¹Department of Biology, Institute of Cell Biology, ETH Zürich, Hönggerberg, Zürich, Switzerland

Correspondence: Professor Dr Sabine Werner, Department of Biology, Institute of Cell Biology, ETH Zürich, Hönggerberg, HPM D42, Zürich CH-8093, Switzerland. E-mail: sabine.werner@cell.biol.ethz.ch

Received 22 November 2005; Revised 15 January 2006; Accepted 24 January 2006.

Abstract

Injury to the skin initiates a cascade of events, which finally lead to at least partial reconstruction of the wounded tissue. The wound-healing process has been well described at the histological level, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are still poorly defined. To gain insight into these mechanisms we searched for genes, which are regulated by skin injury. Interestingly, some of the genes that we identified encode cytoprotective proteins, in particular enzymes, which detoxify reactive oxygen species (ROS). Since ROS are produced in high amounts at the wound site as a defense against invading bacteria, the expression of these genes is most likely important for the protection of cells against these toxic molecules. In this review, we summarize the results on the expression of cytoprotective genes in wounded skin, and we discuss their possible roles in the wound-healing process.