Retinoic acid effect on sebocytes and the skin

The pathogenesis of acne has been linked to multiple factors such as increased sebum production, inflammation, follicular hyperkeratinization, and the action of Propionibacterium acnes within the follicle. 13-cis Retinoic Acid (13-cis RA, isotretinoin) is the most potent agent in acne treatment. Surprisingly, its mechanism of action in acne is still unknown. Gene expression profiling of cultured human immortalized sebocytes (SEB-1) treated with 13-cis RA was performed to gain insights into its sebocyte-specific mechanism of action. SEB-1 sebocytes were cultured with 0.1 uM 13-cis RA for 72 hours or vehicle control. Gene array expression profiling was conducted using Affymetrix HG-U95Av2 arrays in order to examine changes in gene expression as a result of treatment. A total of 85 genes (78 different genes) were significantly influenced by 13-cis RA: 58 were upregulated and 27 were down-regulated. There were changes in several genes involved in apoptosis and innate immunity. These studies are the first describing the sebocyte- specific response in gene expression associated with isotretinoin therapy and are valuable in identifying potential therapeutic targets in acne. The pathogenesis of acne has been linked to multiple factors such as increased sebum production, inflammation, follicular hyperkeratinization, and the action of Propionibacterium acnes within the follicle. 13-cis Retinoic Acid (13-cis RA, isotretinoin) is the most potent agent in acne treatment. Surprisingly, its mechanism of action in acne is still unknown. Gene expression profiling of skin from 6 patients treated with isotretinoin was performed to gain insights into its mechanism of action. Skin biopsies were obtained from the patients at baseline and at one-week isotretinoin treatment. Gene array expression profiling was conducted using Affymetrix HG-U133A 2.0 arrays in order to examine changes in gene expression as a result of treatment. After treatment, 43 genes were significantly changed: 38 up-regulated and 5 down-regulated. A significant proportion of these genes are involved in pathways that regulate differentiation, tumor suppression, serine proteases, serine protease inhibitors and solute transfer. These studies are the first describing the initial changes in gene expression associated with isotretinoin therapy and are valuable in identifying potential therapeutic targets in acne. This SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below. Refer to individual Series