2. Academic Validation
  3. The common YAP activation mediates corneal epithelial regeneration and repair with different-sized wounds

The common YAP activation mediates corneal epithelial regeneration and repair with different-sized wounds

  • NPJ Regen Med. 2021 Mar 26;6(1):16. doi: 10.1038/s41536-021-00126-2.
Yijian Li 1 2,  Lingling Ge 3 4,  Xia Chen 3 4 5,  Yumei Mao 6,  Xianliang Gu 3 4,  Bangqi Ren 3 4,  Yuxiao Zeng 3 4,  Min Chen 3 4,  Siyu Chen 3 4,  Jinhua Liu 3 4,  Yuli Yang 7 8,  Haiwei Xu 9 10
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Southwest Hospital/Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China. liyijian2226@163.com.
  • 2 Key Lab of Visual Damage and Regeneration & Restoration of Chongqing, Chongqing, China. liyijian2226@163.com.
  • 3 Southwest Hospital/Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China.
  • 4 Key Lab of Visual Damage and Regeneration & Restoration of Chongqing, Chongqing, China.
  • 5 Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
  • 6 North Sichuan Medical College, Sichuan, China.
  • 7 Southwest Hospital/Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China. yylxnyy_023@163.com.
  • 8 Key Lab of Visual Damage and Regeneration & Restoration of Chongqing, Chongqing, China. yylxnyy_023@163.com.
  • 9 Southwest Hospital/Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China. haiweixu2001@163.com.
  • 10 Key Lab of Visual Damage and Regeneration & Restoration of Chongqing, Chongqing, China. haiweixu2001@163.com.
PMID: 33772031 DOI: 10.1038/s41536-021-00126-2
Abstract

Regeneration/repair after injury can be endowed by adult stem cells (ASCs) or lineage restricted and even terminally differentiated cells. In corneal epithelium, regeneration after a large wound depends on ASCs (limbal epithelial stem cells, LESCs), whereas repair after a small wound is LESCs-independent. Here, using rat corneal epithelial wounds with different sizes, we show that YAP activation promotes the activation and expansion of LESCs after a large wound, as well as the reprogramming of local epithelial cells (repairing epithelial cells) after a small wound, which contributes to LESCs-dependent and -independent wound healing, respectively. Mechanically, we highlight that the reciprocal regulation of YAP activity and the assembly of cell junction and cortical F-actin Cytoskeleton accelerates corneal epithelial healing with different-sized wounds. Together, the common YAP activation and the underlying regulatory mechanism are harnessed by LESCs and lineage-restricted epithelial cells to cope with corneal epithelial wounds with different sizes.

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