GENETIC-ANALYSIS OF A MAMMALIAN WOUND-HEALING TRAIT

Wound healing of mammalian tissue is an essential process in the maint enance of body integrity. The general mechanism of wound healing usual ly studied in adult mammals is repair, in contrast to the regeneration seen in more primitive vertebrates. We recently have discovered that MRL/MpJ mice, unlike all other strains of mice tested, undergo rapid a nd complete wound closure that resembles regeneration. Specifically, t hrough-and-through surgical ear hole wounds close without scarring in <4 weeks with normal gross and microanatomic architecture, including c hondrogenesis, We also demonstrated that this healing is a heritable t rait in inbred mice, In this study, we present results pertaining to i ts genetic control in progeny segregating for this phenotype, To ident ify the genetic loci that control the wound closure process, a genome- wide scan was performed on (MRL/MpJ-Fas(1pr) x C57BL/6)F2 and backcros s populations. In the primary screens of these populations, quantitati ve trait loci that control the extent of wound closure were detected o n chromosomes 8, 12, and 15 and at two separate locations on chromosom e 13, Evidence of further genetic control of healing was found on chro mosome 7, All alleles that contribute to full wound closure are derive d from the MRL/MpJ-Fas(1pr) parent except for the quantitative trait l ocus on chromosome 8, which is derived from C57BL/6.