Abstract
According to epidemiological research, skin autoimmune diseases are more prevalent among black Americans. We postulated that pigment-producing melanocytes may contribute to local immune regulation in the microenvironment. We examined murine epidermal melanocytes in vitro to determine the role of pigment production in immune responses mediated by dendritic cell (DC) activation. Our study revealed that darkly pigmented melanocytes produce more IL-3 and the pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-6 and TNF-α, and consequently induce plasmacytoid DC (pDC) maturation. Additionally, we demonstrate that low pigment-associated fibromodulin (FMOD) interferes with cytokine secretion and subsequent pDC maturation.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 109638 |
Journal | Clinical Immunology |
Volume | 251 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2023 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2023
Keywords
- Fibromodulin
- Melanocytes
- Pigment
- Plasmacytoid dendritic cells