Please cite this paper as: T‐lymphocyte‐induced, fas‐mediated apoptosis is associated with early keratinocyte differentiation. Experimental Dermatology 2009.

Abstract:  The development of eczematous lesions is thought to be due in part to a breakdown in skin barrier function as a result of T lymphocytes (T cells) invading the skin causing epidermal keratinocyte apoptosis. In this study, we investigated the interaction of T cells and keratinocytes on apoptosis and terminal differentiation using an in vitro co‐culture system. Experiments were performed using the HaCaT keratinocyte cell line or normal human epidermal keratinocytes. Activated human peripheral blood‐derived T cells were found to induce Fas‐dependent keratinocyte apoptosis by up to sixfold. Increased Fas was associated with increased IFN‐γ. The T‐cell apoptotic signal was found to target preferentially keratinocytes in the very early stages of terminal differentiation, such as those with low levels of α6‐integrin expression, and result in subsequent increased caspase 3 activity. This observation was accompanied by a marked increase in keratinocyte ICAM‐1 expression and its ligand LFA‐1 on T cells. Our data suggest that T cells may initiate the onset of keratinocyte terminal differentiation making them more susceptible to Fas‐dependent cell death signals delivered by the T cells.