The methylome and transcriptome of fetal skin: implications for scarless healing

Fetal skin is known to heal without scarring. In mice, the phenomenon is observed until the 16-17 day of gestation - the day of transition from scarless to normal healing. The study aims to identify key methylome and transcriptome changes following the transition. Methylome and transcriptome profiles were analyzed in murine dorsal skin using microarray approach. The genes associated with inflammatory response and hyaluronate degradation showed increased DNA methylation before the transition, while those involved in embryonic morphogenesis, neuron differentiation and synapse functions did so after. A number of the methylome alterations were retained until adulthood and correlated with gene expression, while the functional associations imply that scarless healing depends on epigenetic regulation.