091 5C analysis reveals distinct spatial contact networks between gene-rich and gene-poor TADs at the Epidermal Differentiation Complex in skin epithelial cells

Abstract

ABCA12 is known to be critical for skin barrier integrity. Mutations in this gene cause the most severe form of Autosomal Recessive Congenital Ichthyosis, Harlequin Ichthyosis (HI). HI patients have marked hyperkeratosis at birth with fissuring, leading to life-threatening complications due to increased risk of infection, trans-epidermal water and heat loss. The aim of this study was to identify essential pathways involved in the pathomechanisms of Harlequin Ichthyosis, responsible for aberrant epidermal differentiation. We performed RNA-seq on calcium induced primary keratinocytes with siRNA knockdown of ABCA12 and identified 118 genes significantly down-regulated and 36 genes significantly up-regulated (FDR < 0.05). Functional annotation clustering analysis showed changes in epidermal differentiation, fatty acid metabolism, cytokine and interferon signaling. The suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), a negative feedback regulator of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, was 2.5 fold downregulated whereas Interleukin-1 (IL1A and IL1B) were 2 fold increased. To investigate these findings further we engineered an ABCA12 CRISPR-Cas9 knockout keratinocyte cell line and compared this with a HI patient-derived cell line and wild type controls. Alterations in differentiation and lipid profile in the HI OT models were observed, recapitulating the HI epidermis phenotype. We found that phospho-STAT1 (Y701) was strongly upregulated in the HI model compared to control. In HI patient skin, the STAT1 expression pattern was altered compared to control skin. The secretion of IL-1a was increased in the HI model compared to control. Both STAT1 and IL-1 regulate the Nitric Oxide (NO) pathway upregulating transcription of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), which we found to be significantly upregulated in HI skin. These data provide insights into the pathogenesis of HI suggest that the NO signaling pathway may be a possible therapeutic target in this disorder.