Violet light down-regulates the expression of specific differentiation markers through Rhodopsin in normal human epidermal keratinocytes.

ABSTRACT: Several recent reports have demonstrated that photoreceptors are expressed in human skin. The rod and cone photoreceptor-like proteins are expressed in human skin and rhodopsin, long wavelength-opsin, and short wavelength-opsin are also present in cultured murine melanocytes. Furthermore, the photopigment rhodopsin is expressed in human melanocytes and is involved in ultraviolet A phototransduction which induces early melanin synthesis. In this study, we investigated whether rhodopsin is expressed and plays any physiological roles in the normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs). We found that rhodopsin was expressed and localized on the plasma membrane in NHEKs, and only violet light among several wavelengths within the visible range significantly increased the expression of rhodopsin

SUBMITTER: Kim HJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3775733 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature