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Fibroblasts Close a Void in Free Space by a Purse-String Mechanism
Avelino Dos Santos Da Costa1,2,3, Ramesh Subbiah1,4, Seung Ja Oh1,2
1Center for Biomaterials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|August 29, 2022
Summary
Stromal fibroblasts can bridge large gaps in injured tissue using a purse-string contraction mechanism, similar to epithelial cells. This novel finding reveals how fibroblasts repair 3D wounds and aids regenerative medicine.
Area of Science:
- Regenerative Medicine
- Cell Biology
- Tissue Repair
Background:
- Stromal cells, like fibroblasts, are known to deposit extracellular matrix (ECM) during wound healing.
- The mechanism of void filling by stromal cells, particularly their potential for purse-string contraction, is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanism of void filling by fibroblasts in artificial wounds.
- To determine if fibroblasts exhibit epithelial-like purse-string behavior during gap closure.
Main Methods:
- Creation of a three-dimensional artificial wound model with a large void space.
- Observation of fibroblast behavior and gap closure dynamics within the model.
- Analysis of the role of myosin II and intercellular adherent junctions in fibroblast-mediated closure.
Main Results:
- Fibroblasts formed free-standing bridges over deep microvoids, demonstrating purse-string contraction.
- This closure mechanism, previously attributed only to epithelial cells, was observed in fibroblasts.
- Myosin II-mediated contractility and intercellular adherent junctions were essential for fibroblast gap closure.
Conclusions:
- Fibroblasts can adopt an epithelial-like purse-string mechanism to bridge 3D gaps in injured tissue.
- This behavior is crucial for wound healing and may involve acquiring features of epithelial cells.
- The findings offer new insights into stromal cell function in wound repair and morphogenesis.
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