Genetic mouse models for skin research: strategies and resources

Long Non-Coding RNA Mir17hg Positively Regulates Melanogenesis by Inhibiting TGFβ Receptor 2 under Psychological Stress

Vitiligo is a common skin depigmentation disorder characterized by the patchy loss of skin color. Nowadays, it is recognized as being correlated with multiple genetic factors as well as the psychological conditions of individuals. Long noncoding RNAs have been reported to underlie the pathogenesis of vitiligo; however, the role of long noncoding RNAs in the stress-related depigmentation process remains largely unknown. In this study, the inhibition of melanocyte function was observed in C57BL/6J mice modeled through chronic restraint stress. Furthermore, downregulation of the expression of the long noncoding RNAs Mir17hg was identified using RNA sequencing. The regulatory role of Mir17hg in melanogenesis was also investigated in melanocytes and zebrafish embryos through overexpression or knockdown. Finally, TGFβ receptor 2 was shown to be a downstream target in Mir17hg-mediated melanogenesis regulation, in which the classical TGFβ/SMAD signaling cascade and the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling cascade play important roles. In conclusion, our results revealed an important regulatory role of Mir17hg in melanogenesis through inhibition of TGFβR2, which can provide a potential therapeutic target for treating skin depigmentation disorders.

Assessing wound closure in mice using skin-punch biopsy

Defects in myofibroblast function may cause wound healing defects in a variety of tissue types. Here we describe a simple skin-punch biopsy approach to screen mouse models for defects in wound closure that does not require extensive surgical training or expensive equipment. Experimental results may serve as an initial proof of concept to determine whether further investigation is necessary or if defects in myofibroblast function observed in other systems also result in reduced skin wound healing.

Experimental Models for the Study of Hereditary Cornification Defects

Ichthyoses comprise a broad spectrum of keratinization disorders due to hereditary defects of cornification. Until now, mutations in more than 50 genes, mostly coding for structural proteins involved in epidermal barrier formation, have been identified as causes for different types of these keratinization disorders. However, due to the high heterogeneity and difficulties in the establishment of valid experimental models, research in this field remains challenging and translation of novel findings to clinical practice is difficult. In this review, we provide an overview of existing models to study hereditary cornification defects with focus on ichthyoses and palmoplantar keratodermas.

Bench approaches to study the detrimental cutaneous impact of tropospheric ozone

Being exposed to ground-level ozone (O₃), as it is often the case in polluted cities, is known to have a detrimental impact on skin. O₃ induces antioxidant depletion and lipid peroxidation in the upper skin layers and this effect has repercussions on deeper cellular layers, triggering a cascade of cellular stress and inflammatory responses. Repetitive exposure to high levels of O₃ may lead to chronic damages of the cutaneous tissue, cause premature skin aging and aggravate skin diseases such as contact dermatitis and urticaria. This review paper debates about the most relevant experimental approaches that must be considered to gather deeper insights about the complex biological processes that are activated when the skin is exposed to O₃. Having a better understanding of O₃ effects on skin barrier properties and stress responses could help the whole dermato-cosmetic industry to design innovative protective solutions and develop specific cosmetic regime to protect the skin of every citizen, especially those living in areas where exposure to high levels of O₃ is of concern to human health.

Genetically modified laboratory mice with sebaceous glands abnormalities

Sebaceous glands (SG) are exocrine glands that release their product by holocrine secretion, meaning that the whole cell becomes a secretion following disruption of the membrane. SG may be found in association with a hair follicle, forming the pilosebaceous unit, or as modified SG at different body sites such as the eyelids (Meibomian glands) or the preputial glands. Depending on their location, SG fulfill a number of functions, including protection of the skin and fur, thermoregulation, formation of the tear lipid film, and pheromone-based communication. Accordingly, SG abnormalities are associated with several diseases such as acne, cicatricial alopecia, and dry eye disease. An increasing number of genetically modified laboratory mouse lines develop SG abnormalities, and their study may provide important clues regarding the molecular pathways regulating SG development, physiology, and pathology. Here, we summarize in tabulated form the available mouse lines with SG abnormalities and, focusing on selected examples, discuss the insights they provide into SG biology and pathology. We hope this survey will become a helpful information source for researchers with a primary interest in SG but also as for researchers from unrelated fields that are unexpectedly confronted with a SG phenotype in newly generated mouse lines.

Coming home at last: dermal white adipose tissue

The upper part of subcutaneous white adipose tissue (SWAT) is closely associated with the reticular dermis, surrounds hair follicles and is of great importance for a range of skin functions. In this issue of Experimental Dermatology, Driskell and colleagues propose a nomenclature in which the upper SWAT layer is renamed dermal WAT (DWAT), and its cells intradermal adipocytes. Some pros and cons are discussed below.

Sebaceous lipids are essential for water repulsion, protection against UVB-induced apoptosis and ocular integrity in mice

Sebocytes, which are characterized by lipid accumulation that leads to cell disruption, can be found in hair follicle-associated sebaceous glands (SGs) or in free SGs such as the Meibomian glands in the eyelids. Because genetic tools that allow targeting of sebocytes while maintaining intact epidermal lipids are lacking, the relevance of sebaceous lipids in health and disease remains poorly understood. Using Scd3, which is expressed exclusively in mature sebocytes, we established a mouse line with sebocyte-specific expression of Cre recombinase. Both RT-PCR analysis and crossing into Rosa26-lacZ reporter mice and Kras(G12D) mice confirmed Cre activity specifically in SGs, with no activity in other skin compartments. Importantly, loss of SCD3 function did not cause detectable phenotypical alterations, endorsing the usefulness of Scd3-Cre mice for further functional studies. Scd3-Cre-induced, diphtheria chain A toxin-mediated depletion of sebaceous lipids resulted in impaired water repulsion and thermoregulation, increased rates of UVB-induced epidermal apoptosis and caused a severe pathology of the ocular surface resembling Meibomian gland dysfunction. This novel mouse line will be useful for further investigating the roles of sebaceous lipids in skin and eye integrity.

A comparison of human and mouse gene co-expression networks reveals conservation and divergence at the tissue, pathway and disease levels

Background

A deeper understanding of differences and similarities in transcriptional regulation between species can uncover important information about gene functions and the role of genes in disease. Deciphering such patterns between mice and humans is especially important since mice play an essential role in biomedical research.

Results

Here, in order to characterize evolutionary changes between humans and mice, we compared gene co-expression maps to evaluate the conservation of co-expression. We show that the conservation of co-expression connectivity of homologous genes is negatively correlated with molecular evolution rates, as expected. Then we investigated evolutionary aspects of gene sets related to functions, tissues, pathways and diseases. Genes expressed in the testis, eye and skin, and those associated with regulation of transcription, olfaction, PI3K signalling, response to virus and bacteria were more divergent between mice and humans in terms of co-expression connectivity. Surprisingly, a deeper investigation of the PI3K signalling cascade revealed that its divergence is caused by the most crucial genes of this pathway, such as mTOR and AKT2. On the other hand, our analysis revealed that genes expressed in the brain and in the bone, and those associated with cell adhesion, cell cycle, DNA replication and DNA repair are most strongly conserved in terms of co-expression network connectivity as well as having a lower rate of duplication events. Genes involved in lipid metabolism and genes specific to blood showed a signature of increased co-expression connectivity in the mouse. In terms of diseases, co-expression connectivity of genes related to metabolic disorders is the most strongly conserved between mice and humans and tumor-related genes the most divergent.

Conclusions

This work contributes to discerning evolutionary patterns between mice and humans in terms of gene interactions. Conservation of co-expression is a powerful approach to identify gene targets and processes with potential similarity and divergence between mice and humans, which has implications for drug testing and other studies employing the mouse as a model organism.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0534-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A reporter mouse line with doxycyclin-inducible expression of β-glucosidase

Mouse lines allowing the inducible expression of transgenes became essential tools for studying gene function and for developing accurate animal models for human diseases. A key component of this tool is the availability of "reporter" lines, mice expressing transgenes encoding easily detectable enzymes or other proteins normally not associated with eukaryotic tissues. Such lines may be suitable for a number of applications, including lineage tracing, label-retaining experiments, and the identification and monitoring of regulatory elements important for tissue-specific gene expression. However, only a limited number of reporter lines suitable for inducible expression systems are available. Here, we employed pronuclear DNA microinjection to generate a new reporter mouse line that allows the inducible expression of β-glucosidase, a recently reported stable and easily detectable protein, upon administration of doxycyclin to the drinking water. This novel line was established in the widely used inbreed background C57BL/6, and the transgene is transmitted between generations in a Mendelian fashion. When crossed to a K14-rtTA mouse line, activation of β-glucosidase expression in the epidermal basal layer is easily detected in double-transgenic animals receiving doxycyclin, while no expression is seen in double-transgenic mice without doxycyclin treatment or in animals carrying only one transgene. We anticipate that this new mouse line will become a valuable tool for a number of applications in vivo, including label-retaining experiments and testing the appropriate regulation of rtTA cassettes under different promoters in novel transgenic mouse lines.

New experimental models of skin homeostasis and diseases

Homeostasis, whose regulation at the molecular level is still poorly understood, is intimately related to the functions of epidermal stem cells. Five research groups have been brought together to work on new in vitro and in vivo skin models through the SkinModel-CM program, under the auspices of the Spanish Autonomous Community of Madrid. This project aims to analyze the functions of DNA methyltransferase 1, endoglin, and podoplanin in epidermal stem cell activity, homeostasis, and skin cancer. These new models include 3-dimensional organotypic cultures, immunodeficient skin-humanized mice, and genetically modified mice. Another aim of the program is to use skin-humanized mice to model dermatoses such as Gorlin syndrome and xeroderma pigmentosum in order to optimize new protocols for photodynamic therapy.

Mimicking hair disorders by genetic manipulation of organ-cultured human hair follicles

Human hair follicles can be dissected out of scalp skin and cultured in vitro in defined growth medium. Hair follicle organ cultures have previously been used to investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms through which various factors regulate the maintenance and cycling of adult hair follicles. In this issue, Samuelov et al. transfected organ-cultured human hair follicles with siRNA nucleotides and suppressed the expression of the endogenous P-cadherin gene in follicular keratinocytes. Knocking down the expression of P-cadherin in hair follicles in vitro recapitulated the hair follicle phenotype observed in patients with hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy (HJMD) and enabled the authors to establish a cause-effect relationship between loss of P-cadherin and suppression of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway and upregulation of TGFβ2 during development of the hair abnormalities observed in HJMD patients.

Mutant laboratory mice with abnormalities in hair follicle morphogenesis, cycling, and/or structure: an update

Human hair disorders comprise a number of different types of alopecia, atrichia, hypotrichosis, distinct hair shaft disorders as well as hirsutism and hypertrichosis. Their causes vary from genodermatoses (e.g. hypotrichoses) via immunological disorders (e.g. alopecia areata, autoimmune cicatrical alopecias) to hormone-dependent abnormalities (e.g. androgenetic alopecia). A large number of spontaneous mouse mutants and genetically engineered mice develop abnormalities in hair follicle morphogenesis, cycling, and/or hair shaft formation, whose analysis has proven invaluable to define the molecular regulation of hair growth, ranging from hair follicle development, and cycling to hair shaft formation and stem cell biology. Also, the accumulating reports on hair phenotypes of mouse strains provide important pointers to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying human hair growth disorders. Since numerous new mouse mutants with a hair phenotype have been reported since the publication of our earlier review on this matter a decade ago, we present here an updated, tabulated mini-review. The updated annotated tables list a wide selection of mouse mutants with hair growth abnormalities, classified into four categories: Mutations that affect hair follicle (1) morphogenesis, (2) cycling, (3) structure, and (4) mutations that induce extrafollicular events (for example immune system defects) resulting in secondary hair growth abnormalities. This synthesis is intended to provide a useful source of reference when studying the molecular controls of hair follicle growth and differentiation, and whenever the hair phenotypes of a newly generated mouse mutant need to be compared with existing ones.

A new tool for conditional gene manipulation in a subset of keratin-expressing epithelia

Megsin is a serine protease inhibitor (Serpin) that has known expression in kidney mesangial cells. Here, we report the generation and characterization of a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgene expressing Cre under the control of Megsin regulatory elements. When crossed to the ROSA26R-lacZ reporter mice, the Megsin-Cre transgene mediates loxP recombination primarily in the skin, forestomach, and esophagus, but surprisingly not in the mesangial cells. Within the skin, cells in all epidermal layers and the hair follicle cells expressed Cre. This transgene also has uniform expression in the epithelium of the forestomach and esophagus. Conditional deletion of Adam10, a gene known to have important functions in skin development, by using this Megsin-Cre transgene led to severe skin defects. In addition, these mutants appear to have reduced folds and surface area in the forestomach. These results show that the Megsin-Cre transgene can mediate loxP-recombination in all epidermal layers of the skin, the hair follicle cells, as well as in the epithelium of the forestomach and esophagus, all of which have known expression of various keratins. This Megsin-Cre transgene can serve as a new tool for conditional genetic manipulation to study development and diseases in the skin and the upper digestive tract.