Metabolic drivers of human keratinocyte differentiation revealed by integrated metabolome and transcriptome analysis
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ABSTRACT: Epidermal function is maintained through a continuous process called epidermal homeostasis, in which keratinocytes gradually differentiate from proliferating stem cells to dead corneocytes that shed off the skin. We investigated the metabolic rewiring that occur during keratinocyte differentiation. We analyzed endometabolome, exometabolome and transcriptome during differentiating in vitro under high calcium conditions. Using network-based computational approaches, we found that proliferating keratinocytes gain energy through branched-chain amino acid-fueled TCA cycle that is shut down during differentiation. Upon differentiation, metabolism is repurposed to serve two main purposes. First, to form the epidermal barrier. Specifically, glucose and nucleotides are utilized for the formation of the lipid-enriched hydrophobic extracellular matrix, the transformation from keratinocytes to corneocytes and their cross-linking. Second, we found active regulation of metabolites with signaling functions during differentiation including hydrocortisone, sphingosines, and exonucleotides. Functional relevance of these findings was tested experimentally by 14 metabolic perturbations that were inferred by our analysis, and effectively affected keratinocytes differentiation and proliferation. Overall, this work provides an integrated and mechanistic analysis of the metabolic underpinnings that sustain epidermal function.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE136375 | GEO | 2020/01/01
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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