Immune related gene expression profiling of UVB‐induced photoaging skin in SKH‐1 hairless mice

Abstract

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is a major environmental hazard that leads to acute and chronic reactions in the skin. Chronic exposure to UV irradiation causes premature skin aging(photoaging), which is characterized clinically wrinkle, laxity, coarseness, mottled pigmentation, rough skin textures. The hairless mouse has been used as an experimental model of the effects of chronic UV irradiation that induce solar damage. Many investigators have reported qualitative and quantitative changes in vivo resembling the damage that occurs to human skin. Also, a number of genes have been reported to be involved in the response to UV irradiation and modulation of gene expression during photoaging is now quite documented. However, these data are concentrated on a limited number of well-known genes and consequently limited in scope. To identify differential immune related gene expressions in photoaging skin after UVB irradiation, SKH-1 hairless mice were irradiated topically with UVB and the irradiation dose was increased weekly by 1 MED (Minimal erythemal dose) to 4 MED, and then maintained at 3–4 MED until 15 weeks. cDNA microarray technology was utilized to examine transcriptional responses to UV irradiation in mice skin. Especially, there were significant changes of the gene expression in the MMP-13, laminin(beta), procollagen, ccl3, ccl4, cxcl10, ccl9, p16, caspase 9 etc in the skin irradiated with UVB. These results describe several biological processes previously not known to be affected by UV irradiation.