Identification of human hair follicle antigens targeted in the presumptive autoimmune hair follicle disorder Alopecia Areata and their potential functional relevance In Vitro. Methods development for isolation and identification of Alopecia Areata-relevant human hair follicle antigens using a proteomics approach and their functional assessment using an Ex Vivo hair follicle organ culture model.
View/
TITLE_PAGE.pdf (134.2Kb)
Download
01-ABSTRACT.pdf (72.67Kb)
Download
02-CONTENTS.pdf (142.8Kb)
Download
03-LIST OF TABLES.pdf (70.98Kb)
Download
04-LIST OF FIGURES.pdf (88.68Kb)
Download
05-ABBREVIATIONS.pdf (86.12Kb)
Download
06-ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.pdf (77.14Kb)
Download
07-CHAPTER1-INTRODUCTION.pdf (1.555Mb)
Download
08-CHAPER2-METHODS_DEVELOPMENT.pdf (1.125Mb)
Download
09-CHAPTER3-PART1.pdf (2.036Mb)
Download
10-CHAPTER3-PART2.pdf (1.183Mb)
Download
11-CHAPTER4-5-DISCUSSION_CONCLUSION.pdf (344.6Kb)
Download
12-REFERENCES.pdf (255.4Kb)
Download
13-APPENDICES.pdf (656.1Kb)
Download
COVER.pdf (3.599Kb)
Download
Publication date
2010-06-09T15:40:45ZSupervisor
Tobin, Desmond J.Keyword
Alopecia areataHair follicle
Trichohyalin
Autoantigens
Proteomics
Tissue culture
Immunoprecipitation
2D gel electrophoresis
LC-MALDI-TOF/TOF Mass Spectrometry
Immunohistochemistry
Rights
The University of Bradford theses are licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.
Institution
University of BradfordDepartment
Department of Biomedical SciencesAwarded
2008Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Alopecia areata (AA) is a putative autoimmune hair loss disorder. It mainly affects the scalp hair but can also involve body hair, and can also affect the nail and the eye. While there are may be several lines of evidence to support the autoimmune basis of AA, there is still very little information on the hair follicle autoantigen(s) involved in its pathogenesis. In this project, serum antibodies (AA=10, control=10) were used to immunoprecipitate AA-relevant target antigens from normal human scalp hair follicle extracts. These immunoprecipitates were analysed by LC-MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry for target protein identification. This part of the project involved substantial methods development. Trichohyalin was immunoprecipitated by all AA sera, but by only 5 normal sera. Importantly, the mean Mascot scores of the AA group was significantly higher than the normal group (p=0.005). Keratin 16 was also identified from immunoprecipitates as another potential AA-relevant target antigen. Functional studies by ex vivo whole hair follicle organ culture using commercial antibodies to trichohyalin and keratin 16 significantly inhibited hair fibre elongation compared to controls. Indirect immunofluorescence studies revealed that AA sera contained higher immunoreactivity against normal human scalp anagen hair follicles compared to normal sera. Immunoreactivities were mainly in the outer root sheath and inner root sheath, and less so to the medulla and hair bulb matrix. Double immunofluorescence studies of AA and normal serum with anti-trichohyalin antibody (AE15) revealed co-localisation of 9 of the AA sera antibodies with trichohyalin in the inner root sheath (mostly in Henle¿s, less in Huxley¿s/inner root sheath cuticle), but only weakly in 3 normal sera. This study supports the involvement of an antibody response to anagen-specific hair follicles antigens in AA. Moreover, there may be some evidence that these antibodies may have a pathogenic role.Type
ThesisQualification name
PhDCollections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Development of a novel, clinically-relevant model for investigating factors that stimulate human hair growthLack of hair due to alopecia or skin grafting procedures causes significant distress due to hair's role in social and sexual communication. Only limited pharmacological agents are currently available to stimulate hair growth; their development is hampered by inappropriate model systems. Most research involves large terminal scalp follicles rather than the clinical targets of tiny vellus or intermediate follicles. The overall aim of this thesis was to develop a novel model system based on intermediate hair follicles. Initially, intermediate follicles from female pre-auricular skin were characterised and compared to matched terminal follicles. Intermediate follicles were smaller, less pigmented, shorter and possessed a more 'tubular' bulb morphology than their more 'bulbous' terminal counterparts. Significant correlations were demonstrated between various hair follicle measurements and corresponding dermal papilla diameters. Isolated terminal follicles grew significantly more than intermediate hair follicles in organ culture for 9 days. Testosterone (10nM), the major regulator of human hair growth, increased only intermediate follicle growth; the anti-androgen, cyproterone acetate (1¿M), prevented this stimulation, unlike the 5¿-reductase type 2 inhibitor finasteride (40ng/ml). Immunohistochemistry demonstrated androgen receptor and 5¿-reductase type 2 proteins in both follicle types, while quantitative real-time PCR and gene microarray analysis detected their increased gene expression in intermediate follicles. Thus, smaller intermediate follicles showed major morphological and gene expression differences to terminal follicles in vivo and retained significant, biologically-relevant differences in vitro in organ culture including androgen-responsiveness. Therefore, intermediate hair follicles offer a novel, exciting, more clinically relevant, albeit technically difficult, model for future investigations into hair growth.
-
The lysosomal protease cathepsin L is an important regulator of keratinocyte and melanocyte differentiation during hair follicle morphogenesis and cycling.We have previously shown that the ubiquitously expressed lysosomal cysteine protease, cathepsin L (CTSL), is essential for skin and hair follicle homeostasis. Here we examine the effect of CTSL deficiency on hair follicle development and cycling in ctsl-/- mice by light and electron microscopy, Ki67/terminal dUTP nick-end labeling, and trichohyalin immunofluorescence. Hair follicle morphogenesis in ctsl-/- mice was associated with several abnormalities. Defective terminal differentiation of keratinocytes occurred during the formation of the hair canal, resulting in disruption of hair shaft outgrowth. Both proliferation and apoptosis levels in keratinocytes and melanocytes were higher in ctsl-/- than in ctsl+/+ hair follicles. The development of the hair follicle pigmentary unit was disrupted by vacuolation of differentiating melanocytes. Hair cycling was also abnormal in ctsl-/- mice. Final stages of hair follicle morphogenesis and the induction of hair follicle cycling were retarded. Thereafter, these follicles exhibited a truncated resting phase (telogen) and a premature entry into the first growth phase. Further abnormalities of telogen development included the defective anchoring of club hairs in the skin, which resulted in their abnormal shedding. Melanocyte vacuolation was again apparent during the hair cycle-associated reconstruction of the hair pigmentary unit. A hallmark of these ctsl-/- mice was the severe disruption in the exiting of hair shafts to the skin surface. This was mostly because of a failure of the inner root sheath (keratinocyte layer next to the hair shaft) to fully desquamate. These changes resulted in a massive dilation of the hair canal and the abnormal routing of sebaceous gland products to the skin surface. In summary, this study suggests novel roles for cathepsin proteases in skin, hair, and pigment biology. Principal target tissues that may contain protein substrate(s) for this cysteine protease include the developing hair cone, inner root sheath, anchoring apparatus of the telogen club, and organelles of lysosomal origin (eg, melanosomes).
-
Unravelling novel molecular targets for photobiomodulation in human hair follicle towards the development of more effective light-based therapies for hair growthLight and optical techniques have made a profound impact on modern medicine both in diagnostics and in therapy. Therapeutic action of light is based on photomechanical, photothermal, photochemical and photobiological interactions, depending on the wavelength, power density, exposure time and optical properties of tissue and cells. Last decade experienced a growing rise of commercial devices for management of hair growth, where all of them are based on low levels of light resulting into photobiological, non-thermal interaction of photons with cells, a process that recently has received an official term ‘photobiomodulation’. However, the design and analysis of the reported clinical studies are highly debated in a wider scientific community. The picture is further complicated by a virtual lack of proof about the exact molecular targets that mediate the physiological response of skin and hair follicles (HF) to low levels of light. The goal of this project was to investigate the expression of light-sensitive receptors in the human HF and to study the impact of UV-free blue light on hair growth ex vivo. The expression of Cryptochromes 1 and 2 (CRY1, 2), Opsin 2 and 3 (OPN2 and OPN3), but not other Opsins 1, 4 and 5 was detected in the distinct compartments of skin and anagen HF. Evaluation of the physiological role of detected light-sensitive receptors on hair growth was performed by the modulation of photoreceptors activity in HF ex vivo model. HFs treated with KL001, a stabilizer of CRY1 protein that lengthens the circadian period, delayed HF anagen-catagen transition; while silencing of CRY1 induced premature catagen development accompanied by reduced cell proliferation. Silencing of CRY1 in the HF outer root sheath (ORS) cells in vitro caused downregulation of ii genes involved in the control of proliferation; including the cyclin dependent kinase 6 (CDK6). OPN3 also had a positive effect on metabolic activity and proliferation of the ORS cells in vitro. OPN3 silencing resulted in the altered expression of genes involved in the control of proliferation and apoptosis. Investigated CRY1, OPN2 and 3 greatly absorb in the blue to green-region of the visible spectrum. This led us to investigate the effect of blue light on HF growth. Daily treatment with blue light (453 nm, 3.2 J/cm2, 16 nm full width half maximum) prolonged anagen phase in HF ex vivo that was associated with sustained proliferation. In addition, blue light (3.2 J/cm2) significantly stimulated proliferation of ORS cells in vitro. This effect was abrogated by silencing of OPN3. To summarize, CRY 1, OPN 2 and OPN 3 are expressed in the distinct compartments of the HF, including HF stem cells. Blue light (453 nm) at low radiant exposure exerts a positive effect on hair growth ex vivo, potentially via interaction with OPN3. The further research should be conducted to decipher interactions between blue light and the investigated receptors in the HFs. In addition, the beneficial effect of blue light at low radiant exposure on hair growth raises a possibility of increasing therapeutic efficacy when combined with topical chemistry used for management of hair growth.
