PHK Cells: control vs. cyclosporine vs. 11R-VIVIT. Homo sapiens

Calcineurin/NFAT signaling pathway has been shown to play important roles in various tissues such as the immune system, cardiac muscle and neuron. Although recent studies have shown that the pathway is involved in the regulation of hair growth, the precise mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we examine the molecular mechanism which is regulated by calcineurin/NFAT pathway, using two specific inhibitors for the pathway. Transcriptional profiling of human keratinocyte cell line, PHK cells, comparing control untreated PHK cells with cyclosporin A (CsA)-treated or 11R-VIVIT-treated PHK cells. Goal was to identify the effects of NFAT inhibitors on PHK cell proliferation. Cyclosporine A is a chemical compound, which strongly inhibits calcineurin phosphatase activity cooperating with cyclophilin, resulting in inhibition of NFAT signaling pathway. 11R-VIVIT is a cell-permeable peptide, which specifically interacts with NFAT and inhibits its binding to calcineurin, resulting in competitive inhibition of NFAT signaling pathway. Overall design: Three-condition experiment; untreated PHK cells, CsA-treated PHK cells and 11R-VIVIT-treated PHK cells. Supplementary files: Significantly up-regulated genes across 4 different comparisons.