Increase of stratifin triggered by ultraviolet irradiation is possibly related to premature aging of human skin

Although ultraviolet (UV) rays cause premature aging of human skin, which is called photoaging, its detailed mechanisms are not known. Stratifin (SFN), a member of the 14-3-3 protein family, is secreted by keratinocytes on human skin, and has an effect on gene expression in other cells. In this study, the association of SFN with the mechanism of photoaging was investigated. The effect of UVB irradiation on SFN expression in epidermal keratinocytes was examined by in vitro and in vivo studies. In addition, the effects of SFN on epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts were examined. SFN mRNA expression and protein levels increased significantly in UVB-irradiated keratinocytes. SFN significantly decreased filaggrin and serine palmitoyltransferase mRNA expression in epidermal keratinocytes and hyaluronan synthase 2 mRNA expression in dermal fibroblasts. In addition, it was reconfirmed that SFN induces the downregulation of collagen content through changes of COL-1, MMP-1 and MMP-2 mRNA expressions. Furthermore, the expression level of SFN mRNA was significantly higher in sun-exposed compared with that in sun-shielded skin. These results suggest that SFN affects the water-holding capacity, barrier function and dermal matrix components in photoaging skin. An increase of SFN triggered by UVB irradiation may be one of the causes of alterations observed in photoaging skin.