Connexins 26, 30, and 43: Differences Among Spontaneous, Chronic, and Accelerated Human Wound Healing

Gap junctions (GJ) are known to be involved in spontaneous wound healing in rodent skin. We analyzed the staining patterns of the GJ proteins Cx26, Cx30, and Cx43 in human cutaneous wound healing and compared ex vivo spontaneous wound healing to non-healing wounds (chronic leg ulcers) and to ex vivo accelerated wound healing after transplantation of cultured keratinocytes. We demonstrate a loss of Cx43 staining at the wound margins during...