Stem Cell Dynamics, Migration, and Plasticity During Wound Healing

The document from 2019 examines the role of stem cells in skin wound healing, focusing on the behavior of epidermal stem cells, including their dynamics, migration, and plasticity. It explains that efficient wound healing involves a coordinated effort between epidermal stem cells, fibroblasts, and immune cells. The study describes how stem cells from various skin regions, such as hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) and cells expressing Lrig1 and Lgr6, are mobilized to aid in repair, and how these cells can lose their lineage restriction and spatial confinement to contribute to healing. It also discusses the role of fibroblasts in extracellular matrix synthesis and scar formation, with different fibroblast lineages contributing to various aspects of dermal repair. The document highlights the importance of Wnt-ß-catenin signaling in hair follicle regeneration and the impact of past inflammation and aging on wound healing. It concludes with a call for further research to understand the signals that activate stem cells during wound healing, the balance between cell behaviors, and the mechanisms of cellular plasticity and reprogramming, suggesting that lineage ablation experiments and single-cell RNA sequencing could provide deeper insights.