Autophagy in skin pigmentation

• Project/Area Number: 26860881
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Dermatology
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: YANG LINGLI 大阪大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 特任研究員 (40711784)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): KANEDA Mari 大阪大学, 大学院医学系研究科, 講師 (70397644) ; KATAYAMA Ichiro 大阪大学, 大学院医学系研究科, 教授 (80191980)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2015)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,640,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥840,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000)
• Keywords: オートファジー / 色素産生 / メラノサイト / メラニン / 皮膚

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study tested whether autophagy is essential for skin pigmentation and how to affect the pigmentation in skin. Using normal human epidermal melanocytes (NHEMs) and normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs), the autophagy-related factors (ATG5, ATG7) were silenced, the melanogenesis-related genes and pathways were investigated in NHEMs, and the melanosome-uptake and melanosome degradation in NHEKs were also analyzed. This study demonstrated that autophagy activity affects melanosome formation and melanin synthesis in epidermal melanocytes, and autophagy is essential in melanosome degradation in epidermal keratinocytes.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] 白斑の新しい病因論 (2016)
  • Author(s): 楊 伶俐、 金田 真理、種村 篤、片山 一朗
  • Journal Title: MB Derma (デルマ) Volume: 18 Pages: 239-239
  • Open Access
• [Journal Article] Clinical and Histologic Analysis of the Efficacy of Topical Rapamycin Therapy Against Hypomelanotic Macules in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. (2015)
  • Author(s): Wataya-Kaneda M, Tnaka M, Yang L, Yang F, Tsuruta D, Nakamura A, Matsumoto S, Hamasaki T, Tanemura A, Katayama I
  • Journal Title: JAMA Dermatol. Volume: ? Issue: 7 Pages: 722-30
  • DOI: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2014.4298
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] 4-(4-hydroroxyphenyl)-2-butanol (rhododendrol) activates the autophagy-lysosome pathway in melanocytes: insights into the mechanisms of rhododendrol-induced leukoderma (2015)
  • Author(s): Lingli Yang, .Fei Yang;、Mari Wataya-Kaneda, Atsuhi Tanemura, Daisuke Tsuruta, Ichiro Katayama
  • Journal Title: J Dermatol Sci. 2015 Mar;77(3):182-5. Volume: 77(3) Issue: 3 Pages: 182-5
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2015.01.006
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] An immune pathological and ultrastructural skin analysis for rhododenol-induced leukoderma patients. (2015)
  • Author(s): Tanemura A, Yang L, Yang F, Nagata Y, Wataya-Kaneda M, Fukai K, Tsuruta D, Ohe R, Yamakawa M, Suzuki T, Katayama I.
  • Journal Title: J Dermatol Sci. Volume: 777 Issue: 3 Pages: 185-8
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2015.01.002
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Possible involvement of CCR4+CD8+ T cells and elevated serum CCL22 and CCL17 in Patients with Rhododenol-induced Leukoderma. (2015)
  • Author(s): Nishioka M, Tanemura A, Yang L, Tanaka A, Arase N, Katayama I
  • Journal Title: J Dermatol Sci. Volume: 77 Issue: 3 Pages: 188-190
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2015.02.014
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Presentation] Silencing of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) 2 via siRNA causes reduction of autophagy and impairment of melanogenesis in cultured human skin epidermal melanocytes: implication for a potential mechanism of hypopigmented macules in tuberous sclerosis complex (2015)
  • Author(s): Lingli Yang, Mari Wataya-Kaneda, Mari Tanaka, Fei Yang, Atsushi Tanemura1), Chiharu Tateishi, Daisuke Tsuruta, Masamitsu Ishi, Ichiro Katayama.
  • Organizer: 23rd World Congress of Dermatology
  • Place of Presentation: Vancouver, Canada
  • Year and Date: 2015-06-08 – 2015-06-13
• [Presentation] Silencing of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) 2 via siRNA causes reduction of autophagy and impairment of melanogenesis in cultured human skin epidermal melanocytes: implication for a potential mechanism of hypopigmented macules in tuberous sclerosis complex. (2015)
  • Author(s): Yang L, Wataya-Kaneda M, Tanaka M, Yang F, Tanemura A, Tateishi C, Tsuruta D, Ishii M, Katayama I.
  • Organizer: 2015 World Congress of Dermatology
  • Place of Presentation: Vancouver, Canada
  • Year and Date: 2015-06-08
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Rhododendrol activates autophagy-lysosome pathway in melanocytes: a potential mechanism for skin depigmentation disorder (2014)
  • Author(s): Lingli Yang, Mari Wataya-Kaneda, Fei Yang, Daisuke Tsuruta, Atsushi Tanemura, Ichiro Katayama
  • Organizer: The 39th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology
  • Place of Presentation: Osaka, Japan
  • Year and Date: 2014-12-12 – 2014-12-14
• [Presentation] 4-(4-hydroroxyphenyl)-2-butanol (rhododendrol) activates autophagy-lysosome pathway in melanocytes: a potential mechanism for skin depigmentation disorder (2014)
  • Author(s): Lingli Yang, Mari Wataya-Kaneda, Fei Yang, Atsushi Tanemura, Noriko Arase, Ichiro Katayama
  • Organizer: IPCC 2014: XXII International Pigment Cell Conference
  • Place of Presentation: Singapore
  • Year and Date: 2014-09-04 – 2014-09-07