Thy-1 is a 25–37 kDa glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored cell surface protein that was discovered more than 50 years ago. Recent findings have suggested that Thy-1 is expressed on thymocytes, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), cancer stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, endothelial cells, neuronal smooth muscle cells, and pan T cells. Thy-1 plays vital roles in cell migration, adhesion, differentiation, transdifferentiation, apoptosis, mechanotransduction, and cell division, which in turn are involved in tumor development, pulmonary fibrosis, neurite outgrowth, and T cell activation. Studies have increasingly indicated a significant role of Thy-1 in cell differentiation and regeneration. However, despite recent research, many questions remain regarding the roles of Thy-1 in cell differentiation and regeneration. This review aimed to summarize the roles of Thy-1 in cell differentiation and regeneration. Furthermore, since Thy-1 is an outer leaflet membrane protein anchored by GPI, we attempted to address how Thy-1 regulates intracellular pathways through cis and trans signals. Due to the complexity and mystery surrounding the issue, we also summarized the Thy-1-related pathways in different biological processes, and this might provide novel insights in the field of cell differentiation and regeneration.

Thy-1是一种25-37 kDa的糖磷脂酰肌醇（GPI）锚定的细胞表面蛋白，已有50多年的历史了。最近的发现表明，Thy-1在胸腺细胞，间充质干细胞（MSCs），癌症干细胞，造血干细胞，成纤维细胞，成肌纤维细胞，内皮细胞，神经元平滑肌细胞和泛T细胞上表达。Thy-1在细胞迁移，粘附，分化，转分化，细胞凋亡，机械转导和细胞分裂中起着至关重要的作用，而这些参与了肿瘤的发展，肺纤维化，神经突的长出和T细胞的活化。研究越来越表明Thy-1在细胞分化和再生中起着重要作用。然而，尽管最近进行了研究，但是关于Thy-1在细胞分化和再生中的作用仍然存在许多问题。这篇综述旨在总结Thy-1在细胞分化和再生中的作用。此外，由于Thy-1是由GPI锚定的外部小叶膜蛋白，因此我们试图解决Thy-1如何通过顺式和反式信号调节细胞内途径的问题。由于问题的复杂性和神秘性，我们还总结了不同生物学过程中与Thy-1相关的途径，这可能为细胞分化和再生领域提供新的见解。