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Hemoglobin expression in rat experimental granulation tissue Free
Miretta Tommila1,2, Christoffer Stark1, Anne Jokilammi1, Ville Peltonen1, Risto Penttinen1, and Erika Ekholm1,*
1Department of Medical Biochemistry and Genetics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
2Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care, Emergency and Pain Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland *Correspondence to:Erika Ekholm, Tel: +358-23337208; Fax: +358-23337300; E-mail: eriekh@utu.fi
J Mol Cell Biol, Volume 3, Issue 3, June 2011, 190-196,  https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjq036
Keyword: granulation tissue, wound healing, hemoglobin expression extramedullary hematopoiesis, rat
The general opinion that hemoglobin is only a carrier protein for oxygen and carbon dioxide has been challenged by several recent studies showing hemoglobin expression in other cells than those of the erythroid series, for example, in macrophages. We discovered β-globin expression in rat experimental granulation tissue induced by subcutaneously implanted cellulose sponges. Closer investigation revealed also α-globin expression. The first peak of the biphasic globin expression noticed during granulation tissue formation correlated with the invasion of monocytes/macrophages, whereas the second one seemed to be connected to the appearance of hematopoietic progenitors. Data presented in this study indicate globin expression both in macrophages and in immature erythroid cells as validated by erythroid-specific markers.