Project description:Skin scarring following dermal injury causes extreme pain and pschological trauma for patients. Currently, we do not have effective treatments to prevent or reverse skin scarring. Fibroblast heterogeneity has been shown within the unwounded mouse dorsal dermis, with fibroblast subpopulations being identified according to anatomical location and embryonic lineage. Using RNA-sequencing and single cell RNA sequencing, we demonstrate that Prrx1-expressing mouse fibroblasts are responsible for acute and chronic scaring in the ventral mouse dermis. In summary, we have identified and characterized a fibroblast subpopulation in the mouse ventral dermis with intrinsic scar-forming potential.
Project description:Fibroblast heterogeneity has been shown within the unwounded mouse dorsal dermis, with fibroblast subpopulations being identified according to anatomical location and embryonic lineage. Using lineage tracing, we demonstrate that paired related homeobox 1 (Prrx1)-expressing fibroblasts are responsible for acute and chronic fibroses in the ventral dermis. Single-cell transcriptomics further corroborated the inherent fibrotic characteristics of Prrx1 fibroblasts during wound repair. In summary, we identify and characterize a fibroblast subpopulation in the mouse ventral dermis with intrinsic scar-forming potential.
Project description:The Wnt/alpha-catenin pathway plays a central role in epidermal homeostasis and regeneration but how it affects fibroblast fate decisions is unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of targeted alpha-catenin stabilization in dermal fibroblasts. Comparative gene expression profiling of Sca1- and Sca1+ neonatal fibroblasts, from upper and lower dermis respectively, confirmed that Sca1+ cells had a pre-adipocyte signature and revealed differential expression of Wnt/alphaâ??catenin-associated genes. By targeting all fibroblasts or selectively targeting Dlk1+ lower dermal fibroblasts, we found that ï?¢-catenin stabilization between E16.5 and P2 resulted in a reduction in the dermal adipocyte layer with a corresponding increase in dermal fibrosis and an altered hair cycle. The fibrotic phenotype correlated with a reduction in the potential of Sca1+ fibroblasts to undergo adipogenic differentiation ex vivo. Our findings indicate that Wnt/alpha-catenin signaling controls adipogenic cell fate within the lower dermis, which potentially contributes to the pathogenesis of fibrotic skin diseases. The dermis was separated from back skin of PDGFRAeGFP postnatal pups (P2) by incubation with thermolysin (0.25 mg/ml) (Sigma T7902) overnight at 4° and further processed as previously described (Collins et al., 2011). Cells were labeled in PBS + 10% FBS TruStain fcX anti-mouse blocking buffer with the following antibodies: anti-mouse Ly-6A/E (Sca-1)-Alexa Fluor-700 17. Two populations of cells were collected in triplicate. The PDGFRaH2BeGFP/Sca1- and the PDGFRaH2BeGFP/Sca1+. RNA was isolated and prepared for microarray analysis and hybridized to Affymetrix MG430.2A arrays. C, digested in DMEM + 10% FBS containing 2.5 mg/mL collagenase I (Gibco 17100- 017), and further processed
Project description:The Wnt/alpha-catenin pathway plays a central role in epidermal homeostasis and regeneration but how it affects fibroblast fate decisions is unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of targeted alpha-catenin stabilization in dermal fibroblasts. Comparative gene expression profiling of Sca1- and Sca1+ neonatal fibroblasts, from upper and lower dermis respectively, confirmed that Sca1+ cells had a pre-adipocyte signature and revealed differential expression of Wnt/alpha‐catenin-associated genes. By targeting all fibroblasts or selectively targeting Dlk1+ lower dermal fibroblasts, we found that -catenin stabilization between E16.5 and P2 resulted in a reduction in the dermal adipocyte layer with a corresponding increase in dermal fibrosis and an altered hair cycle. The fibrotic phenotype correlated with a reduction in the potential of Sca1+ fibroblasts to undergo adipogenic differentiation ex vivo. Our findings indicate that Wnt/alpha-catenin signaling controls adipogenic cell fate within the lower dermis, which potentially contributes to the pathogenesis of fibrotic skin diseases.
Project description:Primary human adipose stromal cells (hASCs) from rs4684847 CC risk allele carriers were cultured and induced to differentiate into adipocytes, and simultaneously transfected for 72h with non-targeting siRNA or siRNA targeting PRRX1 (n=10) or both PRRX1 and PPARG (subset of the subjects, n=4).
Project description:To identify genes expressed predominantly in the ventral skin dermis of pregnant mice, we performed DNA microarray analysis by using isolated dermal tissues from ventral skin at 0 and 15 dpc, PP2-injected ventral skin at 15 dpc, and dorsal skin at 15 dpc.
Project description:It is well accepted that elevated mechanical tension of the skin surrounding a healing wound stimulates a fibrotic cascade of events and contributes to an increased size of scars. A laxity paradox in the field of hair transplantation describes a phenomenon opposing this view. During Strip Follicular Unit Transplantation (Strip FUT), surgeons remove a strip of scalp skin (approximately 5 cm x 10 cm, depending on the number of hair follicles required) from the occipital scalp, which is then used to harvest hair follicles that will be transplanted into the balding frontal scalp. Most patients with normal scalp skin laxity heal with narrow normotrophic scars, while a small number of patients (14%) with very loose scalp skin, and so low residual skin tension, heal with post operating scar widening (4 - 12 mm). These scars, referred to as stretched scars in the hair transplantation field, often require revision surgery or secondary hair grafting into the scar. We hypothesise that stretched scars present a unique transcriptional signature different from other types of scars. To determine the gene expression profile of stretched scars, we used Affymetrix microarrays to perform profiling of fibrotic dermis and the surrounding patient-matched healthy dermis.
Project description:To investigate downstream targets of PRRX1, we used MDA-MB-231 (MDA231) breast cancer cells which express low level of PRRX1 to generate a stable cell line where human PRRX1 was ectopically overexpressed (MDA231-PRRX1), and performed comparative microarray analyses. Interestingly, we found many miRNAs that were upregulated in MDA231-PRRX1 cells.
Project description:PRRX1 is expressed in mesenchymal-type neuroblastoma cells. Over-expression of PRRX1 in adrenergic-type cell line was used to study reprogramming towards a mesenchymal lineage.
Project description:We had one goal to perform this study: Analysis ofchondrocyte from the inject prrx1-iWATMSC inducible and age- and gender-matched native prrx1 expression .