顔の傷が体より治りやすい理由を分子レベルで解明 (The Face Scars Less Than the Body – A New Study Unravels Why)

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2026-01-22 スタンフォード大学

米スタンフォード大学の研究チームは、顔と身体で瘢痕(傷あと)の形成が異なる理由を明らかにする新たな研究成果を発表した。一般に、顔の傷は治癒後も瘢痕が目立ちにくい一方、身体では硬く大きな瘢痕が残りやすい。本研究では、線維芽細胞の性質と創傷治癒過程に注目し、顔と身体で異なる細胞集団と分子シグナルが働いていることを突き止めた。顔の皮膚では再生を促す細胞が優勢で、過剰な線維化を抑制するのに対し、身体では瘢痕形成を促進する経路が強く活性化されることが示された。この知見は、外傷や手術後の瘢痕を最小限に抑える新たな治療法の開発につながる可能性があり、形成外科や再生医療分野に重要な示唆を与える成果である。

<関連情報>

異なる発生起源を持つ線維芽細胞は、解剖学的に異なる瘢痕形成能を秘めている Fibroblasts of disparate developmental origins harbor anatomically variant scarring potential

Michelle F. Griffin, ∙ Dayan J. Li ∙ Kellen Chen, ∙ … ∙ Joanna Wysocka ∙ Derrick C. Wan ∙ Michael T. Longaker
Cell  Published:January 22, 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.12.014

顔の傷が体より治りやすい理由を分子レベルで解明 (The Face Scars Less Than the Body – A New Study Unravels Why)

Highlights

  • Neural-crest-derived facial skin scars less than mesoderm-derived dorsal skin
  • Facial fibroblasts express higher Robo2 and Eid1 than dorsal fibroblasts
  • ROBO2 and EID1 suppress transcription of pro-fibrotic genes by inhibiting EP300
  • Modulating this pathway promotes facial-like reduced fibrosis at scar-prone sites

Summary

Progress toward anti-scarring therapies has been hampered by our limited understanding of fibroblast populations underlying fibrotic vs. regenerative healing. The site-dependent fibroblast heterogeneity acquired during development points to cell-intrinsic properties determining fibroblasts’ scarring potential. Using a mouse wounding model, we observed that facial wounds heal with less scarring than scalp, ventral, and dorsal wounds. Single-cell RNA sequencing identified increased expression of Robo2 and downstream Eid1 in neural-crest-derived facial fibroblasts compared with fibroblasts from other sites. In fibroblast transplantation experiments, Robo2 and Eid1 promoted facial fibroblasts’ reduced fibrotic potential. This is maintained by the inhibition of EP300 histone acetyltransferase, leading to a more transcriptionally silent chromatin landscape. Mimicking EID1’s activity, small-molecule and transgenic EP300 repression in dorsal wounds promoted facial-like healing with reduced scarring. These data highlight the importance of ROBO2-EID1-EP300 signaling in facial wound healing and demonstrate our ability to modulate fibroblasts’ embryologically determined fibrogenic potential to minimize scarring.

医療・健康
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