Hyperproliferation and defects in epithelial polarity upon conditional ablation of alpha-catenin in skin.
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When surface epithelium was conditionally targeted for ablation of alpha-catenin, hair follicle development was blocked and epidermal morphogenesis was dramatically affected, with defects in adherens junction formation, intercellular adhesion, and epithelial polarity. Differentiation occurred, but epidermis displayed hyperproliferation, suprabasal mitoses, and multinucleated cells. In vitro, alpha-catenin null keratinocytes were poorly contact inhibited and grew rapidly. These differences were not dependent upon intercellular adhesion and were in marked contrast to keratinocytes conditionally null for another essential intercellular adhesion protein, desmoplakin (DP). KO keratinocytes exhibited sustained activation of the Ras-MAPK cascade due to aberrations in growth factor responses. Thus, remarkably, features of precancerous lesions often attributed to defects in cell cycle regulatory genes can be generated by compromising the function of alpha-catenin. (+info)
Interstitial exclusion of positively and negatively charged IgG in rat skin and muscle.
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Volume exclusion, i.e., the space not available for a specific probe, may be dependent on the probe charge. Therefore, interstitial exclusion was measured for positively and negatively charged immunoglobulin (IgG) in skin and muscle of rats by using a continuous infusion method (30). Steady-state concentration of (125)I-labeled IgG 1 (pI = 8.7) and (131)I- labeled IgG 4 (pI = 6.6) was maintained by infusion of tracer for 120-168 h with an implanted osmotic pump. At the end of the infusion period and before tissue sampling, the rat was anesthetized and nephrectomized, and (51)Cr-labeled EDTA was injected and allowed 4 h for equilibration to measure interstitial fluid volume (V(i)). Interstitial fluid was isolated from skin and muscle by using nylon wicks implanted post mortem. The relative IgG available space was measured as the ratio between labeled IgG and (51)Cr-labeled EDTA wick fluid equivalent spaces, and relative excluded volume fraction (V(e)/V(i)) was calculated as 1--V(a)/V(i). V(e)/V(i) in hindlimb skin averaged 0.37 +/- 0.05 (SE) and 0.65 +/- 0.06 (P < 0.01) for IgG 1 and 4, respectively, with corresponding figures of 0.24 +/- 0.05 and 0.51 +/- 0.04 (P < 0.01) in hindlimb muscle (n = 9 for both tissues). These experiments suggest that fixed negative charges, most likely glycosaminoglycans, influence distribution of macromolecules in the interstitium and therefore affect interstitial fluid balance. (+info)
Substitution of renal function through skin catharsis: evidence from the classical period to the Middle Ages.
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The skin's cleansing capacity has been known for centuries and has been used therapeutically and extensively for a great number of diseases. We studied the historical evolution of the methods used for catharsis through the skin, particularly for those in renal failure, by reviewing most of the existing ancient Greek and Byzantine codices dealing with the skin's cleansing capacity. From the fragments cited in this article, it is evident that the ancient medical writers were well aware of the mechanism of perspiration, and through this process the excretion of several body toxins, they knew about renal failure as well as the influence of environmental temperature on blood purification via the skin. To validate their views, we reviewed the seasonal variation of the average values for blood urea, creatinine, and electrolytes for 161 regular dialysis treatment (RDT) patients in four dialysis units in southern Greece. The estimations were carried out during the winter/summer 1997, 1998, and 1999 terms and included three winter months and three summer months. We traced an unexpectedly large number of references in the ancient and medieval Greek medical literature concerning detoxification through the skin, mainly regarding patients in renal failure. This seasonal variation hypothesis is supported by the results of our retrospective study: there was a difference of 16 mg/dL in the average blood urea (mean winter urea 182 mg/dL, mean summer urea 166 mg/dL). We suggest that the ancients had a vivid idea about the substitution of renal function by the skin's cleansing ability in renal failure. The previously mentioned phenomenon may be due to the elimination of blood urea through excessive perspiration. Our clinical results seem to verify their notions, and hence, the skin (like the peritoneum) may be considered a natural membrane for dialysis. We were unable to trace a similar report in the literature on the seasonal fluctuation of blood urea in dialysis patients. (+info)
Up- and down-regulation of granulocyte/macrophage-colony stimulating factor activity in murine skin increase susceptibility to skin carcinogenesis by independent mechanisms.
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The role of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in tumorigenesis is complex. On the one hand, GM-CSF can promote tumor cell growth, survival, and even metastasis. On the other hand, it can stimulate tumor cell rejection. In skin, it is early expressed after topic application of tumor-promoting agents and therefore may be responsible for changes that correlate with skin tumor promotion (e.g., epidermal hyperproliferation and inflammation). To analyze GM-CSF function in skin tumorigenesis, we generated transgenic mice epidermally overexpressing either GM-CSF or a GM-CSF antagonist. Both types of transgenic mice exhibited significantly increased numbers of benign tumors in a two-step skin carcinogenesis experiment using 7',12'-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) as initiator and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-CSF displayed a significantly elevated carcinoma burden following a single-step carcinogenesis protocol consisting of tumor initiation only. Therefore, endogenous promotion is responsible for elevated tumor development in GM-CSF-overexpressing mice. In antagonist transgenic animals, an increased tumorigenicity of modified B16 tumor cells after cutaneous transplantation as compared with nontransgenic or GM-CSF transgenic mice was observed. Thus, the antitumor activity leading to the repression of tumor cell growth in control mice is GM-CSF dependent and is compromised in mice expressing the antagonist. We suggest that both, up-regulation and down-regulation of GM-CSF activity in skin, increase the incidence and growth of tumors via two independent mechanisms: endogenous tumor promotion in the case of increased GM-CSF activity and compromised tumor cell rejection in the case of decreased GM-CSF activity. (+info)
Autofluorescence of human skin is age-related after correction for skin pigmentation and redness.
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When measuring the skin fluorescence in vivo, the absorption of chromophores such as melanin and hemoglobin often contribute predominantly to the changes in fluorescence and obscure the information from the fluorophores. We measured in vivo the collagen-linked 375 nm fluorescence (excitation: 330 nm) and 455 nm fluorescence (excitation: 370 nm) from nonexposed buttock skin of healthy volunteers. Skin pigmentation and redness of the same sites were quantified by reflectance of the skin at 555 nm and 660 nm. Multiple regression analysis was used to find the correlation between the fluorescence and skin pigmentation and redness. The fluorescence was corrected for the impact of pigmentation and redness according to the equation found in the regression analyses. The age-related trend of the fluorescence was evaluated. The 375 nm fluorescence showed positive relation to age, whereas the 455 nm fluorescence showed no significant relation to age. The increasing rate of the 375 nm fluorescence (logarithm transformed) was 2% per year, which is comparable with previously published data. The results suggest that the correction of the autofluorescence intensity for skin pigmentation and redness is valid, and the 375 nm skin autofluorescence may be used as a biologic marker of skin aging in vivo. (+info)
Expression, candidate gene, and population studies of the melanocortin 5 receptor.
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In mouse the melanocortin 5 receptor is known to regulate sebaceous gland function. To clarify its role in man, we have studied melanocortin 5 receptor expression in skin, and allelic variation at the melanocortin 5 receptor locus in diverse human populations and candidate disease groups. Melanocortin 5 receptor protein and mRNA expression were studied by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Melanocortin 5 receptor mRNA was detected in normal skin and cultured keratinocytes but not in cultured fibroblasts or melanocytes. Immunohistochemistry revealed melanocortin 5 receptor immunoreactivity in the epithelium and appendages, including the sebaceous gland, eccrine glands, and apocrine glands, as well as low level expression in the interfollciular epidermis. In order to screen for genetic diversity in the melanocortin 5 receptor that might be useful for allelic association studies we sequenced the entire melanocortin 5 receptor coding region in a range of human populations. One nonsynonymous change (Phe209Leu) and four synonymous changes (Ala81Ala, Asp108Asp, Ser125Ser, and Thr248Thr) were identified. Similar results were found in each of the populations except for the Inuit in which only the Asp108Asp variant was seen. The apparent "global distribution" of melanocortin 5 receptor variants may indicate that they are old in evolutionary terms. Variation of melanocortin 5 receptor was examined in patients with acne (n = 21), hidradenitis supprativa (n = 4), and sebaceous gland lesions comprising sebaceous nevi, adenomas, and hyperplasia (n = 13). No additional mutations were found. In order to determine the functional status of the Phe209Leu change, increase in cAMP in response to stimulation with alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone was measured in HEK-293 cells transfected with either wild-type or the Phe209Leu variant. The variant melanocortin 5 receptor was shown to act in a concentration-dependent manner, which did not differ from that of wild type. We have therefore found no evidence of a causative role for melanocortin 5 receptor in sebaceous gland dysfunction, and in the absence of any association between variation at the locus and disease group, the pathophysiologic role of the melanocortin 5 receptor in man requires further study. (+info)
CYR61 stimulates human skin fibroblast migration through Integrin alpha vbeta 5 and enhances mitogenesis through integrin alpha vbeta 3, independent of its carboxyl-terminal domain.
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CYR61, an angiogenic factor and a member of the CCN protein family, is an extracellular matrix-associated, heparin-binding protein that mediates cell adhesion, promotes cell migration, and enhances growth factor-stimulated cell proliferation. CYR61 induces angiogenesis and promotes tumor growth in vivo and is expressed in dermal fibroblasts during cutaneous wound healing. It has been demonstrated recently that adhesion of primary skin fibroblasts to CYR61 is mediated through integrin alpha(6)beta(1) and cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans, resulting in adhesive signaling and up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinases 1 and 3. CYR61 is composed of four discrete structural domains that bear sequence similarities to the insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins, von Willebrand factor type C repeat, thrombospondin type 1 repeat, and a carboxyl-terminal (CT) domain that resembles cysteine knots found in some growth factors. In this study, we show that a CYR61 mutant (CYR61DeltaCT) that has the CT domain deleted is unable to support adhesion of primary human skin fibroblasts but is still able to stimulate chemotaxis and enhance basic fibroblast growth factor-induced mitogenesis similar to wild type. In addition, fibroblast migration to CYR61 is mediated through integrin alpha(v)beta(5) but not integrins alpha(6)beta(1) or alpha(v)beta(3). Furthermore, we show that CYR61 binds directly to purified integrin alpha(v)beta(5) in vitro. By contrast, CYR61 enhancement of basic fibroblast growth factor-induced DNA synthesis is mediated through integrin alpha(v)beta(3), a known receptor for CYR61 that mediates CYR61-dependent cell adhesion and chemotaxis in vascular endothelial cells. Thus, CYR61 promotes primary human fibroblast adhesion, migration, and mitogenesis through integrins alpha(6)beta(1), alpha(v)beta(5), and alpha(v)beta(3), respectively. Together, these findings establish CYR61 as a novel ligand for integrin alpha(v)beta(5) and show that CYR61 interacts with distinct integrins to mediate disparate activities in a cell type-specific manner. (+info)
Induction of primer pheromone production by dihydrotestosterone in the male goat.
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Castrated goats were treated with dihydrotestosterone (DHT) for four weeks. Skin samples were collected from the head and the rump regions before and after the DHT treatment. The primer pheromone activities of these samples were assessed neurophysiologically by recording electrophysiological manifestations of the hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) pulse generator activity. Pheromone activity was detected in both the head and rump skin samples following the DHT treatment, although the development of sebaceous glands was limited to the head region. Taken together with our previous finding that testosterone treatment results in the appearance of primer pheromone activity in the skin sample of the head region but not of the rump region. these observations suggests that the regional difference of pheromone production would be ascribed to intrinsic expression levels of 5alpha-reductase, an enzyme converting testosterone to DHT. (+info)