Connecting Signaling Dynamics With Cell Fates In Live Mice

The document presents several abstracts related to skin, appendages, and stem cell biology. Abstract 606 discusses a study using a novel ERK/MAPK signaling reporter mouse to investigate how stem cells differentiate into multiple cell fates during early mouse embryogenesis and hair follicle regeneration. The study found that stem cells modulate ERK activation transiently to bifurcate their fates, with different types of ERK activation dynamics determining distinct cell fates. Two-photon imaging and time-lapse analyses were used to observe real-time ERK signal dynamics and cell fate specification in live mice. Drug treatment assays and genetic manipulations were performed to understand the genesis of these ERK dynamics and their roles in coordinating cell fates, which has implications for tissue regeneration and cancer research.