| NF1 tumor suppressor in epidermal differentiation and growth - implications for wound epithelialization and psoriasis | ||
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The present study investigated the behavior and role of the NF1 gene during keratinocyte differentiation and wound healing. The following conclusions were made on the basis of the current study:
The NF1 gene is likely to have a function in the re-organization of the cytoskeleton and/or cell adhesion formation because NF1 protein was shown to be associated with the intermediate filament network shortly and transiently during keratinocyte differentiation in vitro, and NF1 gene-deficient keratinocytes showed abnormalities in these processes.
The NF1 protein associates with intermediate filaments not only in vitro but also in vivo in human skin.
The NF1 gene may have a role in the formation of the psoriatic phenotype, since NF1 gene expression is downregulated in psoriatic epidermis and in cultured psoriatic keratinocytes.
Upregulation of the NF1 gene by the resident cells is part of normal tissue repair. However, the processes of wound epithelialization and healing show no apparent alterations between NF1 patients and controls.
The NF1 gene seems to act as a Ras-GAP in only some tissues, such as smooth muscle cells.