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Updated: May 30, 2026

Laminar Flow-based Assays to Investigate Leukocyte Recruitment on Cultured Vascular Cells and Adherent Platelets
Published on: April 9, 2018
Activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule impacts on clinical wound healing and inhibits HaCaT migration
Andrew J Sanders1, David G Jiang, Wen G Jiang
1Metastasis and Angiogenesis Research Group, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK. sandersaj1@cardiff.ac.uk
Abstract:
Activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM) is a glycoprotein of the immunoglobulin superfamily that has been implicated in the processes of cell adhesion and migration. The current study examines the importance of ALCAM in regulating HaCaT cell growth and migration and its potential to impact on wound healing. ALCAM levels were examined in a range of clinical wound and normal skin samples using Q-PCR and immunohistochemistry. ALCAM expression was targeted in HaCaT keratinocyte cells using a hammerhead ribozyme transgene system. Subsequently, the impact of ALCAM suppression on HaCaT migration and growth was assessed. ALCAM protein was detected mainly in keratinocytes. ALCAM transcript levels were found to be significantly higher in the non-healed chronic wound samples compared with healed samples (P = 0·026). In addition, targeting of ALCAM in HaCaT cells brought about a substantial increase in cellular migration and growth compared with HaCaT control cells.Our results suggest that ALCAM plays an important role in the migration of HaCaT keratinocyte cells. The data also suggests that higher levels of ALCAM may impair healing in chronic wounds. The impact of ALCAM in wound healing may thus be somewhat due to its impact on cell migration and growth.
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