Project description:Acomys exhibits a blunted immune response to wounding, and shares characteristics with fetal wound healing We used mouse microarrays to compare gene expression profiles during wound healing between the African spiny mouse (Acomys) and the house mouse (Mus)
Project description:Although most mammals heal injured tissues and organs with scarring, spiny mice (Acomys) naturally regenerate skin and complex musculoskeletal tissues. Currently, the core signaling pathways driving mammalian tissue regeneration are poorly characterized. Here, we show that, while immediate ERK activation is a shared feature of scarring (Mus) and regenerating (Acomys) injuries, ERK activity is only sustained during complex tissue regeneration. Following ERK inhibition, regeneration in Acomys shifted towards a fibrotic repair. Using scRNA-seq, we uncovered that MAPK/ERK signaling acts in a cell type specific manner to direct regenerative healing. Loss- and gain-of-function experiments prompted us to identify FGF and ErbB signaling as upstream ERK regulators of regeneration. By ectopically activating ERK in Mus injuries, a pro- regenerative response was induced, including cell proliferation, extracellular matrix remodeling and hair follicle neogenesis. Our data provide new insights into why some mammals regenerate better than others and open avenues to redirect fibrotic repair towards regenerative healing.
Project description:Although most mammals heal injured tissues and organs with scarring, spiny mice (Acomys) naturally regenerate skin and complex musculoskeletal tissues. Currently, the core signaling pathways driving mammalian tissue regeneration are poorly characterized. Here, we show that, while immediate ERK activation is a shared feature of scarring (Mus) and regenerating (Acomys) injuries, ERK activity is only sustained at high levels during complex tissue regeneration. Following ERK inhibition, ear punch regeneration in Acomys shifted towards fibrotic repair. Using scRNA-seq, we identified ERK-responsive cell types. Loss- and gain-of-function experiments prompted us to uncover FGF and ErbB signaling as upstream ERK regulators of regeneration. Strikingly, the ectopic activation of ERK in scar-prone injuries induced a pro-regenerative response, including cell proliferation, extracellular matrix remodeling and hair follicle neogenesis. Our data detail an important distinction in ERK activity between regenerating and poorly regenerating adult mammals and open avenues to redirect fibrotic repair towards regenerative healing.
Project description:This project is designed to find differentially expressed genes between regeneration and fibrosis in Acomys (regenerator) and Mus (non-regenerator)
