华盛顿州立大Ryan R. Driskell小组近日取得一项新成果。经过不懈努力，他们发现了在哺乳动物的皮肤中，网状脊是通过不同的进化机制形成的。该研究于2026年2月4日发表于国际一流学术期刊《自然》杂志上。

在这里，课题组研究人员记录了包括灰熊和海豚在内的哺乳动物中网状脊的发生，并表明新生猪的伤口可以重新生长。多物种时空转录组学鉴定了表皮细胞和真皮细胞在网状嵴形态发生过程中的重要信号相互作用，特别是通过骨形态发生蛋白（BMP）。该团队还证明，无主题指垫皮肤形成网状脊，并在功能上需要表皮BMP信号。小组认为，哺乳动物皮肤的网状脊的进化涉及到用一个独特的程序来取代形成独立的微观附属物的分子程序，包括毛囊和汗腺，以及相互连接的附属物网络。BMP的广泛表皮活化是在真皮袋周围组织的远端脊网发育所必需的。了解远端脊机制可能有助于开发治疗方法来再生在人类受伤或疾病中丢失的表皮附属物。

据介绍，长期以来，人类进化过程中皮毛的减少一直让科学家和公众感到困惑。毛发密度的减少与表皮网脊的形成一致，尽管它们在人类中很突出，但其发育时间和分子机制尚不清楚。对人类和猪皮肤发育的研究表明，网状脊的形成机制独立于毛囊和汗腺，是通过建立相互联系的表皮内陷形成的。

附：英文原文

Title: Rete ridges form via evolutionarily distinct mechanisms in mammalian skin

Author: Thompson, Sean M., Yaple, Violet S., Searle, Gabriella H., Phan, Quan M., Makkar, Jasson, Cheng, Xiangzheng, Liu, Ruiqi, Pulawska-Czub, Anna, Yanke, Corin, Williams, Natalie M., Busch, Isabelle V., Duong, Tommy T., Corneto, Matteo V., Jordan, Zachary S., Roy, Debarun, Salmon, Adam B., Slayden, Ov D., Hermann, Brian P., Stoltz, David A., Welsh, Michael J., Glass, Ian A., Kobielak, Krzysztof, Nie, Qing, Jin, Suoqin, Jansen, Heiko T., Ciccarelli, Michela, Plikus, Maksim V., Driskell, Iwona M., Driskell, Ryan R.

Issue&Volume: 2026-02-04

Abstract: The loss of fur during human evolution has long mystified scientists and the public1,2,3,4,5. Reduced hair density coincides with acquisition of epidermal rete ridges, the developmental timing and molecular mechanisms of which are poorly understood despite their prominence in humans1,6,7,8,9. Examination of human and pig skin development has shown that rete ridges form through a mechanism independent from those of hair follicles10,11 and sweat glands3,4,12,13,14,15 by establishing interconnected epidermal invaginations. Here we document the occurrence of rete ridges across Mammalia, including in grizzly bears and dolphins, and show that neonatal pig wounds can regenerate them de novo. Multispecies spatiotemporal transcriptomics identifies significant signalling interactions between epidermal and dermal cells during rete ridge morphogenesis, particularly through bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP). We also demonstrate that mouse fingerpad skin forms rete ridges and functionally requires epidermal BMP signalling. We propose that evolution of rete ridges in mammalian skin involved replacement of the molecular program for formation of discrete microscopic appendages, including hair follicles and sweat glands, with a distinct program for the interconnected appendage network. Broad epidermal activation of BMP is required for the development of rete ridge networks organized around underlying dermal pockets. Understanding rete ridge mechanisms may enable development of therapeutic approaches to regenerate epidermal appendages lost during wounding or disease in humans.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-10055-5

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10055-5