Comparison of the Transcriptional Profiles of Melanocytes from Dark and Light Skinned Individuals under Basal Conditions and Following Ultraviolet-B Irradiation

PLoS One. 2015 Aug 5;10(8):e0134911. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134911. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

We analysed the whole-genome transcriptional profile of 6 cell lines of dark melanocytes (DM) and 6 of light melanocytes (LM) at basal conditions and after ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation at different time points to investigate the mechanisms by which melanocytes protect human skin from the damaging effects of UVB. Further, we assessed the effect of different keratinocyte-conditioned media (KCM+ and KCM-) on melanocytes. Our results suggest that an interaction between ribosomal proteins and the P53 signaling pathway may occur in response to UVB in both DM and LM. We also observed that DM and LM show differentially expressed genes after irradiation, in particular at the first 6h after UVB. These are mainly associated with inflammatory reactions, cell survival or melanoma. Furthermore, the culture with KCM+ compared with KCM- had a noticeable effect on LM. This effect includes the activation of various signaling pathways such as the mTOR pathway, involved in the regulation of cell metabolism, growth, proliferation and survival. Finally, the comparison of the transcriptional profiles between LM and DM under basal conditions, and the application of natural selection tests in human populations allowed us to support the significant evolutionary role of MIF and ATP6V0B in the pigmentary phenotype.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cells, Cultured
  • Gene Expression Profiling / methods*
  • Humans
  • Melanocytes / cytology
  • Melanocytes / metabolism
  • Melanocytes / radiation effects*
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Signal Transduction / genetics
  • Signal Transduction / radiation effects
  • Skin / cytology
  • Skin / metabolism
  • Skin Pigmentation / genetics
  • Transcriptome / radiation effects*
  • Ultraviolet Rays*

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the former Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, project CGL2008-04066/BOS to S.A.; by the Dept. Educación, Universidades e Investigación of the Basque Government, project IT542-10 to C.R.; the University of the Basque Country program UFI11/09; a predoctoral fellowship from the Dept. Educación, Universidades e Investigación of the Basque Government to S.L. (BFI09.248). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.