Site-specific microarray evaluation of spontaneous dermatitis in flaky tail mice I

Flaky tail mice (FTM) with gene mutations to FLG and TMEM79 are known to spontaneously develop atopic dermatitis (AD)-like dermatitis with age. Interestingly, we have already reported that the spontaneous development of dermatitis exhibits site-specificity, i. e. , the face and neck develop spontaneous dermatitis, while the dorsal flank shows normal skin in old FTM. In fact, transepidermal water loss and stratum corneum (SC) pH increased, SC hydration decreased, and epidermis thickened in the neck, but not in the dorsal flank. The detailed pathogenic mechanisms of such site-specific emergence of dermatitis in AD remain unclear. To clarify the pathogenesis of site-specificity, we analyzed skin of the neck and flank in old FTM using a microarray. The gene expressions of neck compared to that of flank in FTM were analyzed.