Figure 3.

Transcriptomic analysis reveals unique oral signature transcription factors that permit ideal wound healing in oral mucosa. A representative heatmap of human skin and buccal mucosa gene expression profiles (left panel). Expression of oral transcription factors PITX1 (red) and SOX2 (green) drives activity of distinct transcriptional networks (middle panel). Expression of these transcription factors is mostly absent at baseline in skin. Downstream targets of PITX1- and SOX2-regulated transcriptional networks contribute to rapid and scarless wound healing by equipping oral keratinocytes with distinct functional attributes in both unwounded and wounded tissue (right panel).