Exploring cellular interactions relevant to wound healing

The specific involvement of individual cell types in wound repair is generally well understood. How cells interact with each other at the wound site and what effect this has on their healing-related functions, however, is not so clear. To begin exploring the influence cell-cell interactions have on wound healing, this article examines how inflammatory T cells effect skin fibroblast and keratinocyte function. Our studies show that T cells can reduce collagen production by fibroblasts and induce programmed cell death (apoptosis) in keratinocytes, with both of these outcomes having the potential to impair healing. Given that a number of different cell types are present in a wound, the challenge is to identify the cell-cell interactions that are beneficial and those that are detrimental to healing so they can be manipulated appropriately to promote repair.