Distinct Regulatory Programs Control the Latent Regenerative Potential of Dermal Fibroblasts During Wound Healing

August 2020 in “ Cell stem cell ”

Sepideh Abbasi, Sarthak Sinha, Elodie Labit, Nicole L. Rosin, Grace Yoon, Waleed Rahmani, Arzina Jaffer, Nilesh Sharma, Andrew Hagner, Prajay Shah, Rohit Arora, Jessica Yoon, Anowara Islam, Aya Uchida, Chih Kai Chang, Jo Anne Stratton, R. Wilder Scott, Fábio Rossi, T. Michael Underhill, Jeff Biernaskie

TLDR Dermal fibroblasts have adjustable roles in wound healing, with specific cells promoting regeneration or scar formation.

The study demonstrated that during wound healing, extrafollicular progenitors marked by Hic1 were the primary source of reparative fibroblasts, significantly contributing to dermal regeneration and neogenic hair follicles (HFs). Single-cell RNA sequencing and ATAC-seq revealed distinct transcriptional and epigenetic changes in these fibroblasts, crucial for their regenerative competence. Pharmacological modulation of RUNX1 and retinoic acid signaling, or genetic deletion of Hic1, influenced healing outcomes, indicating that reparative fibroblasts had a latent but modifiable regenerative capacity. The findings emphasized the plasticity of fibroblasts and their potential for therapeutic targeting in regenerative medicine.

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