Skin cornification proteins provide global link between ROS detoxification and cell migration during wound healing

• Published in: PloS one 2010-08, Vol.5 (8), p.e11957
• Main Authors: Vermeij, Wilbert P, Backendorf, Claude
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid - pharmacology; Bacteria; Cell adhesion & migration; Cell Biology/Cellular Death and Stress Responses; Cell Biology/Gene Expression; Cell migration; Cell Movement - drug effects; Chemical Biology/Macromolecular Chemistry; Computational Biology/Literature Analysis; Cornified Envelope Proline-Rich Proteins - chemistry; Cornified Envelope Proline-Rich Proteins - genetics; Cornified Envelope Proline-Rich Proteins - metabolism; Cysteine; Detoxification; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; Genomics; Healing; HeLa Cells; Humans; Immune response; Immune system; Infarction; Injuries; Injury analysis; Intracellular signalling; Keratinocytes - drug effects; Keratinocytes - metabolism; Keratinocytes - pathology; Laboratories; Leukocyte migration; Ligands; Localization; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Molecular Sequence Data; Myocardial infarction; Oxygen; Proline; Proteins; Reactive oxygen species; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Regeneration; Signal processing; Signal transduction; Skin; Skin - drug effects; Skin - injuries; Skin - pathology; Tissues; Uniform flow; Wound care; Wound healing; Wound Healing - drug effects
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0011957

Wound healing is a complex dynamic process characterised by a uniform flow of events in nearly all types of tissue damage, from a small skin scratch to myocardial infarction. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are essential during the healing process at multiple stages, ranging from the initial signal that instigates the immune response, to the triggering of intracellular redox-dependent signalling pathways and the defence against invading bacteria. Excessive ROS in the wound milieu nevertheless impedes new tissue formation. Here we identify small proline-rich (SPRR) proteins as essential players in this latter process, as they directly link ROS detoxification with cell migration. A literature-based meta-analysis revealed their up-regulation in various forms of tissue injury, ranging from heart infarction and commensal-induced gut responses to nerve regeneration and burn injury. Apparently, SPRR proteins have a far more widespread role in wound healing and tissue remodelling than their established function in skin cornification. It is inferred that SPRR proteins provide injured tissue with an efficient, finely tuneable antioxidant barrier specifically adapted to the tissue involved and the damage inflicted. Their recognition as novel cell protective proteins combining ROS detoxification with cell migration will provide new venues to study and manage tissue repair and wound healing at a molecular level.