EMT-Inhibiting Transcription Factor Ovol2 Regulates Directional Cell Migration and Proliferation in Adult Skin Epithelia

The document reports on a study that investigated the role of the transcription factor Ovol2 in adult skin epithelia, focusing on its impact on cell migration and proliferation, which are crucial for wound healing and hair follicle regeneration. The researchers found that the absence of Ovol2 led to defective wound re-epithelialization and compromised hair follicle regeneration. Ovol2-deficient cells displayed characteristics of partial epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), migrated faster and over longer distances, but with less directionality, and experienced a cell cycle arrest after mitosis. These defects were partially rescued by deleting Zeb1, a transcription factor that induces EMT and is a direct target of Ovol2. The study suggests that Ovol2 is important for maintaining the balance between cell migration and proliferation during skin repair and hair follicle regeneration. Current work is using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) to further understand how changes in epithelial plasticity affect cell fate and the wound microenvironment.