title: Expression of P-cadherin distinct from that of E-cadherin in re-epithelialization in neonatal rat skin.
abstract: Our previous study showed that an open wound made in neonatal rat skin was covered by migration of certain undifferentiated populations of keratinocytes as a multilayered cell sheet. In this study, the expression of the components of adherens junctions (AJ), E- and P-cadherins, and beta-catenin, was examined to understand the underlying mechanisms. Both E- and P-cadherins were downregulated in the basal layer at 6 h post-wounding (PW), indicating a reduction in the intercellular adhesiveness. The expression of P-cadherin but not E-cadherin was expanded to the suprabasal layers at the wound margin at 12 h PW. Moreover, the expression pattern of P-cadherin at sites of cell-cell contact was punctate rather than linear. By 24 h PW, cells accumulated beta-catenin in the cytoplasm in a suprabasal layer contacting the basal layer at the wound margin. Both the E- and P-cadherins showed a punctate AJ pattern at the confined suprabasal layer. Such differential expression of the E- and P-cadherins strongly suggests that these two classic cadherins play distinct roles in re-epithelialization. The changing of the E- and/or P-cadherin expression may participate in a delay of terminal differentiation of keratinocytes for cell supply toward a wound.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University, Nishikawatsu 1060, Matsue, Shimane 690-8504, Japan.
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koizumi
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuzaki
authors.forename: Setsunosuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ihara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004817:Epidermis / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012867:Skin / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism; D014945:Wound Healing; D051176:beta Catenin
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; C495268:Ctnnb1 protein, rat; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051176:beta Catenin