9-cis-retinoid acid inhibits TLR ligand- and cytokine-induced TSLP production in human keratinocytes

Abstract

Background: Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), highly expressed by keratinocytes in skin lesions in atopic dermatitis and bronchial epithelial cells in asthma, plays a key role in allergic diseases. Two splicing forms of TSLP mRNA with different lengths (long and short TSLPs) have been reported. TLR ligands including polyI:C, FSL-1 and flagellin, and the atopic cytokine millieu upregulate the expression of long TSLP and induce the release of the TSLP protein, and long TSLP is considered to contribute predominantly in TSLP production in primary human keratinocytes.