Fast and scarless: Prx1+ fibroblasts turbocharge healing

Abstract

Our oral cavity has evolved a capacity for rapid healing without scarring. In this issue of JEM, Ko et al. (2022. J. Exp. Med.https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20221350) identify a Prx1+ fibroblast progenitor that drives oral regeneration by summoning pro-healing TGFβ1+ macrophages.

Insights from Rachel M. Kratofil and Shruti Naik.

Prx1⁺ fibroblasts expedite oral repair. Wounds in the anterior oral mucosa heal faster than wounds in the posterior mucosa. Prx1⁺ SCA1⁺ fibroblasts in the anterior rugae augment repair by recruiting pro-resolving macrophages in a CCL2-dependent manner. By contrast, the posterior wounds are enriched for inflammatory IL-1β⁺ macrophages and neutrophils. Figure created using Biorender.com.