Leah Vardy
Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore
Title: Polyamine mediated regulation of wound healing
Biography
Biography: Leah Vardy
Abstract
The primary function of the epidermis is to serve as a protective barrier against the environment. Loss of skin integrity due to injuries or illness results in wounding. Wound healing is a dynamic process involving changes in gene expression on multiple levels. Here, we describe a role for AMD1 (Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase 1), the rate limiting enzyme in the polyamine biosynthesis pathway, in wound healing. The polyamines, spermine, spermidine and putrescine are ubiquitously expressed cations that are essential for cellular function and play a role in a wide array of cellular processes. We show that AMD1 is expressed in the more differentiated layers of the epidermis and is transiently up-regulated at the wound edge in ex vivo wounded human skin biopsies. Cultured keratinocytes also showed an up-regulation of AMD1 at the wound edge in a scratch assay. Knock-down of AMD1 delayed cell migration and closure of the scratch wound suggesting that high polyamine levels are required for cell migration. We have been working to determine the downstream targets of the polyamine pathway in the wound healing response and these findings will be presented. We propose that AMD1 is an important regulator of cell migration and targets multiple pathways to promote wound healing.