Tissue repair with a therapeutic transcription factor

The healing of tissue involves a wide range of molecular, cellular, and phy siological events that are coordinated in a temporally specific manner. The cellular transcription factor early growth response factor 1 (Egr-1) is ex pressed minutes after acute injury and serves to stimulate the production o f a class of growth factors whose role is to promote tissue repair. We have studied the effects of Egr-1 expression at the site of dermal wounding in rodents. We find that Egr-1 promotes angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo, inc reases collagen production, and accelerates wound closure. These results sh ow that Egr-1 gene therapy accelerates the normal healing process and raise s the potential use of this therapeutic transcription factor for any aspect of tissue repair.