Injury Suppresses Ras Cell Competitive Advantage Through Enhanced Wild-Type Cell Proliferation

The study demonstrated that in genetically mosaic skin, injury suppressed the competitive advantage of oncogenic Ras mutant cells (Hras G12V/+ and Kras G12D/+) by enhancing the proliferation of wild-type cells. This shift in competitive balance was dependent on the selective increase in wild-type cell proliferation following injury, which was abolished by EGFR inhibition. Additionally, the global loss of the cell cycle inhibitor p21 increased wild-type cell proliferation even without injury, further suppressing the advantage of Hras G12V/+ cells. The findings highlighted the unexpected role of injury in promoting wild-type cell dominance over oncogenic cells in skin epithelium.