Dermal Cell News Volume 2.13 | Apr 11 2016

Directed Elimination of Senescent Cells by Inhibition of BCL-W and BCL-XL
Researchers showed that senescent cells upregulate the anti-apoptotic proteins BCL-W and BCL-XL. Joint inhibition of BCL-W and BCL-XL by siRNAs or the small-molecule ABT-737 specifically induces apoptosis in senescent cells. Elimination of senescent cells from the epidermis leads to an increase in hair-follicle stem cell proliferation. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Pulsed Electrical Stimulation Benefits Wound Healing by Activating Skin Fibroblasts through the TGFβ1/ERK/NF-κB Axis
Investigators demonstrated the upregulation of TGFβ1 and phosph-ERK, and the NF-κB nuclear enrichment in electrical stimulation (ES)-activated cells. The ES-activated fibroblasts retained high levels of α-smooth muscle actin expression even after prolonged subculture. [Biochim Biophys Acta] Abstract

Storage Temperature Alters the Expression of Differentiation-Related Genes in Cultured Oral Keratinocytes
Human oral keratinocytes (HOK) cultures stored at 37°C showed considerably larger changes in gene expression compared to unstored cells than cultured HOK stored at 4°C and 12°C. The changes observed at 37°C consisted of differentiation of the cells towards a squamous epithelium-specific phenotype. [PLoS One] Full Article

SKIN CANCERS & DISORDERS

Stress from Nucleotide Depletion Activates the Transcriptional Regulator HEXIM1 to Suppress Melanoma
Researchers identified HEXIM1, a transcription elongation regulator, as a melanoma tumor suppressor that responds to nucleotide stress. HEXIM1 expression was low in melanoma. Its overexpression in a zebrafish melanoma model suppressed cancer formation, while its inactivation accelerated tumor onset in vivo. [Mol Cell] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

Long Non-Coding RNA PICSAR Promotes Growth of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Regulating ERK1/2 Activity
Investigators provided mechanistic evidence for the role of PICSAR in promoting cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma progression via activation of ERK1/2 signaling pathway by downregulating DUSP6 expression. [J Invest Dermatol] Abstract

Epidermal Nbn Deletion Causes Premature Hair Loss and a Phenotype Resembling Psoriasiform Dermatitis
Scientists report a novel function of Nbn in skin homeostasis. They found that Nbn deficiency in hair follicle (HF) progenitors promoted increased DNA damage signaling, stimulating p16^Ink4a up-regulation, Trp53 stabilization and cytokines secretion leading to HF-growth arrest and hair loss. [Oncotarget] Full Article

NAD(P)H:Quinone Oxidoreductase-1 Expression Sensitizes Malignant Melanoma Cells to the HSP90 Inhibitor 17-AAG
The authors clarified whether an HSP90 inhibitor, 17-AAG, efficiently eliminates melanoma with KEAP1 mutation, as the NRF2 target gene, NQO1, is a key enzyme in 17-AAG bioactivation. [PLoS One] Full Article

Specific c-Jun Target Genes in Malignant Melanoma
The authors identified 44 direct c-Jun targets and a detailed analysis of six selected genes confirmed their deregulation in malignant melanoma. The identified genes were differentially regulated comparing four melanoma cell lines and normal human melanocytes and we confirmed their c-Jun dependency. [Cancer Biol Ther] Abstract

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Diplomat Announces TALTZ^® Availability for the Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis
Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. announced that it has been selected to the Eli Lilly and Company limited-distribution panel to distribute TALTZ^®. TALTZ^® was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. [Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc.] Press Release

UAB Approved for $2.5 Million Research Funding Award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Jeffrey Curtis, M.D., professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has been approved for a $2.5 million research award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to study the comparative effectiveness and safety of biologic and newer therapies for a number of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. [University of Alabama at Birmingham] Press Article

$1.8 Million Supports Further Exploration of Drug Compound on Commonly Mutated Gene
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey researcher and surgical oncologist Darren R. Carpizo, MD, PhD, has been awarded a $1,839,863 grant from the National Cancer Institute to build upon research from his laboratory examining a drug compound that restores tumor suppressor function in the most commonly mutated gene in human cancer – the p53 gene. [Rutgers Cancer Institute] Press Release

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NEW Postdoctoral Position – Stem Cell Biology and Tissue Engineering (Northeastern University)

NEW Skincare Applied Research Manager (L’Oreal)

NEW Senior Bioinformatician – Cutaneous Medicine (Guy’s & St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Cancer and Inflammatory Diseases of the Skin (Weill Cornell Medical College)

Postdoctoral Positions – Tissue Repair/Inflammation (Institut Pasteur)

Faculty Position – Radiation Biology (Yale University)

Research Technician – Tumor Initiation and Metastasis (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

PhD Position – Stem Cells and Developmental Biology (Vienna Biocenter)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Molecular Regulation of Tissue Repair and Fibrosis (US Army Institute of Surgical Research)

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