Oxygen regulates epithelial stem cell proliferation via RhoA-actomyosin-YAP/TAZ signal in mouse incisor.

Stem cells are maintained in specific niches that strictly regulate their proliferation and differentiation for proper tissue regeneration and renewal. Molecular oxygen (O2) is an important component of the niche microenvironment, but little is known about how O2 governs epithelial stem cell (ESC) behavior. Here, we demonstrate that O2 plays a crucial role in regulating the proliferation of ESCs using the continuously growing mouse incisors. We have revealed that slow-cycling cells in the niche are maintained under relatively hypoxic conditions compared with actively proliferating cells, based on the blood vessel distribution and metabolic status. Mechanistically, we have demonstrated that, during hypoxia, HIF1α upregulation activates the RhoA signal, thereby promoting cortical actomyosin and stabilizing the adherens junction complex, including merlin. This leads to the cytoplasmic retention of YAP/TAZ to attenuate cell proliferation. These results shed light on the biological significance of blood-vessel geometry and the signaling mechanism through microenvironmental O2 to orchestrate ESC behavior, providing a novel molecular basis for the microenvironmental O2-mediated stem cell regulation during tissue development and renewal.