Summary
Epithelial damage leads to early reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling, which regulates sensory neuron regeneration and tissue repair. How the initial type of tissue injury influences early damage signaling and regenerative growth of sensory axons remains unclear. Previously we reported that thermal injury triggers distinct early tissue responses in larval zebrafish. Here, we found that thermal but not mechanical injury impairs sensory axon regeneration and function. Real-time imaging revealed an immediate tissue response to thermal injury characterized by the rapid Arp2/3-dependent migration of keratinocytes, which was associated with tissue-scale ROS production and sustained sensory axon damage. Isotonic treatment was sufficient to limit keratinocyte movement, spatially restrict ROS production and rescue sensory neuron function. These results suggest that early keratinocyte dynamics regulate the spatial and temporal pattern of long-term signaling in the wound microenvironment during tissue repair.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Footnotes
Supplemental Figure 2 was revised, Supplemental Figure 3 was added/revised, small phrasing in the main text was changed to be more precise.
