High levels of TβRII (green) on dermal cells (top), but not epidermal cells (bottom), bind serum TGFβ3 and prevent dermal cell migration.

Skin cell types enter wounds at different times to first seal and then heal. This ordering is directed by the antimigration effect of TGFβ3, according to Bandyopadhyay et al., on page 1093.

The first cells to enter an injured site are epidermal keratinocytes, which migrate across to resurface and close the wound. Later come the deeper dermal cells, including fibroblasts and endothelial cells. Keratinocytes must migrate ahead of dermal cells, or the more aggressive fibroblasts will push them aside, causing scarring or even preventing healing.

The new results show that dermal cells, but not keratinocytes, are temporarily held at bay by the action of a serum-derived factor called TGFβ3. Intact skin is nourished by plasma. But when skin is wounded, plasma converts...

The Rockefeller University Press
2006
The Rockefeller University Press
2006
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