Abstract
Keratinocytes, which make up the majority of the skin epithelium, differentiate from epidermal stem cells and migrate from the basement membrane to the upper layers of the skin, where they are finally shed as grime. Skin stem cells play an important role for skin homeostasis by proliferative capacity and flexibility in response to wound healing and physiological changes. However, factors affecting epidermal stem cell proliferation remain unresolved. In this study, we focused on Piezo1, a mechano-ion channel that recognizes "stiffness" and becomes activated, and clarified the mechanism by which the mechanical environment induces epidermal stem cell senescence. A new mechanism of skin aging has been identified in which Ptx3 expression from dermal fibroblasts increases with aging, which induces vascular atrophy and dermal stiffening, and induces age-related alterations in epidermal stem cells due to long-term calcium influx via Piezo1. This finding may be useful for the development of new functional ingredients with a novel mechanism "Ptx3 regulation."
