title: Lowered humidity produces human epidermal equivalents with enhanced barrier properties.
abstract: Multilayered human keratinocyte cultures increasingly are used to model human epidermis. Until now, studies utilizing human epidermal equivalents (HEEs) have been limited because previous preparations do not establish a normal epidermal permeability barrier. In this report, we show that reducing environmental humidity to 50% relative humidity yields HEEs that closely match human postnatal epidermis and have enhanced repair of the permeability barrier. These cultures display low transepidermal water loss and possess a calcium and pH gradient that resembles those seen in human epidermis. These cultures upregulate glucosylceramide synthase and make normal-appearing lipid lamellar bilayers. The epidermal permeability barrier of these cultures can be perturbed, using the identical tools previously described for human skin, and recover in the same time course seen during in vivo barrier recovery. These cultures will be useful for basic and applied studies on epidermal barrier function.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Dermatology, San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center , San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Celli
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crumrine
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hupe
authors.forename: Lillian C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Adame
authors.forename: Sally D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Pennypacker
authors.forename: Kyungho
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: Kenneth R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Feingold
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Elias
authors.forename: Dusko
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ilic
authors.forename: Theodora M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Mauro
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007477:Ions; D008297:Male; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007477:Ions; D011506:Proteins