Hedgehog signaling, keratin 6 induction, and sebaceous gland morphogenesis: implications for pachyonychia congenita and related conditions

Am J Pathol. 2008 Sep;173(3):752-61. doi: 10.2353/ajpath.2008.071089. Epub 2008 Aug 7.

Abstract

Keratins 6a and b (K6a, K6b) belong to a subset of keratin genes with constitutive expression in epithelial appendages, and inducible expression in additional epithelia, when subjected to environmental challenges or disease. Mutations in K6a or K6b cause a broad spectrum of epithelial lesions that differentially affect nail, hair, and glands in humans. Some lesions reflect a loss of the structural support function shared by K6, other keratins, and intermediate filament proteins. The formation of sebaceous gland-derived epithelial cysts does not fit this paradigm, raising the question of the unique functions of different K6 isoforms in this setting. Here, we exploit a mouse model of constitutively expressed Gli2, a Hedgehog (Hh) signal effector, to show that K6a expression correlates with duct fate in sebaceous glands (SGs). Whether in the setting of Gli2 transgenic mice skin, which develops a prominent SG duct and additional pairs of highly branched SGs, or in wild-type mouse skin, K6a expression consistently coincides with Hh signaling in ductal tissue. Gli2 expression modestly transactivates a K6a promoter-driven reporter in heterologous systems. Our findings thus identify K6 as a marker of duct fate in SGs, partly in response to Hh signaling, with implications for the pathological expansion of SGs that arises in the context of certain keratin-based diseases and related disorders.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Gene Expression
  • Hedgehog Proteins / genetics
  • Hedgehog Proteins / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • In Situ Hybridization
  • Keratin-6 / metabolism*
  • Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors / metabolism*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Pachyonychia Congenita / physiopathology*
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sebaceous Glands / growth & development
  • Sebaceous Glands / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction / physiology
  • Transfection
  • Zinc Finger Protein Gli2

Substances

  • Gli2 protein, mouse
  • Hedgehog Proteins
  • Keratin-6
  • Krt6a protein, mouse
  • Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors
  • Zinc Finger Protein Gli2