from dissociated epithelial and mesenchymal cells of chick skin, allowing for the formation of multiple feather buds in vitro. These bioengineered feather buds, when transplanted onto a chorioallantoic membrane, developed into long feather buds similar in size to native embryos. The number of buds increased with the initial contact length of epithelial and mesenchymal cell layers, highlighting the importance of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. The formation of these buds was disrupted by inhibiting key signaling pathways such as FGF, Wnt/β-catenin, Notch, and BMP. This technique was expected to advance research on multicellular developmental systems and the regulatory mechanisms of cutaneous appendages.