Summary
Epidermal repair was studied after the induction of a suction blister on human abdominal skin. The investigation was concerned with keratinocyte migration from the epidermal wound margins and changes at the dermo-epidermal junction.
Specific antisera against actin and keratin proteins showed the distribution of fine and intermediate filaments within marginal epithelial cells. Pemphigus- and pemphigoid-autoantibodies allowed the evaluation of the decomposition of extracellular substances. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy were used to analyze the submicroscopical changes in intra- and extraepithelial structures.
It was found that suprabasal cells, defined by the presence of keratin polypeptides of 67000 daltons, moved out of the epidermis, thus covering the wound. These cells were strongly labelled by actin-antibodies at the wound margins. The expression of pemphigus antigen was not changed at the wound margins. Components of the basal membrane zone (bullous pemphigoid antigen) were not detected immunohistologically before keratinocytes were present at the surface of the wound. This finding supports the hypothesis that the substances at the junctional zone are partly of epithelial origin.
Transmission electron microscopy showed that the lamina densa was present across the wound hiatus. In addition, the development of desmosomes and hemidesmosomes during wound healing was demonstrated.
Scanning electron microscopy did not support the concept of cell movement as a coherent sheet, but rather that of an “ameboid” type of cell movement.
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This study was supported by grants from INSERM (CRL 7955172), Cilag-Chimie France and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Lo 285/2-1)
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Ortonne, JP., Löning, T., Schmitt, D. et al. Immunomorphological and ultrastructural aspects of keratinocyte migration in epidermal wound healing. Virchows Arch. A Path. Anat. and Histol. 392, 217–230 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00430822
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00430822