TLDR EMT helps heal tissues but can cause scarring and other issues if prolonged.
The review article from 2019 discussed the role of Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in tissue repair and wound healing. EMT is a process where cells lose their epithelial characteristics and gain mesenchymal ones, a change that can be triggered by damage, hypoxia, or inflammation. This process can be complete or partial during tissue repair in various organs. EMT plays a significant role in re-epithelialization, angiogenesis, and the immunologic role of Langerhans cells during wound healing. However, sustained EMT can lead to wound scarring, fibrotic pathology in multiple organs, cataracts, and endometriosis. The study suggested that EMT could produce adult cells with stem cell characteristics, contributing to the pool of different progenitor cells to maintain organ homeostasis. Further research was needed to determine if EMT in normal tissues leads to the production of normal stem cells.
363 citations
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March 2017 in “Nature Communications” Stem cells help heal wounds by rapidly dividing and migrating to the wound edge.
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September 2009 in “Journal of Cell Science” Wound healing is a complex, multi-phase process involving various cells and activities to repair skin damage.
829 citations
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May 2007 in “Nature” Hair follicles can regrow in wounded adult mouse skin using a process like embryo development.
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August 2023 in “Frontiers in Immunology” Targeting TRP channels may help reduce excessive scarring.
Ovol2 is crucial for hair growth and skin healing by controlling cell movement and growth.
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September 2023 in “International journal of molecular sciences” Special proteins are important for skin balance, healing, and aging, and affect skin stem cells.
141 citations
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August 2017 in “Developmental Dynamics” The document concludes that a better understanding of cell changes during wound healing could improve treatments for chronic wounds and other conditions.
36 citations
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July 2014 in “Experimental Dermatology” Skin and hair can regenerate after injury due to changes in gene activity, with potential links to how cancer spreads. Future research should focus on how new hair follicles form and the processes that trigger their creation.
