Single-cell gene expression analysis of ulcerated skin in Has2 transgenic and wild-type mice with scratching-induced ulcerative derm
Ulcerative dermatitis (UD) in mice is an idiopathic skin disease characterized by intense pruritus, hair loss, self-inflicted lesions, and progression to ulceration. UD serves as a model for chronic skin inflammation and non-healing wounds in humans, as it shares key pathological features with these conditions. C57BL/6 mice are particularly susceptible to UD, making this strain a valuable model for studying the mechanisms underlying skin injury and inflammation. In previous studies, Has2 transgenic mice exhibited a higher incidence of UD compared with wild-type controls, implicating elevated hyaluronan synthesis in disease susceptibility. To investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms, we induced scratching-triggered UD in Has2 overexpressing (Has2OE) and wild-type mice (n = 4 per group) and performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on lesional skin to compare cell-type composition and gene expression changes. Overall design: The ulcerated lesional skin from scratching-induced UD wild type or whole-body Has2 overexpression mice were separated and analyzed using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq).