RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Osmolarity-independent electrical cues guide rapid response to injury in zebrafish epidermis
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2020.08.05.237792
DO 10.1101/2020.08.05.237792
A1 Andrew S. Kennard
A1 Julie A. Theriot
YR 2020
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/08/05/2020.08.05.237792.abstract
AB The ability of epithelial tissues to heal after injury is essential for animal life, yet the mechanisms by which epithelial cells sense tissue damage are incompletely understood. In aquatic organisms such as zebrafish, osmotic shock following injury is believed to be an early and potent activator of a wound response. We find that, in addition to sensing osmolarity, basal skin cells in zebrafish larvae are also sensitive to changes in the particular ionic composition of their surroundings after wounding, specifically the concentration of sodium chloride in the immediate vicinity of the wound. This sodium chloride-specific wound detection mechanism is independent of cell swelling, and instead is suggestive of a mechanism by which cells sense changes in the transepithelial electrical potential generated by the transport of sodium and chloride ions across the skin. Consistent with this hypothesis, we show that electric fields directly applied within the skin are sufficient to initiate actin polarization and migration of basal cells in their native epithelial context in vivo, even overriding endogenous wound signaling. This suggests that, in order to mount a robust wound response, skin cells respond to both osmotic and electrical perturbations arising from tissue injury.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.