Abstract
Repair of wounds usually results in restoration of organ function, even if suboptimal. However, in a minority of situations, the healing process leads to significant scarring that hampers homeostasis and leaves the tissue compromised. This scar is characterized by an excess of matrix deposition that remains poorly organized and weakened. While we know much of the early stages of the repair process, the transition to wound resolution that limits scar formation is poorly understood. This is particularly true of the inducers of scar formation. Here, we present a hypothesis that it is the matrix itself that is a primary driver of scar, rather than being simply the result of other cellular dysregulations.
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Acknowledgments
These studies were supported by grants from the National Institute of General Medical Science of the National Institutes of Health (USA) (GM063569). Services in kind were provided by the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center.
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Yates, C.C., Bodnar, R. & Wells, A. Matrix control of scarring. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 68, 1871–1881 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-011-0663-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-011-0663-0