人体皮肤受伤后，骨髓干细胞会赶到伤口处并变身成皮肤细胞，修复损伤。但骨髓干细胞是受到谁的指挥呢？英国和日本科学家最近发现了这个“指挥员”——HMGB1蛋白质。
英国伦敦国王学院的约翰·麦格拉思在最新一期 PNAS 上报告说，皮肤受损时，人体就会释放出HMGB1蛋白质。这种蛋白质会吹响召集骨髓干细胞前来支援的“集合号”，之后骨髓干细胞就会赶来完成修复工作。
麦格拉思还发现，除了受伤外，植皮手术也会刺激人体释放出更多的HMGB1蛋白质。这说明，移植皮肤不仅可以起到覆盖伤口的作用，还可以调动人体内部潜能，促进康复。
麦格拉思希望，在此次发现的基础上研发药物，以找到修复受损皮肤的新方法。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原文出处：
PNAS doi: 10.1073/pnas.1016753108
PDGFRα-positive cells in bone marrow are mobilized by high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) to regenerate injured epithelia
Katsuto Tamaia,1, Takehiko Yamazakia, Takenao Chinoa, Masaru Ishiib, Satoru Otsurua, Yasushi Kikuchia, Shin Iinumaa, Kotaro Sagaa, Keisuke Nimuraa, Takashi Shimboa, Noriko Umegakic, Ichiro Katayamac, Jun-ichi Miyazakid, Junji Takedae, John A. McGrathf, Jouni Uittog, and Yasufumi Kanedaa,1
Abstract
The role of bone marrow cells in repairing ectodermal tissue, such as skin epidermis, is not clear. To explore this process further, this study examined a particular form of cutaneous repair, skin grafting. Grafting of full thickness wild-type mouse skin onto mice that had received a green fluorescent protein-bone marrow transplant after whole body irradiation led to an abundance of bone marrow-derived epithelial cells in follicular and interfollicular epidermis that persisted for at least 5 mo. The source of the epithelial progenitors was the nonhematopoietic, platelet-derived growth factor receptor α-positive (Lin?/PDGFRα+) bone marrow cell population. Skin grafts release high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) in vitro and in vivo, which can mobilize the Lin?/PDGFRα+ cells from bone marrow to target the engrafted skin. These data provide unique insight into how skin grafts facilitate tissue repair and identify strategies germane to regenerative medicine for skin and, perhaps, other ectodermal defects or diseases.
