Ontogenetic Transition in Fetal Wound Transforming Growth Factor-Beta Regulation Correlates with Collagen Organization

The document from December 1, 2003, presents a study on the ontogenetic transition in fetal wound healing, focusing on the regulation of Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) and its correlation with collagen organization. The study compares the expression of TGF-β isoforms and receptors in wounds of fetal mice at embryonic days 16 (E16) and 19 (E19). It was found that E16 wounds had less TGF-β2 staining and increased TGF-β2 mRNA levels compared to E19 wounds, suggesting a difference in the regulation of TGF-β between the two developmental stages. Additionally, TGF-β3 and TGF-β receptors (type I, II, and III) showed varying patterns of expression and regulation between E16 and E19 wounds. The study concludes that there is an ontogenetic transition in TGF-β regulation during fetal development, which is accompanied by changes in the inflammatory profile and collagen architecture, potentially influencing the transition to an adult-type repair phenotype and scar formation. The document includes detailed tables and figures to support these findings, but the specific number of animals used in the study is not provided in the summary.