Novel Tissue Mechanics-Guided Cellular Flows Enable the Evolution of Feather Follicles

    October 2025
    Hans I‐Chen Harn, Ting-Xin Jiang, Chih-Han Huang … Cheng-Ming Chuong
    Studysummary This study revealed that during avian skin development, complex tissue architecture results from specific cellular flows and mechanical processes that guide feather bud protrusion and elongation, with distinct differences noted in scale development, where rigidity restricts such transformations.
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    Research cited in this study 9

    1. Evo Devo of the Vertebrate Integument Journal of developmental biology · 2023
    2. Progenitor-Derived Endothelin Controls Dermal Sheath Contraction for Hair Follicle Regression Nature cell biology · 2023
    3. Tracing The Developmental Origin Of Tissue Stem Cells Development Growth & Differentiation · 2022
    4. Symmetry Breaking of Tissue Mechanics in Wound-Induced Hair Follicle Regeneration of Laboratory and Spiny Mice Nature Communications · 2021
    5. Hair Follicle Stem Cells as a Skin-Organizing Signaling Center During Adult Homeostasis The EMBO Journal · 2021
    6. Comprehensive Molecular and Cellular Studies Suggest Avian Scutate Scales Are Secondarily Derived from Feathers, and More Distant from Reptilian Scales Scientific Reports · 2018
    7. Transcriptome Analyses of Reprogrammed Feather/Scale Chimeric Explants Revealed Co-Expressed Epithelial Gene Networks During Organ Specification BMC genomics · 2018
    8. Development, Regeneration, and Evolution of Feathers Annual Review of Animal Biosciences · 2014
    9. Sprouty/FGF Signaling Regulates Proximal–Distal Feather Morphology and Dermal Papillae Size Developmental Biology · 2012