Abstract
The skin is the biggest organ and provides a physical and immunological barrier against pathogen infection. The distribution of primary cilia in the skin of mice has been reported, but which cells in human skin have them has not, and we still know very little about how they change in response to immune reactions or disease. This review introduces several studies that describe mechanisms of cilia regulation by immune reaction and the physiological relevance of cilia regulating proliferation and differentiation of stroma cells, including skin-resident Langerhans cells. We discuss the possibility of primary cilia pathology in allergic atopic dermatitis and the potential for therapies targeting primary cilia signaling.
Highlights
Kowalevsky (1867) first reported the presence of non-motile cilia in a variety of vertebrate cells
These results suggest that primary cilia in epidermal KCs, dermal papillae, and fibroblasts are indispensable for hair growth and that primary cilia are important for skin homeostasis
These analyses strongly suggest that Langerhans cells (LCs) are involved in the development of atopic dermatitis (AD) caused by protein antigens but not in contact hypersensitivity induced by small molecules
Summary
Kowalevsky (1867) first reported the presence of non-motile cilia (primary cilia) in a variety of vertebrate cells. The skin is the heaviest organ in the human body and, including the subcutaneous tissue, accounts for 16% of body weight (Shimizu, 2018). The skin defines the body and maintains homeostasis by preventing water loss, regulating body temperature, and sensing mechanical stimuli. It functions as an immune organ that prevents foreign materials from invading from outside (Shimizu, 2018; Figure 1A). The most important role of KCs is forming a skin barrier Both the physical barrier formed by KCs and the immune barrier composed of immune cells prevent invasion of pathogens (Eyerich et al, 2018; Kabashima et al, 2019; Figure 1A)
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