Whole-transcriptome analysis illustrates evolving transcriptional human response to injury in acute wounds and scars

The goal of this study was to use RNA sequencing to identify novel genes involved in wound healing and scar formation in human burn wounds and scars. RNA was isolated from 108 human samples comprising of uninjured skin (n=26), acute burn wounds (n=54), and hypertrophic scars (HTS) (n=30). Genes with at least 1.5-fold change and a p-value less than 0.05 with a false discovery rate of 0.05 were considered differentially expressed. Samples were sequenced using Illumina Hi-Seq sequencers, and pathway/Gene Ontology (GO) Enrichment analysis was conducted using iPathwayGuide. Comparing wounds to uninjured skin, we found 9,311 differentially expressed genes, accounting for 1,017 GO terms. Comparing HTS to uninjured skin, we found 7,299 differentially expressed genes, accounting for 1,022 GO terms. By analyzing the whole transcriptome, we characterized dominant genes expressed temporally in wounds and scars. This study reveals the complexity of these processes and helps to bring novel genes to light.