Key molecules in wound healing identified through mapping of long non-coding RNA molecules

LncRNA expression profiling and functional screening in human skin wound healing. Credit: Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52783-8
A new study by the Karolinska Institutet and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences has identified an RNA molecule important for skin wound healing. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, could have implications for the treatment of hard-to-heal wounds.
This research focuses on the molecular processes in wound healing that regulate the transition from inflammation, an important defense mechanism, to a proliferative phase in which new cells are formed to repair damaged tissue. Researchers mapped lncRNAs (long non-coding RNA molecules) in human skin wounds in tissue samples from Karolinska University Hospital and identified key regulators in wound healing.
“Our study revealed that the lncRNA molecule SNHG26 plays a pivotal role in guiding skin cells through the wound healing stages, from the inflammatory stage to the healing stage,” said Karolinska Institutet Solna Medical Department Professor Ning Xu Landen explains. .
The researchers also used mouse models to reveal how this molecule interacts with genes involved in inflammation and tissue regeneration. Mice lacking SNHG26 had delayed wound healing, highlighting the importance of this molecule in the balance between inflammation and tissue repair. This discovery paves the way for new therapeutic approaches for acute and chronic wounds.
“Targeting SNHG26 has the potential to accelerate healing and reduce complications, especially in chronic wounds where long-term inflammation is a major problem,” Landen said.
Her research group at Karolinska Institutet studies how the skin healing process is controlled by so-called regulatory RNA molecules, i.e., RNA molecules that regulate gene activity, and has researched lncRNA and the Nobel Prize-winning microbiome. Includes both RNA molecules. The researchers will continue to study how other regulatory RNA molecules are involved in tissue repair, with the aim of developing innovative treatments for hard-to-heal wounds.
The study was conducted in close collaboration with Dongqing Li from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
Further information: Dongqing Li et al, The lncRNA SNHG26 drives the inflammatory-to-proliferative statetransition of keratinocyte progenitor cell while wound healing, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52783-8
Provided by Karolinska Institute
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