Calcium regulation of growth and differentiation of normal human keratinocytes: modulation of differentiation competence by stages of growth and extracellular calcium

In this study we examined the different aspects of the pathway leading to the differentiation of keratinocytes as a function of time in culture and calcium concentration of the culture medium. Human neonatal foreskin keratinocytes were grown in a serum-free, defined medium containing 0.07, 1.2, or 2.4 mM calcium and assayed for the rate of growth and protein synthesis, involucrin content, transglutaminase activity, and cornified envelope formation at preconfluent, confluent, and postconfluent stages of growth. We observed that keratinocytes grown to postconfluence in all calcium concentrations showed an increased protein/DNA ratio and an increased rate of membrane-associated protein synthesis. Extracellular calcium concentrations did not have a clear influence on these parameters. However, preconfluent and confluent keratinocytes grown in 0.07 mM calcium showed markedly retarded differentiation at all steps, i.e., involucrin synthesis, transglutaminase activity, and cornified envelope formation. Within 1 week after achieving confluence, these keratinocytes began synthesizing involucrin and transglutaminase and developed the ability to form cornified envelopes. Cells grown in 1.2 and 2.4 mM calcium synthesized involucrin and transglutaminase prior to confluence and were fully competent to form cornified envelopes by confluence. Thus external calcium-regulated keratinocyte differentiation is not an all or none phenomenon, but rather it is the rate at which keratinocytes differentiate that is controlled by calcium. We conclude that either or both higher extracellular calcium concentration and the achievement of cell-cell contacts lead to a coordinate increase of at least two precursors--involucrin content and transglutaminase activity--required for cornified envelope formation. We speculate that a critical level of cytosolic calcium, achieved by increased extracellular calcium or by achievement of intercellular communication established by cell-cell contact, may trigger mechanisms required for initiation of keratinocyte differentiation.     

Opposite effects of EGF on involucrin accumulation of A431 keratinocytes and a variant which is not growth-arrested by EGF

Summary The A431 cell line is composed of malignant keratinocytes derived from a vulval epidermo?d carcinoma. These cells have the peculiarity to stop their proliferation when they are treated with physiological concentrations of EGF, which is a mitogen for normal keratinocytes. We reported earlier that EGF induces involucrin accumulation in A431 cells and proposed that the arrest of proliferation triggers differentiation as shown by the induction of this cornified envelope precursor protein. To test this hypothesis, we compared the A431 subclone 15, which is not growth arrested by EGF-treatment, to the parental A431 cells. We found indeed that EGF reduces the involucrin content of clone 15 cells in a dose dependent manner. These opposite effects of EGF on the expression of terminal differentiation marker involucrin in A431 and A431 clone 15 keratinocytes were observed in defined medium as well as in presence of fetal calf serum. Nevertheless, when growth of parental A431 cells was inhibited by treatment with TGF-β or simply when cultures reached confluency, no involucrin accumulation was observed. Therefore growth arrestper se is not directly correlated with the induction of differentiation. Editor's Statement These results in a well-defined model system support the accepted idea that growth arrest is associated with the processes of cell differentiation, but also indicate that growth arrest alone will not lead to differentiation.     

A new method for quantifying keratinocyte differentiation using immunofluorescent staining of involucrin and cytofluorography

Involucrin is a precursor protein of detergent-insoluble cornified envelope and a marker of terminal differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes. To quantify differentiation of cultured human keratinocytes, the population of involucrin-positive cells was estimated by immunofluorescent staining using anti-involucrin antibody and flow cytometry. Normal human keratinocytes were cultured under three conditions for induction of differentiation: low Ca2+ concentration (0.1 mM Ca2+), high Ca2+ concentration (1.8 mM Ca2+), and high Ca2+ concentration with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). The relationship between fluorescence intensity and involucrin synthesis was confirmed by visual examination of sorted cells. The population of involucrin-positive cells increased from 7.2 to 18.1% by elevating Ca2+ concentration and to 37.0% by adding FBS. The extent of cornified envelope formation under the same culture conditions was consistent with the estimation of involucrin-positive cells. The cytofluorographic analysis of involucrin synthesis made it possible to determine the number of differentiated cells in a large number of samples precisely and reliably. Thus, it is a useful method for quantifying keratinocyte differentiation.     

Targeted ablation of the murine involucrin gene

Involucrin is synthesized in abundance during terminal differentiation of keratinocytes. Involucrin is a substrate for transglutaminase and one of the precursors of the cross-linked envelopes present in the corneocytes of the epidermis and other stratified squamous epithelia. These envelopes make an important contribution to the physical resistance of the epidermis. We have generated mice lacking involucrin from embryonic stem cells whose involucrin gene had been ablated by homologous recombination. These mice developed normally, possessed apparently normal epidermis and hair follicles, and made cornified envelopes that could not be distinguished from those of wild-type mice. No compensatory increase of mRNA for other envelope precursors was observed.     

Calcium and 1,25(OH)2D: interacting drivers of epidermal differentiation

Both calcium and 1,25(OH)(2)D promote the differentiation of keratinocytes in vitro. The autocrine or paracrine production of 1,25(OH)(2)D by keratinocytes combined with the critical role of the epidermal calcium gradient in regulating keratinocyte differentiation in vivo suggest the physiologic importance of this interaction. The interactions occur at a number of levels. Calcium and 1,25(OH)(2)D synergistically induce involucrin, a protein critical for cornified envelope formation. The involucrin promoter contains an AP-1 site essential for calcium and 1,25(OH)(2)D induction and an adjacent VDRE essential for 1,25(OH)(2)D but not calcium induction. Calcium regulates coactivator complexes that bind to the Vitamin D receptor (VDR). Nuclear extracts from cells grown in low calcium contain an abundance of DRIP(205), whereas calcium induced differentiation leads to reduced DRIP(205) and increased SRC 3 which replaces DRIP in its binding to the VDR. In vivo models support the importance of 1,25(OH)(2)D-calcium interactions in epidermal differentiation. The epidermis of 1alphaOHase null mice fails to form a normal calcium gradient, has reduced expression of proteins critical for barrier function, and shows little recovery of the permeability barrier when disrupted. Thus in vivo and in vitro, calcium and 1,25(OH)(2)D interact at multiple levels to regulate epidermal differentiation.     

Lanthanum influx into cultured human keratinocytes: effect on calcium flux and terminal differentiation.

Trivalent cation lanthanum (La) binds to calcium binding sites of cells and either mimics the properties of calcium or inhibits the effects of calcium by displacing calcium from its binding sites. Extracellular calcium induces differentiation of human epidermal keratinocytes in culture, in part by increasing the intracellular calcium levels (Cai). Therefore, in this study we determined the effect of La on differentiation and intracellular calcium levels of keratinocytes. We observed that La inhibited the production of cornified envelopes, a marker for terminal differentiation of keratinocytes. La inhibited the calcium requiring envelope cross-linking enzyme, transglutaminase, in a direct manner, presumably, by displacing calcium from its binding site on the enzyme. La inhibited the influx and the efflux of 45Ca from keratinocytes. Paradoxically, extracellular La appeared to increase the Cai levels of keratinocytes as measured by the fluorescent probe indo-1. However, subsequent experiments revealed that indo-1 bound La with a higher affinity than Ca and emitted fluorescence in the same wavelength as the Ca bound form. Using this probe, we observed that La enters keratinocytes in a dose-dependent fashion and achieves concentrations exceeding 80 nM when the external La concentration is raised to 300 microM. This fully accounted for the apparent increase in Cai when La was added to the cells. Treatment of cells with ionomycin increased indo-1 fluorescence maximally in the presence of La indicating influx of La via this Ca specific ionophore. Our results indicate that La enters cells and inhibits calcium mediated keratinocyte differentiation both by blocking Ca influx and by blocking calcium regulated intracellular processes such as transglutaminase directed cornified envelope formation.     

Plasminogen activator inhibitor 2: expression and role in differentiation of epidermal keratinocyte

Plasminogen activator inhibitor 2 (PAI-2) is an enzyme inhibitor which is involved in cell differentiation, tissue growth and regeneration. In this study, immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridization and confocal laser scanning microscopy were used to investigate the expression and role of PAI-2 in differentiation of keratinocytes in vitro. The result showed that in the mono-layer differentiated keratinocytes induced by high calcium concentration, the expression of PAI-2 and its mRNA increased significantly, accompanied by expression increase of the differentiation marker keratin 10; and in the multi-layer differentiated keratinocytes induced by high calcium, PAI-2 expressed strongly mainly in the keratinocytes of middle as well as upper stratified layers, while K10 expressed in the keratinocytes of all stratified layers. Furthermore, the changes of the parameters related to keratinocyte differentiation were detected after inhibition of PAI-2 functions by its antibody, and the data showed that when treated by PAI-2 antibody, involucrin in the keratinocytes envelope expressed increasingly with an altering distribution from part to the whole envelope area. Our results indicate that during differentiation of epidermal keratinocyte, PAI-2 expresses mainly in the more differentiated keratinocytes and may protect the terminal differentiated keratinocytes from prematuration through inhibiting involucrin expression in cornified envelope.     

Human epidermis reconstructed in vitro: A model to study keratinocyte differentiation and its modulation by retinoic acid

Summary It was possible to reconstruct epidermis in vitro by seeding dissociated keratinocytes on de-epidermized dermis and growing such recombined cultures for 1 wk, exposed to air, at the surface of the culture medium. These conditions were chosen to mimic the transdermal feeding and the exposure to the atmosphere that occur in vivo. Contrary to classical cultures performed on plastic dishes covered with culture medium, which show rudimentary differentiation and organization, the architecture of the stratified epithelium obtained in reconstructed cultures and the distribution of differentiation markers such as suprabasal keratins, involucrin, and membrane-bound transglutaminase were similar to those of the epidermis of skin biopsies; moreover, biochemical studies showed that the synthesis of the various keratins and the production of cornified envelopes was similar to what is found with skin specimens. The reconstructed epidermis model was found to be very useful to study in vitro the effect of retinoic acid on keratinocyte differentiation and epidermal morphogenesis.     

Involucrin synthesis is correlated with cell size in human epidermal cultures

Late in terminal differentiation, human epidermal keratinocytes form an insoluble protein envelope on the cytoplasmic side of the plasma membrane. Involucrin, a soluble protein precursor of the envelope, is synthesized at an earlier stage of differentiation, both in the natural epithelium and in cultured keratinocytes. Because keratinocytes are known to enlarge during differentiation, we looked for a correlation between involucrin synthesis and cell size, using antiserum raised against the purified protein. We found that virtually no cultured epidermal keratinocytes with a diameter less than or equal to 14 micrometer contained involucrin, but most cells greater than 17 micrometer did. Using density gradient centrifugation, we were able to isolate a population of small cells containing almost no involucrin, as judged by immunodiffusion, PAGE, and immunoprecipitation. Large cells possessed translatable mRNA for involucrin, whereas small cells did not. We conclude that when cultured keratinocytes reach a certain size (approximately 14 micrometer in diameter) the specific mRNA for involucrin begins to accumulate and synthesis of the protein begins.     

Regulation by vitamin A of envelope cross-linking in cultured keratinocytes derived from different human epithelia.

When keratinocytes derived from different squamous epithelia are cultured in the absence of vitamin A, they form cross-linked envelopes during the last stage of terminal differentiation. Addition of the vitamin inhibits envelope formation, but the degree of inhibition is not the same for different keratinocyte subtypes. In the presence of low concentrations of retinyl acetate, conjunctival keratinocytes form virtually no cross-linked envelopes; esophageal and vaginal keratinocytes are less sensitive to the vitamin, and epidermal keratinocytes are the least sensitive. The suppression of cross-linked envelope formation is not associated with a proportional decrease in the concentration of involucrin, a precursor of the envelope, but occurs at the level of cross-linking itself, a process dependent on an increase in the intracellular concentration of calcium ions. Keratinocytes in which spontaneous envelope cross-linking has been prevented by retinyl acetate promptly form cross-linked envelopes if Ca2+ is introduced into the cytoplasm.     

Identification of functional markers in a self-assembled skin substitute in vitro

Some functional parameters were identified and assessed in a tissue-engineered self-assembled skin substitute. This skin substitute was produced using fibroblasts and keratinocytes isolated from adult human skin. Keratinocytes were seeded on a dermal layer, composed of two fibroblast sheets cultured for 35 d. The epidermal cells formed a stratified and cornified epidermis and expressed differentiation markers, notably involucrin and transglutaminase. Interestingly and for the first time, the receptor for vitamin D3 was detected in all of the epidermal cell layers of the skin substitute, as it is reported for normal human skin. This observation suggests that keratinocytes retain key receptors during their differentiation in the skin model. A network of collagen fibers was observed by electron microscopy in the dermal layer of the model. In the dermis, collagen fibers remodeling and assembly is dependent on enzymes, notably prolyl-4-hydroxylase. For the first time in a skin construct, the expression of prolyl-4-hydroxylase was detected in dermal fibroblasts by in situ hybridization. The secretion of collagenases by the cells seeded in our skin substitute was confirmed by zymography. We conclude that the self-assembly approach allows the maintenance of several functional activities of human skin cells in a skin model in vitro.     

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D production and receptor binding in human keratinocytes varies with differentiation

Human foreskin keratinocytes in culture produce 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25-(OH)2D3) and 24,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (24,25-(OH)2D3) from 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-(OH)D3). The production of 1,25-(OH)2D3 by these cells correlated with the early events of differentiation such as expression of transglutaminase activity and the levels of a precursor protein for the cornified envelopes, involucrin. In contrast, the increased production of 24,25-(OH)2D3, as 1,25-(OH)2D3 production declined, correlated with the terminal differentiation marker, cornified envelope formation. Exogenous 1,25-(OH)2D3 (10(-11)-10(-9) M) inhibited the 1-alpha-hydroxylase at all stages of growth of these cells. Keratinocytes in culture expressed receptors for 1,25-(OH)2D3 which had similar sedimentation behavior in sucrose density gradients as chick intestinal cytosol receptors. Cells in early stages of growth (preconfluent and confluent) contained higher numbers of receptors (26-27 fmol/mg protein) than post-confluent cells. The dissociation constant (237-278 pM) of these receptors for 1,25-(OH)2D3 was not consistently altered by differentiation. Since 1,25-(OH)2D3 is a potent stimulator of cell differentiation in a variety of systems including the epidermis, our results suggest the possibility that endogenous 1,25-(OH)2D3 production may participate in the differentiation of keratinocytes in culture and, perhaps, in vivo.     

Annexin I and involucrin are cross-linked by particulate transglutaminase into the cornified cell envelope of squamous cell carcinoma Y1.

The squamous cell carcinoma line, SqCC/Y1, like natural squamous epithelia, forms a cornified cell envelope during differentiation which can be directly correlated with an increase in particulate transglutaminase activity. When transglutaminase is activated in these cells by calcium ionophore X-537A, annexin I and involucrin become incorporated into the cornified cell envelope and cannot be extracted with solutions containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and beta-mercaptoethanol. This effect is specific for annexin I; thus, the amounts of annexins II and IV that were extractable from cells by SDS and beta-mercaptoethanol did not change following treatment with ionophore X-537A. Annexin I could be cross-linked in vitro to itself and to other endogenous proteins by transglutaminase extracted from the particulate fraction of SqCC/Y1 cells. Immunofluorescence studies showed that cross-linked annexin I and involucrin form an envelope-like structure in SqCC/Y1 cells during differentiation that cannot be extracted by EGTA and Triton X-100. The amount of staining of this envelope structure corresponded directly to the particulate transglutaminase activity of these cells. Annexin I monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies were shown to bind to purified cornified cell envelopes from SqCC/Y1. These studies suggest that particulate transglutaminase regulates a function of annexin I during the differentiation of SqCC/Y1 cells by covalently cross-linking this protein into the cornified cell envelope.     

Immunocytochemical evidence for a possible role of cross-linked keratinocyte envelopes in stratum corneum cohesion.

Cross-linked cornified envelopes are cell structures specifically synthesized by terminally differentiating keratinocytes. They are composed of proteins deposited at the cell periphery under the plasma membrane, and can be purified from epidermis by physicochemical extractions. The resulting keratinocyte "shells" are highly insoluble structures devoid of cytoplasmic components. The rigidity of the stratum corneum cell envelope seems to be one of the essential factors contributing to the physical resistance of this most superficial epidermal layer. We studied the purified cell envelopes from human plantar horny layer to determine their antigenic composition and protein distribution. The extraction protocol consisted of four 10-min cycles of boiling in 10 mM Tris-HCl buffer containing 2% SDS and 1% beta-mercaptoethanol. The absence of any extractable proteins persisting in the purified pellets was checked with SDS-PAGE of the sample electroeluates. Indirect immunofluorescence as well as pre- and post-embedding immunogold labeling for electron microscopy revealed the persistence of several keratinocyte antigenic determinants on the purified substrates. The antibodies directed against involucrin, keratin 10, desmoplakin I + II, desmoglein (intracellular epitope), intercellular corneodesmosome proteins, and filaggrin (a considerably weaker reactivity) labeled the cell envelopes according to the ultrastructural localization pattern characteristic for a given antigen. We conclude that the cytoskeletal and desmosomal components become "embedded" in the highly cross-linked cornified envelope structures during the process of keratinocyte terminal differentiation. This underlines the central role of cornified envelopes in the physical resistance of superficial epidermal layers and indicates a possible importance of junctional proteins in this function.     

Biochemical and morphological characterization of growth and differentiation of normal human neonatal keratinocytes in a serum-free medium

Growth and differentiation of keratinocytes in a serum-free medium (keratinocyte growth medium or KGM) was studied and compared to that under conditions in which serum and feeder cell layers were used. Cells were grown in KGM containing 0.1 mM calcium (KGM/low calcium), KGM containing 1.2 mM calcium (KGM/normal calcium), or Dulbecco's modified Eagles medium containing 5% fetal calf serum and 1.8 mM calcium in presence of mitomycin treated 3T3 M cells (DMEM/5% FCS). Plating efficiency and rate of growth were similar in the three media till confluence. In postconfluent cultures, protein and DNA content of cells attached to the plate in KGM/low-calcium dishes decreased as an increased number of cells were shed into the medium. Cell shedding was much less evident in the presence of normal calcium. Cells grown in KGM/low calcium had a higher rate of cell proliferation (3H-thymidine incorporation into cellular DNA) than cells grown in normal calcium. Transglutaminase activity, involucrin content, and cornified envelope formation were greatest in cells grown in KGM/normal calcium, intermediate in cells grown in DMEM/5% FCS, and least in cells grown in KGM/low calcium. Keratin profiles from cells grown in KGM/low calcium showed a lower percentage of high molecular weight bands compared to the keratin profiles from cells grown in the presence of normal calcium. Keratinocytes in KGM/low calcium grew as a monolayer of cuboidal cells with few features of differentiation, whereas cells grown in KGM/normal calcium stratified into multilayered islands (3-5 layers) surmounted by 2-4 layers of enucleated cells with thickened cornified envelopes. Cells grown in KGM/normal calcium also contained tonofilaments and lamellar bodies unlike cells grown in KGM/low calcium. Cells grown in DMEM/5% FCS also formed stratified layers comparable to cells grown in KGM/normal calcium but lacked cornified cells, keratohyalin granules, tonofilament bundles, and lamellar bodies. These studies indicate the usefulness of serum-free conditions for the culture of human keratinocytes and confirm the importance of extracellular calcium in keratinocyte differentiation.     

Staurosporine,a non-specific PKC inhibitor,induces keratinocyte differentiation and raises intracellular calcium,but Ro31–8220, a specific inhibitor,does not

The responsiveness of normal human keratinocytes to different modulators of protein kinase C (PKC) was investigated. The PKC agonist TPA, staurosporine (a non-specific inhibitor), and Ro31–8220 (a specific inhibitor) were studied for effect on cell morphology, growth rate, involucrin expression, and intracellular calcium levels. Surprisingly the response to nanomolar concentrations of staurosporine was similar to TPA and induced a fusiform morphology, inhibited growth, increased involucrin levels, and raised intracellular calcium. Staurosporine also increased the number of cornified envelopes, and its action therefore appeared identical to TPA. In contrast, Ro31–8220 had little effect on morphology or growth and blocked both the TPA-induced growth inhibition and calcium rise. Ro31–8220 had no effect on staurosporine-induced growth inhibition but partially reduced its associated calcium rise. These results suggest PKC activation is required for keratinocyte differentiation and that staurosporine acts like a PKC agonist to give a similar effect as TPA. Specific inhibition of PKC by Ro31–8220 inhibits TPA-induced differentiation. © 1994 wiley-Liss, Inc.     

A sensitive method to quantify the terminal differentiation of cultured epidermal cells

Terminal differentiation of normal and malignant keratinocytes is routinely determined by the ability of these cells to form cornified envelopes after incubation with a calcium ionophore. We have used the human squamous cell carcinoma, SqCC/Y1, to quantify cellular differentiation by the formation of detergent-insoluble protein. The methodology developed employs the metabolic labeling of detergent-insoluble cellular protein with [35S]methionine in the presence of a calcium ionophore. The ratio of filter-retainable radioactivity to that of total cellular protein was shown to be closely correlated to the results obtained by measuring the number of envelope-competent cells when cells were induced to enter a pathway of terminal differentiation in culture by serum deprivation or by treatment with hydrocortisone, and during the inhibition of maturation by either retinoic acid (RA) or epidermal growth factor (EGF). This way of measuring the degree of terminal differentiation of epidermal cells is a relatively simple one that readily allows the simultaneous measurement of multiple samples.     

Regulation of Involucrin in Psoriatic Epidermal Keratinocytes: The Roles of ERK1/2 and GSK-3β

Psoriasis, a common inflammatory skin disease, is characterized by epidermal hyperplasia, abnormal differentiation, angiogenesis, immune activation, and inflammation. Involucrin is an early terminal differentiation marker of epidermal keratinocytes. In this study, we determined the immunolocalization of involucrin in psoriatic lesions and normal skin of individuals without psoriasis by means of immunofluorescence (IF) assay. Furthermore, the regulation of involucrin by interleukin (IL)-13, IL-17A, endothelin (ET)-1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interferon (IFN)-γ was investigated by Western blot. Extracellular regulate protein kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) and glycogen syntheses kinase-3β (GSK-3β) inhibitors were also included to define the roles of these signals in the production of involucrin in both psoriatic and normal keratinocytes. In psoriatic lesional skin, involucrin was detected in the stratum spinosum, but not in the basal or the cornified layer. In normal skin, involucrin was restricted to the granular layer and the upper stratum spinosum. IL-13, IL-17A, ET-1, TNF-α, and IFN-γ up-regulate expression of involucrin in both psoriatic and normal keratinocytes. However, this effect was abolished by ERK1/2 and GSK-3β inhibitors. In conclusion, involucrin is up-regulated in psoriatic keratinocytes. IL-13, IL-17A, ET-1, TNF-α, and IFN-γ could increase involucrin protein levels in psoriatic and normal keratinocytes. The ERK1/2 and GSK-3β signaling pathways may play positive roles in regulating epidermal differentiation as observed in psoriasis.