The Journal of investigative dermatology
-
J. Invest. Dermatol. · Jun 2013
Epidermal nerve fibers modulate keratinocyte growth via neuropeptide signaling in an innervated skin model.
Atopic eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by cutaneous nerve fiber sprouting and epidermal hyperplasia, pointing to an involvement of the peripheral nervous system in cutaneous homeostasis. However, the interaction of sensory neurons and skin cells is poorly understood. Using an innervated skin model, we investigated the influence of sensory neurons on epidermal morphogenesis. ⋯ As atopic keratinocytes were sensitized to CGRP owing to higher expression levels of the CGRP receptor components, receptor activity-modifying protein 1 (RAMP1) and receptor component protein (RCP), atopic innervated skin models displayed a thicker epidermis than did healthy controls. We conclude that neural CGRP controls local keratinocyte growth. Our results show that the crosstalk of the cutaneous peripheral nervous system and skin cells significantly influences epidermal morphogenesis and homeostasis in healthy and atopic skin.