Gene expression analysis of an epidermolysis bullosa simplex Dowling-Meara cell line by subtractive hybridization: recapitulation of cellular differentiation, migration and wound healing.

An intact keratin 5/keratin 14 intermediate filament cytoskeleton is vital for the integrity of basal keratinocytes and for the development and maintenance of epidermal structures. In patients with epidermolysis bullosa simplex Dowling-Meara (EBS-DM), heterozygous mutations in the keratin 14 gene in keratinocytes cause a cytoskeletal collapse leading to fragile cells susceptible to cellular stress. The primary aim of this work was to extend analysis of differentially expressed genes in an EBS-DM model cell line to obtain insights into the molecular consequences resulting from the keratin 14 mutation. In a first step, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), a powerful technology to enrich for differentially expressed genes, was used to identify genes whose up-regulation may be a direct or indirect result of the keratin 14 mutation, R125P. We discovered 55 candidate genes (SSH genes) that were further analysed by RTq-PCR. Of the 55 SSH genes, 14 (25.45%) were found to be congruently up-regulated. Bioinformatic analysis revealed significant enrichment of genes regulating epidermal development, migration, apoptosis and wound healing.