Open AccessSpiny mice (Acomys) exhibit attenuated hallmarks of aging and rapid cell turnover after UV exposure in the skin epidermis
Author(s) -
Wesley Wong,
Austin Kim,
James R. Monaghan,
Ashley W. Seifert,
Malcolm Maden,
Justin D. Crane
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0241617
Subject(s) - keratin 14 , biology , keratin , epidermis (zoology) , context (archaeology) , microbiology and biotechnology , senescence , dna damage , immunology , pathology , genetically modified mouse , anatomy , transgene , genetics , medicine , dna , paleontology , gene
The study of long-lived and regenerative animal models has revealed diverse protective responses to stressors such as aging and tissue injury. Spiny mice ( Acomys ) are a unique mammalian model of skin wound regeneration, but their response to other types of physiological skin damage has not been investigated. In this study, we examine how spiny mouse skin responds to acute UVB damage or chronological aging compared to non-regenerative C57Bl/6 mice ( M . musculus) . We find that, compared to M . musculus , the skin epidermis in A . cahirinus experiences a similar UVB-induced increase in basal cell proliferation but exhibits increased epidermal turnover. Notably, A . cahirinus uniquely form a suprabasal layer co-expressing Keratin 14 and Keratin 10 after UVB exposure concomitant with reduced epidermal inflammatory signaling and reduced markers of DNA damage. In the context of aging, old M . musculus animals exhibit typical hallmarks including epidermal thinning, increased inflammatory signaling and senescence. However, these age-related changes are absent in old A . cahirinus skin. Overall, we find that A . cahirinus have evolved novel responses to skin damage that reveals new aspects of its regenerative phenotype.