Gene expression dynamics in wound healing: Comparative analysis between the wound edge and center

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Genomics
• Wound Healing Research

Background:

• Wound healing is a complex biological process involving diverse cell types and molecular signaling.
• Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of gene expression is key to advancing wound care.
• Existing transcriptomic studies often lack the resolution to capture fine-grained healing processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a high-resolution transcriptomic atlas of porcine wound healing.
• To identify distinct gene expression patterns related to immune response, ECM remodeling, and epithelial repair.
• To investigate the impact of spatial sampling (wound edge vs. center) on transcriptomic analysis.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 150 porcine wound samples across 15 time points (days 0-21).
• Utilized correlation-based clustering and gene ontology analysis to identify synchronously expressed gene groups.
• Employed low-dimensional projection to visualize healing trajectories.

Main Results:

• Identified distinct clusters for immune activity (peaking days 1-6, higher in center), ECM remodeling (early suppression, gradual activation), and epithelial repair (high at edge, delayed recovery at center).
• Observed unique patterns in hair, muscle, and lipid-related gene clusters, attributed to sample heterogeneity.
• Revealed a "round-trip" healing trajectory in immune-epithelial cell dynamics.

Conclusions:

• This study provides a comprehensive transcriptomic reference for acute wound healing.
• Highlights the critical importance of precise spatial and temporal sampling in transcriptomic analyses of biological processes.
• Offers insights into the coordinated cellular activities governing wound repair.