Dataset Information

TGF? signaling regulates lipogenesis in human sebaceous glands cells.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sebaceous glands are components of the skin essential for its normal lubrication by the production of sebum. This contributes to skin health and more importantly is crucial for the skin barrier function. A mechanistic understanding of sebaceous gland cells growth and differentiation has lagged behind that for keratinocytes, partly because of a lack of an in vitro model that can be used for experimental manipulation.

Methods

We have developed an in vitro culture model to isolate and grow primary human sebocytes without transformation that display functional characteristics of sebocytes. We used this novel method to probe the effect of Transforming Growth Factor ? (TGF?) signaling on sebocyte differentiation, by examining the expression of genes involved in lipogenesis upon treatment with TGF?1. We also repressed TGF? signaling through knockdown of the TGF? Receptor II to address if the effect of TGF? activation is mediated via canonical Smad signal transduction.

Results

We find that activation of the TGF? signaling pathway is necessary and sufficient for maintaining sebocytes in an undifferentiated state. The presence of TGF? ligand triggered decreased expression in genes required for the production of characteristics sebaceous lipids and for sebocyte differentiation such as FADS2 and PPAR?, thereby decreasing lipid accumulation through the TGF? RII-Smad2 dependent pathway.

Conclusion

TGF? signaling plays an essential role in sebaceous gland regulation by maintaining sebocytes in an undifferentiated state. This data was generated using a novel method for human sebocyte culture, which is likely to prove generally useful in investigations of sebaceous gland growth and differentiation. These findings open a new paradigm in human skin biology with important implications for skin therapies.

SUBMITTER: McNairn AJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3610216 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

TGFβ signaling regulates lipogenesis in human sebaceous glands cells.

McNairn Adrian J AJ Doucet Yanne Y Demaude Julien J Brusadelli Marion M Gordon Christopher B CB Uribe-Rivera Armando A Lambert Paul F PF Bouez Charbel C Breton Lionel L Guasch Géraldine G

BMC dermatology 20130123

<h4>Background</h4>Sebaceous glands are components of the skin essential for its normal lubrication by the production of sebum. This contributes to skin health and more importantly is crucial for the skin barrier function. A mechanistic understanding of sebaceous gland cells growth and differentiation has lagged behind that for keratinocytes, partly because of a lack of an in vitro model that can be used for experimental manipulation.<h4>Methods</h4>We have developed an in vitro culture model to ...[more]

PMID: 23343495

Similar Datasets

Project description:Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is one of the main causes of dry eye disease. To better understand the physiological functions of human meibomian glands (MGs), the present study compared MGs with free sebaceous glands (SGs) and hair-associated SGs of humans using morphological, immunohistochemical, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS)-based lipidomic approaches. Eyelids with MGs, nostrils, lips, and external auditory canals with free SGs, and scalp with hair-associated SGs of body donors were probed with antibodies against cytokeratins (CK) 1, 8, 10, and 14, stem cell markers keratin 15 and N-cadherin, cell-cell contact markers desmoglein 1 (Dsg1), desmocollin 3 (Dsc3), desmoplakin (Dp), plakoglobin (Pg), and E-cadherin, and the tight junction protein claudin 5. In addition, Oil Red O staining (ORO) was performed in cryosections. Secretions of MGs as well as of SGs of nostrils, external auditory canals, and scalps were collected from healthy volunteers, analyzed by LCMS, and the data were processed using various multivariate statistical analysis approaches. Serial sections of MGs, free SGs, and hair-associated SGs were 3D reconstructed and compared. CK1 was expressed differently in hair-associated SGs than in MGs and other free SGs. The expression levels of CK8, CK10, and CK14 in MGs were different from those in hair-associated SGs and other free SGs. KRT15 was expressed differently in hair-associated SGs, whereas N-cadherin was expressed equally in all types of glands. The cell-cell contact markers Dsg1, Dp, Dsc3, Pg, and E-cadherin revealed no differences. ORO staining showed that lipids in MGs were more highly dispersed and had larger lipid droplets than lipids in other free SGs. Hair-associated SGs had a smaller number of lipid droplets. LCMS revealed that the lipid composition of meibum was distinctively different from that of the sebum of the nostrils, external auditory canals, and scalp. The 3D reconstructions of the different glands revealed different morphologies of the SGs compared with MGs which are by far the largest type of glands. In humans, MGs differ in their morphology and secretory composition and show major differences from free and hair-associated SGs. The composition of meibum differs significantly from that of sebum from free SGs and from hair-associated SGs. Therefore, the MG can be considered as a highly specialized type of holocrine gland that exhibits all the histological characteristics of SGs, but is significantly different from them in terms of morphology and lipid composition.