Author: Bolysbek Dana
Editor: Anastasia Merentsova
Acne is the most common skin disease that affects about 650 million people worldwide. It usually appears as pimples on the face and other parts of the body. Acne is associated with excessive sebum production, blockage of hair follicles, bacterial infections, and hormone release during adolescence. It can be treated with a variety of over-the-counter medications, none of which is considered a panacea.
In a paper published in the journal Nature Communications, the team describes the link between people whose skin produces less of the GATA6 protein and acne.
GATA6 is expressed in the epidermal cells lining the hair follicle and the sebaceous glands. From previous studies, it was known that this is the "zinc finger" transcription factor, and it plays a role in cell differentiation.
The study included collecting a skin biopsy micro-preparation from nine acne patients and five people with healthy skin. By studying skin samples, the researchers found that patients with acne had reduced GATA6 expression. On closer examination, they found that GATA6 is involved in controlling a variety of physiological processes as part of the homeostasis of the pilosebacial unit (hair follicle). One such process involves the production and differentiation of keratinocytes, which are the primary and most common cells found in the outer layer of the skin.
They also found that GATA6 is expressed by retinoic acid, which is commonly used in the treatment of acne.
The researchers also created skin models and used them to learn more about signaling pathways and ways in which GATA6 can work to reduce pore blockage.They say their work can be applied to research related to the development of new acne treatments.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-10-patients-acne-protein-gata6.html
