Keratinocyte differentiation is regulated by the Rho and ROCK signaling pathway.

The epidermis comprises multiple layers of specialized epithelial cells called keratinocytes. As cells are lost from the outermost epidermal layers, they are replaced through terminal differentiation, in which keratinocytes of the basal layer cease proliferating, migrate upwards, and eventually reach the outermost cornified layers. Normal homeostasis of the epidermis requires that the balance between proliferation and differentiation be tightly regulated. The GTP binding protein RhoA plays a fundamental role in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton and in the adhesion events that are critically important to normal tissue homeostasis. Two central mediators of the signals from RhoA are the ROCK serine/threonine kinases ROCK-I and ROCK-II. We have analyzed ROCK's role in the regulation of epidermal keratinocyte function by using a pharmacological inhibitor and expressing conditionally active or inactive forms of ROCK-II in primary human keratinocytes. We report that blocking ROCK function results in inhibition of keratinocyte terminal differentiation and an increase in cell proliferation. In contrast, activation of ROCK-II in keratinocytes results in cell cycle arrest and an increase in the expression of a number of genes associated with terminal differentiation. Thus, these results indicate that ROCK plays a critical role in regulating the balance between proliferation and differentiation in human keratinocytes.

Lymphocyte homeostasis following therapeutic lymphocyte depletion in multiple sclerosis.

Following lymphocyte depletion, homeostatic mechanisms drive the reconstitution of lymphocytes. We prospectively studied this process in 16 patients for 1 year after a single pulse of treatment with Campath-1H, a humanised anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody. We observed two phases of lymphocyte reconstitution. In the first 6 months after treatment the precursor frequency and proliferation index of the patients' autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction increased; the depleted T cell pool was dominated by memory T cells, especially (CD4+)CD25high T cells, a putative regulatory phenotype; and there was a non-significant rise in peripheral mononuclear cell FoxP3 mRNA expression and fall in constitutive cytokine mRNA expression. In the later phase, from 6-to-12 months after Campath-1H, these changes reversed and there was a rise in ROG mRNA expression. However, total CD4+ numbers remained below 50% of pre-treatment levels at 12 months, perhaps reflecting a failure in homeostasis. This was not due to an impaired IL-7 response, as in rheumatoid arthritis, nor to a lack of IL-7 receptors, which are found on fewer human (CD4+)CD25high than naive cells. We speculate that CCL21 and IL-15 responses to lymphopaenia may be suboptimal in multiple sclerosis.