Targeted deletion of Crif1 in mouse epidermis impairs skin homeostasis and hair morphogenesis.
The epidermis, which consists mainly of keratinocytes, acts as a physical barrier to infections by regulating keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation. Hair follicles undergo continuous cycling to produce new one. Therefore, optimum supply of energy from the mitochondria is essential for maintaining skin homeostasis and hair growth. CRIF1 is a mitochondrial protein that regulates mitoribosome-mediated synthesis and insertion of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation polypeptides into the mitochondrial membrane in mammals. Recent studies reveal that conditional knockout (cKO) of Crif1 in specific tissues of mice induced mitochondrial dysfunction. To determine whether the mitochondrial function of keratinocytes affects skin homeostasis and hair morphogenesis, we generated epidermis-specific Crif1 cKO mice. Deletion of Crif1 in epidermis resulted in impaired mitochondrial function and Crif1 cKO mice died within a week. Keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation were markedly inhibited in Crif1 cKO mice. Furthermore, hair follicle morphogenesis of Crif1 cKO mice was disrupted by down-regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. These results demonstrate that mitochondrial function in keratinocytes is essential for maintaining epidermal homeostasis and hair follicle morphogenesis.
Departmentof Dermatology, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
Jung-Min
JM
Shin
Departmentof Dermatology, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
Dae-Kyoung
DK
Choi
Departmentof Dermatology, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
Kyung-Cheol
KC
Sohn
Departmentof Dermatology, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
Ji-Young
JY
Kim
Departmentof Dermatology, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
Myung
M
Im
Departmentof Dermatology, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
Young
Y
Lee
Departmentof Dermatology, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
Young-Joon
YJ
Seo
Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Research Center for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
Minho
M
Shong
Departmentof Dermatology, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
Jeung-Hoon
JH
Lee
Departmentof Dermatology, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
Chang Deok
CD
Kim
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000172:deficiency*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004817:Epidermis / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000378:metabolism*; D017353:Gene Deletion; D018390:Gene Targeting; D006197:Hair / Q000002:abnormalities*; D006706:Homeostasis; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D012868:Skin Abnormalities / Q000235:genetics*; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; C527307:Crif1 protein, mouse