Journal of Bone Research
Open Access

Abstract

Dynamic Action of Myofibroblasts in Skin and Bone Marrow Transplantation

Noritaka Oyama

Skin is highly accessible and evaluable organ, which accelerate the understanding of novel medical innovation in association with organ transplantation, engineering, and wound healing, as well as the stage-specific adaptability of transplanted Bone Marrow (BM) cells. In skin transplantation biology, multi-stage/-angle damages occur in both grafted donor and perilesional host skin, and need to be repaired properly for the engraftment and later maintenance of the local homeostasis and characteristic skin architecture, such as stratified squamoid epithelium and dermal components. These local events are more unlikely to be regulated by the host immunity, because the donor (allogenic) skin engraftment mostly accomplishes onto the immunocompromised or immunosuppressive animals. Accumulating evidences have emerged the importance of alpha-Smooth Muscle Actin (SMA)-positive myofibroblasts, via stage- and cell type specific contribution of TGF-beta, PDGF, ET-1, CCN-2 signaling pathways and/or mastocyte-derived mediators (e.g. histamine and tryptase), for the functional reorganization of the grafted skin. Moreover, particular cell lineages from BM cells have been shown to harbor the differentiation capacity into multiple skin cell phenotypes, including epidermal keratinocytes, and dermal endothelial cells and pericytes, under
controlled by chemokines or cytokines, but the trans-differentiation into alpha-SMA+ myofibroblasts is possibly reversed by inactivation of MEK/ERK signal cascade. We review the recent update of the myofibroblast biology in association with the reconstitution of the engrafted skin, and also work on translating this attractive action into the application of BM transplantation medicine in genetic skin diseases.