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¹ Department of Immunology and Microbial Science and ² Department of Molecular and Integrative Neurosciences, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037
³ L'Oréal Recherche, 92583 Clichy, France
⁴ Division of Plastic Surgery, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92103
⁵ Division of Plastic Surgery, Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, CA 92037
⁶ Division of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037

CORRESPONDENCE Wendy L. Havran: havran{at}scripps.edu

Epidermal T cells have been shown to play unique roles in tissue homeostasis and repair in mice through local secretion of distinct growth factors in the skin. Human epidermis contains both β⁺ and ⁺ T cells whose functional capabilities are not understood. We demonstrate that human epidermal T cells are able to produce insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) upon activation and promote wound healing in a skin organ culture model. Moreover, an analysis of the functional capabilities of T cells isolated from acute versus chronic wounds revealed a striking difference. Both β⁺ and V1⁺ T cells isolated from acute wounds actively produced IGF-1, demonstrating that they are activated during tissue damage to participate in wound repair. In contrast, IGF-1 production could not be detected in T cells isolated from chronic wounds. In fact, skin T cells isolated from chronic wounds were refractory to further stimulation, suggesting an unresponsive state. Collectively, these results define a novel role for human epidermis–resident T cells in wound healing and provide new insight into our understanding of chronic wound persistence.

© 2009 Toulon et al.
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