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Restoration of the basement membrane after wounding: a hallmark of young human skin altered with aging

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling Aims and scope

Abstract

In skin, the basement membrane at the dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ-BM) is an important structure that tightly binds the epidermis to the dermis, and acts as a permeability barrier that controls exchange of macromolecules. Repair of the DEJ-BM during wound healing is important for restoration of skin functional properties after wounding. Here, we used a CO2 laser to perform partial thickness wounds in human volunteers, and directly compared wound repair in healthy young and aged individuals, focusing on the DEJ-BM. Our results show that the DEJ-BM is restored within four weeks after partial thickness wounds in young adults. We identified laminin-γ2 as preferred substrate for keratinocytes during reepithelialization of partial thickness human wounds. Laminin-γ2 is expressed continuously by migrating keratinocytes during reepithelialization, whereas collagen IV and collagen VII are deposited after wound closure. In contrast, our study shows that the DEJ-BM restoration following wounding is deficient in elderly individuals. Specifically, COL7A2 was barely increased during wound repair in aged skin and, as a result, the DEJ-BM in elderly skin was not restored and showed abnormal structure. Our data suggest that ameliorating the quality of the DEJ-BM restoration is a promising therapeutic approach to improve the quality of repaired skin in the elderly.

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Abbreviations

AF:

Anchoring fibrils

BM:

Basement membrane

CO2 :

Carbon dioxide

DEJ-BM:

Dermal-epidermal junction basement membrane

HD:

Hemidesmosome

TEM:

Transmission electron microscopy

IHC:

Immunohistochemistry

LCM:

Laser capture microdissection

LD:

Lamina densa

LL:

Lamina lucida

qPCR:

Quantitative real-time RT-PCR

SEM:

Standard error of the mean

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Acknowledgements

We thank Suzan Rehbine, LPN, for her help with volunteer recruitment and tissue collection, Dorothy Sorenson (Microscopy and Image-analysis Laboratory) and for her help with operating the electron microscope. This research was supported by the University of Michigan Dermatology Department research fund, and K01 grant AR059678 from the NIH/NIAMS (to LR). The Microscopy and Image-analysis Laboratory is a multiuser imaging facility supported by the University of Michigan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Gary Fisher & Laure Rittié

  2. Dermatology Unit, R&D Immuno-Inflammation Therapeutic Area, GlaxoSmithKline, 1250 Collegeville Rd, UP1410, Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA

    Laure Rittié

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  1. Gary Fisher
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  2. Laure Rittié
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Correspondence to Laure Rittié.

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Fisher, G., Rittié, L. Restoration of the basement membrane after wounding: a hallmark of young human skin altered with aging. J. Cell Commun. Signal. 12, 401–411 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12079-017-0417-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12079-017-0417-3

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