Abstract
Cell Biology Healing small scratch wounds in the skin is much less well understood than the closing of deeper wounds. Bornes et al. used intravital microscopy to study the healing of scratches on the backs of mice. The authors followed individual keratinocytes as the cells multiplied and migrated to rapidly reestablish the skin's protective barrier. Basal keratinocytes multiplied at sites somewhat distant from the wound and then swarmed toward the wound, moving as a sheet of independently migrating cells. This allowed the replacement cells to bypass any intervening obstacles such as intact immobile hair follicles or sweat glands. The findings challenge a model proposing that the leading edge of migrating cells directly transmits forces to adjacent keratinocytes more distant from the wound bed to physically drag them along. Instead, leading-edge keratinocytes may initiate wound closure followed by individually moving keratinocytes within a cohesive layer. Life Sci. Alliance 4 , e202000765 (2020).
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