13-cis retinoic acid treatment of human sebocytes (SEB-1)

The pathogenesis of acne has been linked to multiple factors such as increased sebum production, inflammation, follicular hyperkeratinization, and the action of Propionibacterium acnes within the follicle. 13-cis Retinoic Acid (13-cis RA, isotretinoin) is the most potent agent in acne treatment. Surprisingly, its mechanism of action in acne is still unknown. Gene expression profiling of cultured human immortalized sebocytes (SEB-1) treated with 13-cis RA was performed to gain insights into its sebocyte-specific mechanism of action. SEB-1 sebocytes were cultured with 0.1 uM 13-cis RA for 72 hours or vehicle control. Gene array expression profiling was conducted using Affymetrix HG-U95Av2 arrays in order to examine changes in gene expression as a result of treatment. A total of 85 genes (78 different genes) were significantly influenced by 13-cis RA: 58 were upregulated and 27 were down-regulated. There were changes in several genes involved in apoptosis and innate immunity. These studies are the first describing the sebocyte- specific response in gene expression associated with isotretinoin therapy and are valuable in identifying potential therapeutic targets in acne.

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Nelson AM, Zhao W, Gilliland KL, Zaenglein AL, Liu W, Thiboutot DM