A new study has found that a protein involved in the development of fruit fly wings plays a crucial role in wound healing.
The protein, called Argos, is known to be involved in the formation of the wing veins. However, the new study has shown that it is also essential for the healing of wounds in the wing.
When the researchers removed the Argos protein from fruit flies, they found that the flies were unable to heal their wounds properly. The wounds would remain open and would often become infected.
Further investigation revealed that Argos is involved in the production of a protein called chitin, which is essential for the formation of new tissue. Without Argos, the flies were unable to produce enough chitin and so could not heal their wounds.
The discovery of Argos’ role in wound healing could have implications for the treatment of wounds in humans. Chitin is already used in some wound dressings, and it is possible that Argos could be used to improve the effectiveness of these dressings.
The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.
Link to the study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-34337-2
