Stimulation with THBS4 activates pathways that regulate proliferation, migration and inflammation in primary human keratinocytes

Atopic dermatitis, which is a common inflammatory skin disease characterized by persistent epidermal barrier dysfunction, is a systemic health burden reducing overall quality of life of the person. Recently, we showed that the nonstructural extracellular matrix molecule Thrombospondin-4 (THBS4) was upregulated in psoriatic skin lesions by more than 2-fold. In addition, THBS4 contributed to both skin regeneration and wound healing in vitro and in vivo. In the present work we found that THBS4 is also abundantly expressed in AD patient skin biopsies. By using a proteotransciptomic approach we show that stimulation of primary keratinocytes with THBS4 activates multiple factors, including inflammation, migration, proliferation, keratinocyte differentiation, by which THBS4 could participate in AD progression and contribute to the wound healing process. Overall design: Changes in human primary skin keratinocyte RNA profile in response to stimulation with recombinant THBS4 protein