To Control Site-Specific Skin Gene Expression, Autocrine Mimics Paracrine Canonical Wnt Signaling and Is Activated Ectopically in Skin Disease.

ABSTRACT: Despite similar components, the heterogeneity of skin characteristics across the human body is enormous. It is classically believed that site-specific fibroblasts in the dermis control postnatal skin identity by modulating the behavior of the surface-overlying keratinocytes in the epidermis. To begin testing this hypothesis, we characterized the gene expression differences between volar (ventral; palmoplantar) and nonvolar (dorsal) human skin. We show that KERATIN 9 (KRT9) is the most uniquely enriched transcript in volar skin, consistent with its etiology in genetic diseases of the palms and soles. In addition, ectopic KRT9 expression is selectively activated by volar fibroblasts. However, KRT9 expression occurs in the absence of all fibroblasts, although not to the maximal levels induced

SUBMITTER: Kim D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4861769 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature