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Keratinocyte outgrowth from human skin explant cultures is dependent upon p38 signaling
Author(s) -
Stoll Stefan W.,
Kansra Sanjay,
Elder James T.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
wound repair and regeneration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.847
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1524-475X
pISSN - 1067-1927
DOI - 10.1046/j.1524-475x.2003.11506.x
Subject(s) - keratinocyte , autocrine signalling , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , wound healing , organ culture , human skin , erbb , growth factor , epidermal growth factor , p38 mitogen activated protein kinases , signal transduction , cell culture , kinase , in vitro , immunology , protein kinase a , receptor , biochemistry , genetics
Organ culture of skin is known to recapitulate several early events in the process of wound healing. Here we investigate the function of p38 kinase signaling as a regulator of keratinocyte behavior in human skin organ culture. We first show that skin organ culture recapitulates the transition from migration to proliferation that is known to characterize the reepithelialization process. We next show that inhibition of p38 markedly impairs the formation of keratinocyte outgrowth in human skin explant cultures, as well as the migration of keratinocytes in an in vitro wound assay. In contrast, the marked induction of mRNA encoding the ErbB ligand heparin‐binding epidermal growth factor‐like growth factor, known to occur after skin wounding, was not blocked by inhibition of p38. As assessed by immunoblotting, phosphorylation of p38 was limited and was not increased between 0 and 7 days of organ culture. Our results show the sensitivity of reepithelialization to inhibition by p38 and suggest that p38 acts primarily during the migration phase of this process. These data also indicate that autocrine heparin‐binding epidermal growth factor expression is not regulated by p38. (WOUND REP REG 2003;11:346–353)