Expression profiling of stationary and migratory intestinal epithelial cells after in vitro wounding: restitution is accompanied by cell differentiation.

Rapid repair by cell migration, a process called "restitution", is essential for wound healing of mucous epithelia. Here, an established in vitro model for restitution, i.e., migration of the non-transformed intestinal epithelial cell line IEC-18 after scratch wounding, was investigated. This cell line is also known for its retained differentiation potential. The aim of this study was to test by expression profiling whether the differentiation state is altered during restitution in vitro. Using a sensitive RT-PCR method a systematic analysis of separated stationary and migratory cells was performed 48 h after in vitro wounding. Most characteristically, the differentiation state was changed in migratory cells when compared with stationary cells. For example, migratory cells lost markers of terminal differentiation and changed to a phenotype that assists the process of restitution by up-regulating the expression of genes such as plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, transforming growth factor alpha, heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor, alpha-smooth muscle actin, ornithine decarboxylase, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. However, there were no unequivocal signs of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) found in migratory cells.