Wound Healing by Keratinocytes: A Cytoskeletal Perspective

Abstract

Skin, being the protective barrier against the environment, can
be subject to frequent trauma and stress, hence has the ability to heal
itself rapidly. This capacity is attributed to a large number of resident
stem cells and progenitors in the skin, which are activated to proliferate,
migrate and differentiate to recreate the cellular diversity and regain
tissue integrity. The barrier function of the skin is maintained by the epidermis,
a multilayered epithelial compartment formed of keratinocytes.
Wound repair evokes the capacity of cells to sense and respond to environmental cues. Tissue damage demands rapid cellular action, wherein
spatio-temporally regulated cellular responses are critical determinants
of the outcome of healing. Hence cells surrounding the wound have
to immediately sense the damage and must activate the key signaling
pathways to launch the wound-healing response. Emerging data is indicating
that mechanical tension release is one of the first cues sensed by
the neighboring cells of the damage. This cue is relayed by the cytoskeleton
and converted into biochemical and cellular signals, which help the
cells to respond accordingly to the trauma. In this review, we will focus
on the role of keratinocytes and keratinocyte stem cells in wound healing,
and the cytoskeletal dynamics involved therein.