A Multi-Omic Single-Cell Landscape of Perinatal Mouse Skin Maps Lineage Specification and Reveals Shared Dynamics in Human Fetal Skin

This study conducted integrated single-cell chromatin and transcriptomic analyses on developing mouse skin to explore chromatin accessibility during skin development. It identified Mef2c+ upper fibroblasts as potential precursor cells for smooth muscle-like appendages, such as the arrector pili muscle. By comparing with the fetal human skin atlas, the study found strong cross-species correlations, identifying an MEF2C+ fibroblast counterpart in human fetal skin and delineating fibroblast lineages. The findings demonstrate that fibroblast developmental timelines are conserved between mouse and human, providing a foundation for future research into skin development and regeneration.