miRNA as regulators of organ regenerative capacity

Understanding the molecular basis of tissue regeneration is one important goal towards developing new medical practice that would impact on organ repair and transplantation. Regulation of gene expression is known to be crucial for cell plasticity and regenerative capacities. Here we wish to open a new route towards the understanding of the mechanisms that regulate gene expression in this context by studying the contribution of miRNA. miRNA are involved in the control of gene expression in many, if not all, cell activities. Importantly, they are required for mouse skin differentiation and are involved in many processes required for proper skin healing. However, miRNA contribution to skin regeneration versus repair remains totally unexplored. The goal of the proposed project is to compare the regeneration-competent to the regeneration-incompetent mouse skin in order to -Identify the miRNA involved in the regulation of cell plasticity and regenerative capacity of this organ. -Elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which these miRNA contribute to the maintenance or restriction of regenerative capacities. -Investigate how these miRNA can be manipulated to improve the regenerative capacity of the adult mouse skin. The ultimate goal of regenerative research is to improve the human regenerative capabilities. Because miRNA are well conserved among species, identifying their contribution to the regenerative capacity of mouse skin should pave the road towards new opportunity of regenerative therapeutics.