A role for skin γδ T cells in wound repair

J Jameson, K Ugarte, N Chen, P Yachi, E Fuchs… - Science, 2002 - science.org
J Jameson, K Ugarte, N Chen, P Yachi, E Fuchs, R Boismenu, WL Havran
Science, 2002science.org
γδ T cell receptor–bearing dendritic epidermal T cells (DETCs) found in murine skin
recognize antigen expressed by damaged or stressed keratinocytes. Activated DETCs
produce keratinocyte growth factors (KGFs) and chemokines, raising the possibility that
DETCs play a role in tissue repair. We performed wound healing studies and found defects
in keratinocyte proliferation and tissue reepithelialization in the absence of wild-type DETCs.
In vitro skin organ culture studies demonstrated that adding DETCs or recombinant KGF …
γδ T cell receptor–bearing dendritic epidermal T cells (DETCs) found in murine skin recognize antigen expressed by damaged or stressed keratinocytes. Activated DETCs produce keratinocyte growth factors (KGFs) and chemokines, raising the possibility that DETCs play a role in tissue repair. We performed wound healing studies and found defects in keratinocyte proliferation and tissue reepithelialization in the absence of wild-type DETCs. In vitro skin organ culture studies demonstrated that adding DETCs or recombinant KGF restored normal wound healing in γδ DETC-deficient skin. We propose that DETCs recognize antigen expressed by injured keratinocytes and produce factors that directly affect wound repair.
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