Abstract
Local androgen excess has been associated with attenuation of wound healing in elderly individuals and with a decline in permeability barrier homeostasis in adult human skin. In this study we have applied specific antisense oligonucleotides, whose activity has already been investigated in SZ95 sebocytes, to inactivate transiently the androgen receptor in a reconstituted epidermis model and in primary human epidermal keratinocytes of different origin (breast, abdomen, foreskin) and donor age (females, 30- and 60-year-old). Further a possible interaction between blockage of androgen receptor and the expression of tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases was investigated. Androgen receptor levels were similar in pooled keratinocytes of the two age groups. Cell transfection with antisense oligonucleotides against the androgen receptor resulted in decreasing protein levels detected in all epidermal keratinocytes tested, whereas cells of aged donors (60-year-old) exhibited a stronger response than cells of young individuals (30-year-old). Keratinocytes from aged donors also responded to androgens with a stronger regulation of proliferation than keratinocytes of young individuals. The pattern of the androgen-induced response was dependent on the skin region of keratinocyte origin. The expression levels of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 were not age-related. Our results demonstrate an enhanced androgen sensitivity of keratinocytes from aged individuals associated with an origin-specific type of response.
Key words
antisense oligonucleotides - epidermis model - androgen - aging - TIMP-1
References
1
Fritsch M, Orfanos CE, Zouboulis CC.
Sebocytes are the key regulators of androgen homeostasis in human skin.
J Invest Dermatol.
2001;
116
793-800
2
Gingras S, Turgeon C, Brochu N, Soucy P, Labrie F, Simard J.
Characterization and modulation of sex steroid metabolizing activity in normal human keratinocytes in primary culture and HaCaT cells.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol.
2003;
87
167-179
3
Brann DW, Hendry LB, Mahesch VB.
Emerging diversities in the mechanism of action of steroid hormones.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol.
1995;
52
113-133
4
Quigley CA, De Bellis A, Marshke KB, El-Awady MK, Wilson EM, French FS.
Androgen receptor defects: Historical, clinical and molecular perspectives.
Endocrine Reviews.
1995;
16
271-321
5
Edwards DP.
The role of coactivators and corepressors in the biology and mechanism of action of steroid hormone receptors.
J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia.
2000;
5
307-324
6
Rocha EM, Wickham LA, da Silveira LA, Krenzer KL, Yu FS, Toda I, Sullivan BD, Sullivan DA.
Identification of androgen receptor protein and 5α-reductase mRNA in human ocular tissues.
Br J Ophthalmol.
2000;
84
76-84
7
Gilliver SC, Wu F, Ashcroft GS.
Regulatory roles of androgens in cutaneous wound healing.
Thromb Haemost.
2003;
90
978-985
8
Kao JS, Garg A, Mao-Qiang M, Crumrine D, Ghadially R, Feingold KR, Elias PM.
Testosterone perturbs epidermal permeability barrier homeostasis.
J Invest Dermatol.
2001;
116
443-451
9
Chen W, Thiboutot D, Zouboulis CC.
Cutaneous androgen metabolism: Basic rand clinical perspectives.
J Invest Dermatol.
2002;
119
992-1007
10
Nitsch SM, Wittmann F, Angele P, Wichmann MW, Hatz R, Hernandez-Richter T, Chaudry IH, Jauch KW, Angele MK.
Physiological levels of 5 α-dihydrotestosterone depress wound immune function and impair wound healing following trauma-hemorrhage.
Arch Surg.
2004;
139
157-163
11
Hornebeck W.
Down-regulation of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloprotease-1 (TIMP-1) in aged human skin contributes to matrix degradation and impaired cell growth and survival.
Pathol Biol.
2003;
51
569-573
12
Millis A, McCue H, Kumar S, Baglio C.
Metalloproteinase and TIMP-1 gene expression during replicative senescence.
Exp Gerontol.
1992;
27
425-428
13
Ashcroft GS, Herrick SE, Tarnuzzer RW, Horan MA, Schultz GS, Ferguson MW.
Human ageing impairs injury-induced in vivo expression of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMP)-1 and -2 proteins and mRNA.
J Pathol.
1997;
183
169-176
14
Ashcroft GS, Horan M, Herrick SE, Tarnuzzer R, Schultz G, Ferguson M.
Age-related differences in the temporal and spacial regulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in normal skin and acute cutaneous wounds of healthy humans.
Cell Tissue Res.
1997;
290
581-591
15
Ashcroft G, Mills S.
Androgen receptor-mediated inhibition of cutaneous wound healing.
J Clin Invest.
2002;
110
615-624
16
Fleischmajer R, Kuroda K, Hazan R, Gordon RE, Lebwohl MG, Sapadin AN, Unda F, Iehara N.
Basement membrane alterations in psoriasis are accompanied by epidermal overexpression of MMP-2 and its inhibitor TIMP-2.
J Invest Dermatol.
2000;
115
771-777
17
Kobayashi T, Hattori S, Nagai Y, Tajima S.
Differential regulation of the secretions of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 from human keratinocytes in culture.
IUBMB Life.
2000;
50
221-226
18
Krengel S, Alexander M, Brinckmann J, Tronnier M.
MMP-2, TIMP-2 and MT1-MMP are differentially expressed in lesional skin of melanocytic nevi and their expression is modulated by UVB-light.
J Cutan Pathol.
2002;
29
390-396
19
Fimmel S, Saborowski A, Térouanne B, Sultan C, Zouboulis CC.
Inhibition of the androgen receptor by antisense oligonucleotides regulates the biological activity of androgens in SZ95 sebocytes.
Horm Metabol Res.
2006;
, In press
20
Fimmel S, Saborowski A, Orfanos CE, Zouboulis C.
Development of efficient transient transfection systems for introducing antisense oligonucleotides into human epithelial skin cells.
Horm Res.
2000;
54
306-311
21
Garcia N, Doucet O, Bayer M, Fouchard D, Zastrow L, Marty JP.
Characterisation of the barrier function in a reconstituted human epidermis cultivated in chemically defined medium.
Int J Cos Sciences.
2002;
24
25-34
22
Gillies RJ, Didier N, Denton M.
Determination of cell number in monolayer cultures.
Anal. Biochem.
1986;
159
109-113
23
Gottlieb B, Lehvaslaiho H, Beitel LK, Lumbroso R, Pinsky L, Trifiro M.
The androgen receptor gene mutations database.
Nucleic Acids Res.
1998;
26
234-238
24
Papakonstantinou E, Aletras AJ, Glass E, Tsogas P, Dionyssopoulos A, Adjaye J, Fimmel S, Herwig R, Lehrach H, Zouboulis CC, Karakiulakis G.
Matrix metalloproteinases of epithelial origin in facial sebum of patients with acne and their regulation by isotretinoin.
J Invest Dermatol.
2005;
125
673-684
25
Banerjee S, Banerjee PP, Zirkin BR, Brown TR.
Regional expression of transforming growth factor-alpha in rat ventral prostate during postnatal development, after androgen ablation, and after androgen replacement.
Endocrinology.
1998;
139
3005-3013
26
Banerjee PP, Banerjee S, Brown TR.
Increased androgen receptor expression correlates with development of age-dependent, lobe-specific spontaneous hyperplasia of the brown Norway rat prostate.
Endocrinology.
2001;
142
4066-4075
27
Baba Y, Takahashi K, Nakamura S.
2003 Androgen-dependent atypical fibromas spontaneously arising in the skin of Djungarian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus).
Comp Med.
2003;
53
527-531
28
Akamatsu H, Zouboulis CC, Orfanos CE.
Control of human sebocyte proliferation in vitro by testosterone and 5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone is dependent on the localization of the sebaceous glands.
J Invest Dermatol.
1992;
99
509-511
29
Birrell SN, Bentel JM, Hickey TE, Ricciardelli C, Weger MA, Horsfall DJ, Tilley WD.
Androgens induce divergent proliferative responses in human breast cancer cell lines.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol.
1995;
52
459-467
30
Müller WR, Telford J, Dixon JM, Shivas AA.
Androgen metabolism and apocrine differentiation in human breast cancer Breast Cancer.
Res Treat.
1985;
5
67-73
31
Tavassoli FA, Purcell CA, Bratthauser GL, Man YG.
Androgen receptor expression along with loss of bcl-2, ER, and PR expression in benign and malignant apocrine lesions of the breast: implications for therapy.
Breast J.
1996;
2
261-269
32 Eskin BA. The menopause: comprehensive management . New York: McGraw-Hill 1994: 8-28
33
Honma N, Sakamoto G, Akiyama F, Esaki Y, Sawabe M, Arai T, Hosoi T, Harada N, Younes M, Takubo K.
Breast carcinoma in women over the age of 85: distinct histological pattern and androgen, oestrogen, and progesterone receptor status.
Histopathology.
2003;
42
120-127
34
Hellwinkel OJ, Müller A, Struve D, Hiort O.
Influence of androgens and age on androgen receptor and 5α-reductase II transcription.
Eur J Endrocrinol.
2000;
143
217-225
35
Holterhus PM, Hiort O, Demeter J, Brown PO, Brooks JD.
Differential gene-expression patterns in genetial fibroblasts of normal males and 46XY females with androgen insensitivity syndrome: evidence for early programming involving the androgen receptor.
Genom Biol.
2003;
4
R37
36
Chang H, Chi JT, Dudoit S, Bondre C, van de Rijn M, Botstein D, Brown PO.
Diversity, topographic differentiation, and positional memory in human fibroblasts.
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA.
2002;
99
12877-12882
37
Holterhus PM, Salzburg J, Hiort O.
Transactivation properties of wild-type and mutant androgen receptors in transiently transfected primary human fibroblasts.
Horm Res.
2005;
63
152-158
38
Veldhuis JD, Anderson SM, Iranmanesh A, Bowers CY.
Testosterone blunts feedback inhibition of growth hormone secretion by experimentally elevated insulin-like growth factor-I concentrations.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2005;
90
1613-1617
39
Khorramizadeh MR, Tredget EE, Telasky C, Shen Q, Ghahary A.
Aging differentially modulates the expression of collagen and collagenase in dermal fibroblasts.
Mol Cell Biochem.
1999;
194
99-108
40
Madlener M, Parks WC, Werner S.
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and their physiological inhibitors (TIMP) are differentially expressed during excisional skin wound repair.
Exp Cell Res.
1998;
242
201-210
41
Vaalamo M, Leivo T, Saarialho-Kere U.
Differential expression of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP-1,-2,-3, and -4) in normal and aberrant wound healing.
Hum Pathol.
1999;
30
795-802
42
Joronen K, Salminen H, Glumoff V, Savontaus M, Vuorio E.
Temporospatial expression of tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases-1, -2 and -3 during development, growth and aging of the mouse skeleton.
Histochem Cell Biol.
2000;
114
157-165
43
Ashcroft GS, Mills SJ, Ashworth JJ.
Ageing and wound healing.
Biogerontology.
2002;
3
337-345
44
Ashcroft GS, Ashworth JJ.
Potential role of estrogens in wound healing.
Am J Clin Dermatol.
2003;
4
737-743
45
Xia YP, Zhao Y, Tyrone JW, Chen A, Mustoe TA.
Differential activation of migration by hypoxia in keratinocytes isolated from donors of increasing age: Imoplication for chronic wounds in the elderly.
J Invest Dermatol.
2001;
116
50-56
46
Schneikert J, Peterziel H, Defossez PA, Klocker H, Launoit Y Cato ACB.
Androgen receptor-Ets protein interaction is a novel mechanism for steroid hormone-mediated down-modulation of matrix metalloproteinase expression.
J Biochem Mol Biol.
1996;
271
3907-3913
47
Clay CM, Keri RA, Finicle AB, Heckert LL, Hamernik DL, Marsch KM, Wilson EM, French FS, Nilson JH.
Transcriptional repression of the glycoprotein hormone alpha subunit gene by androgen may play involve direct binding of androgen receptor to the proximal promoter.
J Biol Chem.
1993;
268
13556-13564
48
Metsis M, Timmusk T, Allikmets R, Saarma M, Persson H.
Regulatory elements and transcriptional regulation by testosterone and retinoic acid of the rat nerve growth factor receptor promoter.
Gene.
1992;
121
247-254
49
Persson H, Lievre AL, Soder O, Villar MJ, Metsis M, Ritzen OM, Hokfelt T.
Expression of beta-nerve growth factor receptor m RNA in Sertoli cells down regulated by testosterone.
Science.
1990;
247
704-707
50
Henttu P, Liao SS, Vihko P.
Androgen up-regulate the human prostate specific antigen messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), but down-regulate the prostatic acid phosphatase mRNA in the LNCaP cell line.
Endocrinol.
1992;
130
766-772
51
Chatterjee B, Majumdar D, Ozbilen O, Murty CV, Roy AK.
Molecular cloning and characterization of c DNA for androgen repressible rat liver protein SMP-2.
J Biol Chem.
1987;
262
822-825
52
Bellido T, Jilka RL, Boyce BF, Girasole G, Broxmeyer H, Darlymp MR, Manlogas SC.
Regulation of interleukin-6 osteoclastogenesis and bone by androgens The role of the androgen receptor.
J Clin Invest.
1995;
95
2886-2895
53
Leppa S, Mali M, Miettinen HM, Jalkanen M.
Syndecan expression regulates cell morphology and growth mouse mammary epithelial tumor cells.
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA.
1992;
89
932-936
54
Hanley K, Rassner U, Jiang Y, Vansomphone D, Crumrine D, Kornuves L, Elias PM, Feingold KR, Williams ML.
Hormonal basis for the gender difference in epidermal barrier formation in the fetal rat.
J Clin Invest.
1996;
97
2576-2584
55
Elias P, Feingold K.
Androgens coordinate regulation of epidermal differentiation and barrier homeostasis.
Skin Pharmacol Appl Physiol.
2001;
14
28-34
Correspondence
C. C. Zouboulis
Departments of Dermatology and Immunology
Dessau Medical Center
Auenweg 38
06847 Dessau
Germany
Phone: +49340501 40 00
Fax: +49340501 40 25
Email: christos.zouboulis@klinikum-dessau.de