The Vesicular Acetylcholine Transporter Is Present in Melanocytes and Keratinocytes in the Human Epidermis

Abstract

The human epidermis holds the full machinery for cholinergic signal transduction. However, the presence of the vesicular transporter (vesicular acetylcholine (ACh) transporter (VAChT)) for both choline and ACh has never been shown in this compartment. The results of this study confirm the presence of VAChT in cutaneous nerves and in both epidermal melanocytes and keratinocytes as well as in their nuclei using immunofluorescence labelling in situ and in vitro, Western blot analysis of cellular and nuclear extracts and reverse transcription-PCR. These results underline that ACh/choline transport in the non-neuronal epidermis is no different from the neuronal pathway. However, the function of VAChT in the nucleus remains to be shown.

Enhanced DNA binding capacity on up‐regulated epidermal wild‐type p53 in vitiligo by H 2 O 2 ‐mediated oxidation: a possible repair mechanism for DNA damage

“…F) Image analysis of E. There is no difference between lesional and nonlesional skin. These novel data together with low epidermal acetyl cholinesterase expression/activity and unaltered BAX expression, as shown earlier, strongly support the hypothesis that apoptosis is not invoked to combat DNA damage and oxidative stress in vitiligo (23,26,101). Data are shown as means Ϯ sd.…”

What are melanocytesreallydoing all day long…?

“…A third example for possible chaperone function is the presence of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (Ach) in melanosomes together with its vesicular transporter (VAChT) (27,28). Ach stimulates dendricity of melanocytes.…”

From basic research to the bedside: efficacy of topical treatment with pseudocatalase PC‐KUS in 71 children with vitiligo

“…These results show that 39% of the patients had a positive family history for vitiligo and that early graying of the scalp hair was observed in one-third of the children affected by this disease. 31,37,38 Previous therapies for vitiligo have no influence on the final outcome of repigmentation At the present time, there is no consensus as to whether or not previously unsuccessful or partially successful therapies influence the outcome of repigmentation in general. Halo nevi were present in 21% of the group.…”