Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41955369›Full record

ArticleScience (New York, N.Y.)2026

Hyaluronic acid and tissue mechanics orchestrate mammalian digit tip regeneration.

Byron W H Mui, Joseph J Y Wong, Camille E Dumas, Jia Hua Wang, Toni Bray, Kentaro Hirose, Lauren Connolly, Alexander Winkel, Sebastian Timmler, Nicholas A Bright and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science (New York, N.Y.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Mechanomedicine: Present state and future promise.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Byron W H MuiCambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5903-469X
Joseph J Y Wong *Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-0487-6056
Camille E Dumas *Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-7395-6351
Jia Hua WangCambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-6026-4479
Toni BrayCambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0009-0005-3905-1301
Kentaro HiroseCambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Lauren ConnollyCambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Alexander WinkelDepartment of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9400-7964
Sebastian TimmlerCambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9258-2965
Nicholas A BrightCambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-2791-6727
Evelina SliauteryteCambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0009-0008-5942-5990
Ragnhildur Thóra KáradóttirCambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9675-2722
Pamela G RobeySkeletal Biology Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5316-5576
Kristian FranzeDepartment of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-8425-7297
Kevin J Chalut *Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-6200-9690
Mekayla A Storer *Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0242-1418

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Tissue regeneration is rare in mammals, but the digit tip can regrow after amputation, whereas injuries beyond the nail do not. How the microenvironment drives divergent outcomes remains unclear. In this study, we found that the extracellular matrix (ECM) and tissue mechanics govern the amputation response in mouse digits. Nonregenerative regions were stiffer and contained dense, organized collagen, whereas regenerative regions were soft and enriched in hyaluronic acid (HA). Depleting HA inhibited regeneration and promoted fibrosis, demonstrating that the HA-collagen balance shaped tissue mechanics and repair signaling. Stabilization of HA with hyaluronan and proteoglycan link protein 1 (HAPLN1) after nonregenerative amputations tuned ECM mechanics, reduced scarring, and enhanced bone repair. Thus, ECM composition and mechanics influence cell behavior and ECM-targeted strategies could help unlock mammalian regeneration.

Indexed as

Extracellular MatrixHyaluronic AcidRegenerationAmputation, SurgicalAnimalsCicatrixCollagenExtracellular Matrix ProteinsHypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha SubunitMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMice, Inbred NODProteoglycansWound HealingCollagenExtracellular Matrix ProteinsHif1a protein, mouseHyaluronic AcidHypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha SubunitProteoglycans

Identifiers

PMID41955369
PMCPMC7619039

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.