Proliferative responses of the skin to external stimuli

Abstract

The skin, in particular the epidermis, offers unique opportunities to investigate the induction and control of cellular proliferation and tissue homeostasis both under in vivo and in vitro conditions. Moreover, it represents one of the most feasible model systems for experimental cancer research. As the primary border of the body, the skin has important protective and defensive functions. A general response to external injury consists of a thickening of the epithelial layer (epidermal hyperplasia) combined with an inflammatory reaction. This hyperplastic transformation of the skin is a critical condition of skin tumor development (i.e., conversion and promotion) and of the wound response. It is believed to be due to a transformation of keratinocytes into an activated state characterized by an increased rate of proliferation and the ability to release a series of growth factors and other cytokines that coordinate the defense reaction (e.g., hyperproliferation, recruitment of leukocytes, activation of the immune system) along auto- and paracrine feedback loops. The initial and probably later phases of this response depend critically on a local release of eicosanoids such as prostaglandins and lipoxygenase-generated factors. A unique reaction seen upon phorbol ester treatment of mouse skin is a strong induction of the enzyme 8-lipoxygenase, which might be involved in skin tumor development by catalyzing the generation of clastogenic metabolites thought to play a role in the conversion stage. Hyperplasia may be considered to be the result of an imbalance between the rates of cell gain and cell loss.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)