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Target Discovery and Validation Reviews and Protocols

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Keratin Transgenics <strong>and</strong> Knockouts 217<br />

was established after mating these mice with a strain expressing a truncated<br />

progesterone receptor-1–Cre-recombinase fusion protein under the control of<br />

regulatory elements of either the K5 or K14 gene promoter (73). Upon induction<br />

with antiprogestin or RU486 only in those cells expressing either K5 or<br />

K14, the Cre-recombinase will be induced to excise the floxed neo-cassette<br />

inserted after the first exon of the mutated K14 transgene (72), thus activating<br />

the transgene. Correspondingly, blisters filled with fluid on the front legs <strong>and</strong><br />

paws became visible but healed after 2 wk. The unexpected healing process was<br />

explained with the partial activation of the Cre-recombinase in the nonstem cell<br />

population of basal keratinocytes. The migration <strong>and</strong> reepithelialization by nonphenotypic<br />

stem cells (containing the floxed neo-cassette) or transiently amplifying<br />

cells derived from these stem cells of the untreated surrounding areas was<br />

finally considered as the working hypothesis (72).<br />

1.1.5.3. SUPRABASAL STRATIFIED EPITHELIA<br />

In the upper epidermis, 60% of the total protein content consists of keratins<br />

K1 <strong>and</strong> K10 (74). Surprisingly, epidermal integrity was maintained in neonates<br />

after targeted disruption of K10 (Fig. 3G). Adult K10(–/–) animals showed a<br />

fivefold increase of basal cell proliferation <strong>and</strong> hyperkeratosis (75) In the<br />

suprabasal cell layer of the neonatal skin, an IF network composed of K1, K5,<br />

<strong>and</strong> K14 keratins compensates for the loss of K10 (Fig. 3G), whereas within the<br />

adult skin, an induced upregulation of the cytokeratins K6a, K6b, K16, <strong>and</strong> K17<br />

might take over at least some of the functions of K10-containing intermediate<br />

filaments (75). Moreover, an induction of cyclin D1 <strong>and</strong> of c-myc in basal cells<br />

as well as that of the cell cycle regulator 14-3-3 in postmitotic keratinocytes was<br />

noted (76), implying an involvement of K10 in the regulation of epidermal cell<br />

proliferation (77). Cell transfection experiments indicated the K10 head domain<br />

to sequester both the Akt as well as the atypical protein kinase Cζ kinases<br />

avoiding their translocation to the plasma membrane, thus representing a negative<br />

regulator of epidermal cell cycle (78). Therefore, K10 was proposed to suppress<br />

cell proliferation; however, the K10(–/–) strain contradicts this view<br />

because a general increase of suprabasal cell proliferation could not be<br />

observed (79) except for an increase in sebocyte proliferation <strong>and</strong> differentiation.<br />

Sebaceous gl<strong>and</strong> cells of K10(–/–) mice showed an accelerated turnover<br />

<strong>and</strong> secreted more sebum, including wax esters, triglycerides, <strong>and</strong> cholesterol<br />

esters. It was concluded that the suprabasal intermediate filament cytoskeleton<br />

devoid of keratin K10 increased the differentiation of epidermal stem cells<br />

toward the sebocyte lineage (79). Furthermore, K10(–/–) mice treated with 7,12dimethylbenz[a]anthracene/12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate<br />

developed<br />

far less papillomas than wild-type mice. 5-Bromo-2′-deoxyuridine-labeling<br />

revealed a strongly accelerated keratinocyte turnover in K10(–/–) epidermis,

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