title: Stem/progenitor cell-like properties of desmoglein 3dim cells in primary and immortalized keratinocyte lines.
abstract: We showed previously that primary keratinocytes selected for low desmoglein 3 (Dsg3) expression levels exhibited increased colony-forming efficiency and heightened proliferative potential relative to cells with higher Dsg3 expression levels, characteristics consistent with a more "stem/progenitor cell-like" phenotype. Here, we have confirmed that Dsg3(dim) cells derived from cultured primary human adult keratinocytes have comparability with alpha(6)(bri)/CD71(dim) stem cells in terms of colony-forming efficiency. Moreover, these Dsg3(dim) cells exhibit increased reconstituting ability in in vitro organotypic culture on de-epidermalized dermis (DED); they are small, actively cycling cells, and they express elevated levels of various p63 isoforms. In parallel, using the two immortalized keratinocyte cell lines HaCaT and NTERT, we obtained essentially similar though occasionally different findings. Thus, reduced colony-forming efficiency by Dsg3(bri) cells consistently was observed in both cell lines even though the cell cycle profile and levels of p63 isoforms in the bri and dim populations differed between these two cell lines. Dsg3(dim) cells from both immortalized lines produced thicker and better ordered hierarchical structural organization of reconstituted epidermis relative to Dsg3(bri) and sorted control cells. Dsg3(dim) HaCaT cells also show sebocyte-like differentiation in the basal compartment of skin reconstituted after a 4-week organotypic culture. No differences in percentages of side population cells (also a putative marker of stem cells) were detected between Dsg3(dim) and Dsg3(bri) populations. Taken together our data indicate that Dsg3(dim) populations from primary human adult keratinocytes and long-term established keratinocyte lines possess certain stem/progenitor cell-like properties, although the side population characteristic is not one of these features. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
authors.affiliation: Tumour Biology Laboratory, Institute of Cancer and CR-UK Clinical Centre, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, United Kingdom. h.wan@qmul.ac.uk
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: Kirsty
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Felicity N E
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Gavins
authors.forename: Mohammed S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ikram
authors.forename: Subham
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Basu
authors.forename: Nuzhat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Baksh
authors.forename: Edel A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: O'Toole
authors.forename: Ian R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Hart
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002460:Cell Line; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D048429:Cell Size; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051184:Desmoglein 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D003896:Desmosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; C068126:CD71 antigen; D015820:Cadherins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D051184:Desmoglein 3; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin; C115051:TP63 protein, human; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins