Rhomboid protease Rhbdl2 influences macrophage recruitment and wound repair in zebrafish.

Loss of rhomboid protease Rhbdl2 in zebrafish enhances wound repair by increasing macrophage recruitment and cell proliferation, with a 2-fold rise in macrophage migration speed.

• Why it matters: Understanding how immune responses are regulated during wound healing is crucial for developing therapies for inflammatory diseases, fibrosis, and cancer, yet the mechanisms restraining immune-driven repair are not well understood.
• What they did: Researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 to generate rhbdl2 mutants, analyzed macrophage behavior, and performed proteomic and functional assays, revealing increased Rac2 protein levels and macrophage migration in mutants.
• The result: The absence of Rhbdl2 accelerates tissue repair by boosting macrophage recruitment and cell proliferation, highlighting Rhbdl2 as a key modulator of immune cell dynamics during wound healing.