title: The vesicular acetylcholine transporter is present in melanocytes and keratinocytes in the human epidermis.
abstract: The human epidermis holds the full machinery for cholinergic signal transduction. However, the presence of the vesicular transporter (vesicular acetylcholine (ACh) transporter (VAChT)) for both choline and ACh has never been shown in this compartment. The results of this study confirm the presence of VAChT in cutaneous nerves and in both epidermal melanocytes and keratinocytes as well as in their nuclei using immunofluorescence labelling in situ and in vitro, Western blot analysis of cellular and nuclear extracts and reverse transcription-PCR. These results underline that ACh/choline transport in the non-neuronal epidermis is no different from the neuronal pathway. However, the function of VAChT in the nucleus remains to be shown.
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Experimental Dermatology/Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK.
authors.forename: Souna M A
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Elwary
authors.forename: Bhaven
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chavan
authors.forename: Karin U
authors.initials: KU
authors.lastname: Schallreuter
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000378:metabolism; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000294:innervation / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D050494:Vesicular Acetylcholine Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; C493459:SLC18A3 protein, human; D050494:Vesicular Acetylcholine Transport Proteins; D000109:Acetylcholine