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Review
. 2016 Sep;365(3):495-506.
doi: 10.1007/s00441-016-2464-0. Epub 2016 Jul 27.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition in tissue repair and fibrosis

Rivka C Stone  1   2 , Irena Pastar  1 , Nkemcho Ojeh  1   3 , Vivien Chen  1 , Sophia Liu  1 , Karen I Garzon  1 , Marjana Tomic-Canic  4
Affiliations
Review

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition in tissue repair and fibrosis

Rivka C Stone et al. Cell Tissue Res. 2016 Sep.

Abstract

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) describes the global process by which stationary epithelial cells undergo phenotypic changes, including the loss of cell-cell adhesion and apical-basal polarity, and acquire mesenchymal characteristics that confer migratory capacity. EMT and its converse, MET (mesenchymal-epithelial transition), are integral stages of many physiologic processes and, as such, are tightly coordinated by a host of molecular regulators. Converging lines of evidence have identified EMT as a component of cutaneous wound healing, during which otherwise stationary keratinocytes (the resident skin epithelial cells) migrate across the wound bed to restore the epidermal barrier. Moreover, EMT plays a role in the development of scarring and fibrosis, as the matrix-producing myofibroblasts arise from cells of the epithelial lineage in response to injury but are pathologically sustained instead of undergoing MET or apoptosis. In this review, we summarize the role of EMT in physiologic repair and pathologic fibrosis of tissues and organs. We conclude that further investigation into the contribution of EMT to the faulty repair of fibrotic wounds might identify components of EMT signaling as common therapeutic targets for impaired healing in many tissues. Graphical Abstract Model for injury-triggered EMT activation in physiologic wound repair (left) and fibrotic wound healing (right).

Keywords: Dermal fibroblasts; Epithelial-mesenchymal transition; Fibrosis; Keratinocytes; Wound healing.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Common growth factor signals initiate and regulate essential EMT and wound-healing processes. Please refer to text for supporting references. FGF, fibroblast growth factor; EGF, epidermal growth factor; TGFβ, transforming growth factor beta; HGF, hepatocyte growth factor.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Model for injury-triggered EMT activation in physiologic wound repair (left) and fibrotic wound healing (right).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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