No / Contact of developing sensory organs with the external environment is established via the formation of openings in the skin. During eye development, eyelids first grow, fuse and finally reopen, thus providing access for visual information to the retina. Here, we show that eyelid opening is strongly inhibited in transgenic mice overexpressing the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) antagonist noggin from the keratin 5 (K5) promoter in the epidermis. In wild-type mice, enhanced expression of the kinase-inactive form of BMPR-IB mediated by an adenovirus vector also inhibits eyelid opening. Noggin overexpression leads to reduction of apoptosis and retardation of cell differentiation in the eyelid epithelium, which is associated with downregulation of expression of the apoptotic receptors (Fas, p55 kDa TNFR), Id3 protein and keratinocyte differentiation markers (loricrin, involucrin). BMP-4, but not EGF or TGF-, accelerates opening of the eyelid explants isolated from K5-Noggin transgenic mice when cultured ex vivo. These data suggest that the BMP signaling pathway plays an important role in regulation of genetic programs of eyelid opening and skin remodeling during the final steps of eye morphogenesis.

Gestörte Proliferations- und Differenzierungsprozesse in Keratinozyten spielen eine wichtige Rolle in der Pathogenese vieler Hauterkrankungen. Intrazelluläre Signalmechanismen, die die korrekte Balance zwischen epidermaler Proliferation und Differenzierung aufrecht halten, sind bis jetzt größtenteils unbekannt. Einer dieser ausschlaggebenden Transkriptionsfaktoren ist der Nukleäre Faktor-kappaB (NF-kB). Uns interessierte der Einfluss des IKK/IkBa/NF-kB-Signalweges auf das intrinsische Differenzierungsprogramm von Keratinozyten. Mittels retroviraler Infektion wurden sowohl in primären Keratinozyten als auch in HaCaT verschieden mutante Formen von Faktoren des NF-kB-Signalweges eingebracht: dominant negative (dn) Formen der IKK1 und IKK2, eine konstitutiv aktive Form der IKK2 (IKK2 EE) und eine nicht-degradierbare Form des Inhibitors IkBa. Zusätzlich wurden auch pharmakologische Inhibitoren von NF-kB (BAY 11-7082 und SC-514) untersucht. Die Funktionalität der Mutanten wurde im Westernblot durch Analyse der IkBa Degradation überprüft. Anschließend wurde die Differenzierung der Keratinozyten durch Erhöhung des extrazellulären Calciums induziert. Der Grad der Differenzierung wurde durch morphologische Studien und Untersuchung der Expression der Differenzierungs-marker p21 und Involucrin untersucht. Im Gegensatz zu Ergebnissen aus Tiermodellen, konnten wir keine Effekte der mutierten IkB Kinasen 1 und 2 auf die Calcium-induzierte in vitro Differenzierung beobachten. Jedoch wurde die Aktivierung inflammatorischer Gene, gemessen an der Induktion von ICAM-1 und IL-8 nach TNF-a Stimulation, vollständig in den IKK2 KD und mut IkBa exprimierenden Zellen inhibiert. In der Zelllinie, welche die entsprechende IKK1 Mutante trug, wurde deren Expression nur teilweise geblockt. Zusammenfassend lässt sich aus unseren Ergebnissen schließen, dass zumindest in vitro IKK1 und IKK2 nicht an der Regulation des Calcium-induzierten intrinsischen Differen-zierungsprozesses von Keratinozyten beteiligt sind, jedoch eine zentrale Rolle in der inflammatorischen Aktivierung dieser Zellen spielen. / Disturbed proliferation and differentiation processes of keratinocytes play a major role in the pathogenesis of many skin diseases. Intracellular signalling mechanisms which regulate the balance between epidermal proliferation and differentiation, however, are thus far largely unknown. Earlier reports suggest a role for the transcription factor nuclear factor–kappaB (NF-kB) in such processes. Here we attempted to analyze the impact of the IKK/IkBa/NF-kB signalling pathway on the intrinsic differentiation process of keratinocytes. Primary human keratinocytes as well as HaCaT cells were retrovirally infected to express different mutant forms of components of the IKK/NF-kB pathway: dominant negative (dn) mutants of NF-kB upstream kinases IKK1 and IKK2, a constitutive active form of IKK2 (IKK2 EE), and a non degradable mutant form of IkBa. In addition, pharmacological inhibitors of the pathway such as BAY 11-7082 and SC-514 were analysed. Proper functionality of the generated mutants was subsequently confirmed by Western blot analysis monitoring induced IkBa degradation. Thereafter, differentiation of keratinocytes was induced by elevation of extracellular calcium levels. The differentiation state of keratinocytes was then assessed by studying morphology and expression of differentiation markers such as p21 as well as involucrin. In contrast to data reported from animal models, we could not detect any effects of mutated IKK1 or IKK2 on the calcium-induced intrinsic differentiation program in keratinocytes. However, inflammatory activation of keratinocytes as measured by TNF-a-mediated up-regulation of ICAM-1 and IL-8 was almost completely inhibited in cells expressing dn IKK2 and the IkBa mutant form whereas it was only partly blocked in IKK1dn cells. In conclusion, our data suggest that, in least in vitro, IKK1 and IKK2 are not involved in the regulation of calcium-induced keratinocyte differentiation while they are pivotal for inflammatory activation of these cells.

Epidermal homeostasis, including proper turnover of keratinocytes, plays important role in the barrier function and serine proteases and their inhibitors are the key players. Activated proteases cleave desmosomes in uppermost layer and thus shed the cells from the epidermal surface. Therefore the serine protease inhibitors are secreted in lower epidermal layers to prevent premature activation of proteases and consequent disruption of epidermal barrier. The most studied inhibitors in epidermis belong to Serine proteases inhibitors Kazal-type family (SPINK). This diploma thesis is aimed to investigate function of murine SPINK6 in epidermal compartment in vivo. To achieve this, the transgenic mice overexpressing mSPINK6 under modified human involucrin promoter was generated. Two of five transgenic lines exhibited higher expression of mSPINK6 at mRNA and protein levels. The mSPINK6 transgenic mice are viable with no apparent phenotype. The small but in most cases not significant differences were observed on microscopic level among mSPINK6 transgenic and wild type animals In conclusion, this work showed that mSPINK6 does not play major role in skin homeostasis but gains significant importance under specific challenges of epidermal barrier. Therefore mSPINK6 transgenic mice, in combination with other deletion or...