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Regulation of galanin gene expression in human keratinocytes
Author(s) -
Moritz K.,
Voglas E.,
Sperl W.,
Bauer J. W.,
Kofler B.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
experimental dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.108
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1600-0625
pISSN - 0906-6705
DOI - 10.1111/j.0906-6705.2004.0212bt.x
Subject(s) - galanin , neuropeptide , secretion , messenger rna , gene expression , biology , activator (genetics) , epidermis (zoology) , microbiology and biotechnology , proinflammatory cytokine , endocrinology , medicine , gene , receptor , inflammation , biochemistry , immunology , anatomy
Recently, we have detected abundant expression of specific immunoreactivity for galanin (GAL), a 29–30 amino acid neuropeptide, in the epidermis and in sweat glands in a non‐neuronal distribution and to a lesser extent in nerve fibre bundles and smooth muscle of blood vessels. In order to uncover a possible function of GAL in human epidermis, we investigated the regulation of GAL mRNA expression in cultured primary human keratinocytes (KCs). First, we determined whether PMA, a protein kinase C activator which is known to be a potent upregulator of GAL gene expression in chromaffin cells, has similar effects in KCs. Stimulation of human cultured primary KC with PMA resulted in a sixfold increase of GAL mRNA. Furthermore, we exposed KCs to a combination of the proinflammatory cytokines IL‐1β and TNF‐α which resulted in a twofold induction of GAL mRNA in comparison with a sixfold induction of ICAM‐1. Most interestingly, capsaicine, which usually leads to a secretion of neuropeptides from nerves endings, did not induce the secretion of GAL of KCs. In contrast, constitutive GAL mRNA expression and peptide secretion were reduced twofold upon treatment of KC with 10 µ m capsaicine for 20 min and 24 h, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a direct regulatory effect by capsaicine on neuropeptide mRNA expression in non‐neuronal cells.