Drosophila Embryos as a Model for Wound-Induced Transcriptional Dynamics: Genetic Strategies to Achieve a Localized Wound Response

Abstract

While many studies have established a paradigm for tissue repair at the level of cellular remodeling, it is not clear how an organism restricts a response only to the injured region of a damaged tissue. Skin, the largest organ in the human body, is prone to injury, and repair of epidermal tissue represents a medically relevant system to investigate. Significance: Studies in Drosophila melanogaster provide a robust genetic system to identify molecular components that will positively impact repair and healing. The Drosophila skin consists of a single-cell epidermal layer and relies on well-conserved cellular mechanisms to coordinate gene expression during development. Many studies have established that key developmental genes promote a response to epidermal injury, but the balance between activator and inhibitor signals to coordinate a localized response remains unknown. Recent Advances: Discovery of a genetic pathway that promotes the restriction of transcriptional response to damage only in effected regions. Interestingly, genome-wide microarray studies have identified an intersection between gene expression after aseptic injury and activation of the innate immune response. Critical Issues: The use of a transcriptional activation reporter provides an innovative approach to uncover well-conserved components that promote the localization of a response during epidermal injury and may influence other pathological conditions of tissue damage. Future Directions: The work reviewed in this critical review may lead to development of molecular strategies of repair and improved healing after injury or infection. The outcomes on the fundamental contribution of a transcriptional response to injury will be translatable to mammalian systems.