Poster presentation, P94

Official XXIst International Pigment Cell Conference website - 21-24 Sept 2011, Bordeaux - France | updated: September 04 2011

Insights into the etiology of solar lentigines through its microRNA and mRNA profile

Solar lentigines are hyperpigmented lesions on photodamaged surfaces of the skin. They have been characterized histopathologically as having a hyperpigmented basal layer and elongated rete ridges. Here we examined the expression profile of microRNAs in lesional and non-lesional areas of skin to gain more insight into the etiology of these lesions. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small endogenous RNA molecules that play an important role in the regulation of gene expression. miRNAs have recently been shown to play a pivotal a role in diverse developmental and cellular processes and have been linked to a variety of skin diseases. Disruption of the miRNA expression has been shown to be involved in wound healing and inflammatory skin conditions. Through the analysis of over 160 samples via microRNA and mRNA arrays we have identified characteristic expression profiles in solar lentigines, distinct from that of photo-exposed skin. The microRNA data highlights the importance of the immune/inflammatory and cellular communication systems in the development and maintenance of solar lentigines. Target genes of differentially expressed microRNAs were confirmed by mRNA arrays and qPCR. Our mRNA array data confirms that ETBR, SILV and tyrosinase, which have been previously reported to be up-regulated in solar lentigines, are differentially expressed in lesions versus sun-exposed (peri-lesion) skin. We have also confirmed that some melanosome transfer genes and FGF-7 & FGFR2 are differentially expressed in perilesional skin compared to sun-protected skin. However, these are not differentially expressed between solar lentigines and photoexposed skin. This data suggests that FGF7 and FGFR2 are up-regulated in response to UV exposure but do not play a pivotal role in solar lentigines development or maintenance. Through this approach we have identified novel genes that are involved in the etiology of solar lentigo.

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