title: Expression of integrin alphavbeta6 and TGF-beta in scarless vs scar-forming wound healing.
abstract: Oral mucosal wounds heal with reduced scar formation compared with skin. The epithelial integrin alphavbeta6 is induced during wound healing, and it can activate fibrogenic transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) and anti-fibrogenic TGF-beta3 that play key roles in scar formation. In this study, expression of beta6 integrin and members of the TGF-beta pathway were studied in experimental wounds of human gingiva and both gingiva and skin of red Duroc pigs using real-time PCR, gene microarrays, and immunostaining. Similar to human wounds, the expression of beta6 integrin was induced in the pig wounds 7 days after wounding and remained upregulated >49 days. The alphavbeta6 integrin was colocalized with both TGF-beta isoforms in the wound epithelium. Significantly higher expression levels of beta6 integrin and TGF-beta1 were observed in the pig gingival wounds compared with skin. Early gingival wounds also expressed higher levels of TGF-beta3 compared with skin. The spatio-temporal colocalization of alphavbeta6 integrin with TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta3 in the wound epithelium suggests that alphavbeta6 integrin may activate both isoforms during wound healing. Prolonged expression of alphavbeta6 integrin along with TGF-beta3 in the gingival wound epithelium may be important in protection of gingiva from scar formation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Periodontal Biology, Department of Oral Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Ameneh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eslami
authors.forename: Corrie L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Gallant-Behm
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wiebe
authors.forename: Dariush
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Honardoust
authors.forename: Humphrey
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: Lari
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Häkkinen
authors.forename: Hannu S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Larjava
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005881:Gingiva / Q000293:injuries / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016023:Integrins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000293:injuries / Q000378:metabolism; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D012867:Skin / Q000293:injuries / Q000378:metabolism; D013552:Swine; D013997:Time Factors; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D053782:Transforming Growth Factor beta3 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014945:Wound Healing; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D016023:Integrins; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D053782:Transforming Growth Factor beta3; C073878:integrin alphavbeta6