The effect of tension on the growth of keratinocytes in a skin equivalent culture model

Abstract

The skin organotypic culture environment (Vaughan, et al 2009) was used to study the effect of tension forces on the fine structural features of the epithelium. Two different keratinocyte cell cultures were used in these experiments, Ker‐CT‐Ras and the HaCaT cell line. Both cell types grew to 7–15 layers of keratinocytes with a distinct basal layer present on a collagenous matrix composed of fibroblasts. The skin explants were harvested and prepared by standard methods for both light and transmission electron microscopy. Keratin intermediate filaments were not as dense and tonofibrils appeared reduced in the no‐tension model. In the tension model, desmosomes showed distinct features with evident attachment plaques and a dense radial band. Keratin filaments interacted with plaques of the desmosomes. In apical layers, early quantitative assessment showed 3 desmosomes/5μm of cell surface as compared to 8 desmosomes/5μm of cell surface in the no‐tension vs. tension model, respectively. Hopefully, these results will help to serve as a further means of understanding keratinocyte interaction and keratinocyte‐dermal interaction in wound healing, aging, and skin development.