Differential expression of procollagen genes between mid- and late-gestational fetal fibroblasts.

Background: Previously, we have shown that cutaneous wounds in mid-gestational (E15) mice heal in a scarless manner with decreased procollagen 1 and increased procollagen 3 production compared with wounds in late-gestational (E18) mice, which heal with scars. The aim of the current work was to determine whether E15 and E18 fibroblasts respond to stimulation in culture with differential procollagen expression, suggesting they may preserve their phenotype in vitro. Further, we wanted to determine if fetal fibroblast gene expression patterns persisted in tissue culture.

Homeobox genes Hoxd3 and Hoxd8 are differentially expressed in fetal mouse excisional wounds.

Background: Cell signaling pathways underlying wound repair are under extensive investigation; however, there is still a poor understanding of the mechanisms orchestrating these processes. Hox genes, which are a subgroup of homeobox genes, encode for a family of transcription factors that play a critical role in tissue migration and cell differentiation during embryogenesis and may also serve as master regulatory genes of postnatal wound repair. We have developed a fetal excisional wound healing model whereby mid-gestational wounds heal in a regenerative manner while late-gestational wounds display scar formation.