title: Heat treatment increases the incidence of alopecia areata in the C3H/HeJ mouse model.
abstract: Alopecia areata (AA) is a common autoimmune disease characterized by non-scarring hair loss. Previous studies have demonstrated an association between AA and physiological/psychological stress. In this study, we investigated the effects of heat treatment, a physiological stress, on AA development in C3H/HeJ mice. Whereas this strain of mice are predisposed to AA at low incidence by 18 months of age, we observed a significant increase in the incidence of hair loss in heat-treated 8-month-old C3H/HeJ mice compared with sham-treated mice. Histological analysis detected mononuclear cell infiltration in anagen hair follicles, a characteristic of AA, in heat-treated mouse skin. As expected, increased expression of induced HSPA1A/B (formerly called HSP70i) was detected in skin samples from heat-treated mice. Importantly, increased HSPA1A/B expression was also detected in skin samples from C3H/HeJ mice that developed AA spontaneously. Our results suggest that induction of HSPA1A/B may precipitate the development of AA in C3H/HeJ mice. For future studies, the C3H/HeJ mice with heat treatment may prove a useful model to investigate stress response in AA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1600 NW 10th Avenue, RMSB 2023A, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
authors.forename: Tongyu Cao
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Wikramanayake
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Connelly
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Lucia M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Mauro
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guzman
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Elgart
authors.forename: Lawrence A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Schachner
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Lisa R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Plano
authors.forename: Joaquin J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Jimenez
mesh_terms: D000506:Alopecia Areata / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006358:Hot Temperature; D015994:Incidence; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins