Claudin-7 in keratinocytes is downregulated by the inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase and is highly expressed in the stratum granulosum of the psoriatic epidermis

Abstract

Background: Cholesterol is de novo synthesized in the upper epidermis and plays an important role in maintaining the normality of skin. Studying the impact of the inhibition of cholesterol de novo synthesis in the epidermis may help understand how skin homeostasis is regulated.

Objective: In this study, we created a gene expression profile to investigate the effect of hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors on epidermal homeostasis.

Methods: A microarray analysis was performed using normal keratinocytes with or without HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (pitavastatin) treatment. Real-time PCR confirmed the reproducibility of genes with altered expression in keratinocytes treated with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. Among these genes, we focused on reduced expression of claudin 7 histologically confirmed by immunohistochemical staining, in situ hybridization, and immunoelectron microscopy.

Results: Claudin-7 was highly expressed in the stratum granulosum of psoriatic lesions but was not expressed in the normal epidermis. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that claudin-7 was localized in the keratohyalin granules of psoriatic lesions.

Conclusion: These results indicate that claudin-7 expression was regulated by HMG-CoA reductase in the epidermis and might play a pathogenic role in the keratohyalin granules found in the epidermal granular layer of psoriasis.

Keywords: Claudin-7; Epidermal stratum granulosum; HMG-CoA reductase; Keratohyalin granule; Psoriasis.