Abstract
The function of the skin as a barrier against a dry environment evolved in a common ancestor of terrestrial vertebrates such as mammals and birds. However, it is unknown which elements of the genetic program of skin barrier formation are evolutionarily ancient and conserved. In this study, we determined the transcriptomes of chicken keratinocytes (KCs) grown in monolayer culture and in an organotypic model of avian skin. The differentiation-associated changes in global gene expression were compared with previously published transcriptome changes of human KCs cultured under equivalent conditions. We found that specific keratins and genes of the epidermal differentiation complex were upregulated during the differentiation of both chicken and human KCs. Likewise, the transcriptional upregulation of genes that control the synthesis and transport of lipids, anti-inflammatory cytokines of the IL-1 family, protease inhibitors, and other regulators of tissue homeostasis was conserved in the KCs of both species. However, some avian KC differentiation-associated transcripts lack homologs in mammals and vice versa, indicating a genetic basis for taxon-specific skin features. The results of this study reveal an evolutionarily ancient program in which dynamic gene transcription controls the metabolism and transport of lipids as well as other core processes during terrestrial skin barrier formation.
Highlights
Adaptations of the epidermis played key roles in the evolution of vertebrates that colonized the land (Alibardi, 2003; Chuong et al, 2002; Matsui and Amagai, 2015)
Corneocytes are the end product of terminal differentiation, which culminates in the loss of organelles and the covalent cross-linking of structural proteins through transglutamination, commonly referred to as cornification (Alibardi, 2006; Candi et al, 2005; Eckhart et al, 2013)
The most abundant proteins in corneocytes are keratins and proteins encoded by genes of the epidermal differentiation
Summary
Adaptations of the epidermis played key roles in the evolution of vertebrates that colonized the land (Alibardi, 2003; Chuong et al, 2002; Matsui and Amagai, 2015). KCs proliferate in the innermost (basal) layer of the epidermis and differentiate in the suprabasal layers. The outermost compartment of the epidermis, that is, the stratum corneum, consists of cornified KCs (corneocytes) and extracellular lipids. Corneocytes are the end product of terminal differentiation, which culminates in the loss of organelles and the covalent cross-linking of structural proteins through transglutamination, commonly referred to as cornification (Alibardi, 2006; Candi et al, 2005; Eckhart et al, 2013). The most abundant proteins in corneocytes are keratins and proteins encoded by genes of the epidermal differentiation
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