Human cutaneous interfollicular melanocytes differentiate temporarily under genotoxic stress.

DNA-damage response of cutaneous interfollicular melanocytes to fractionated radiotherapy was investigated by immunostaining of tissue sections from punch biopsies collected before, during, and after the treatment of patients for breast cancer. Our clinical assay with sterilized hair follicles, excluded the migration of immature melanocytes from the bulge, and highlighted interfollicular melanocytes as an autonomous self-renewing population. About thirty percent are immature. Surrounding keratinocytes induced and maintained melanocyte differentiation as long as treatment was ongoing. Concomitant with differentiation, melanocytes were protected from apoptosis by transient upregulation of Bcl-2 and CXCR2. CXCR2 upregulation also indicated the instigation of premature senescence, preventing proliferation. The stem cell factor BMI1 was constitutively expressed exclusively in interfollicular melanocytes and further upregulated upon irradiation. BMI1 prevents apoptosis, terminal differentiation, and premature senescence, allowing dedifferentiation post-treatment, by suppressing the p53/p21-and p16-mediated response and upregulating CXCR2 to genotoxic damage. The pre-treatment immature subset of interfollicular melanocytes was restored after the exposure ended.

Epidermal Keratinocyte Depletion during Five Weeks of Radiotherapy is Associated with DNA Double-Strand Break Foci, Cell Growth Arrest and Apoptosis: Evidence of Increasing Radioresponsiveness and Lack of Repopulation; the Number of Melanocytes Remains Unchanged.

During fractionated radiotherapy, epithelial cell populations are thought to decrease initially, followed by accelerated repopulation to compensate cell loss. However, previous findings in skin with daily 1.1 Gy dose fractions indicate continued and increasing cell depletion. Here we investigated epidermal keratinocyte response with daily 2 Gy fractions as well as accelerated and hypofractionation. Epidermal interfollicular melanocytes were also assessed. Skin-punch biopsies were collected from breast cancer patients before, during and after mastectomy radiotherapy to the thoracic wall with daily 2 Gy fractions for 5 weeks. In addition, 2.4 Gy radiotherapy four times per week and 4 Gy fractions twice per week for 5 weeks, and two times 2 Gy daily for 2.5 weeks, were used. Basal keratinocyte density of the interfollicular epidermis was determined and immunostainings of keratinocytes for DNA double-strand break (DSB) foci, growth arrest, apoptosis and mitosis were quantified. In addition, interfollicular melanocytes were counted. Initially minimal keratinocyte loss was observed followed by pronounced depletion during the second half of treatment and full recovery at 2 weeks post treatment. DSB foci per cell peaked towards the end of treatment. p21-stained cell counts increased during radiotherapy, especially the second half. Apoptotic frequency was low throughout radiotherapy but increased at treatment end. Mitotic cell count was significantly suppressed throughout radiotherapy and did not recover during weekend treatment gaps, but increased more than threefold compared to unexposed skin 2 weeks post-radiotherapy. The number of melanocytes remained constant over the study period. Germinal keratinocyte loss rate increased gradually during daily 2 Gy fractions for 5 weeks, and similarly for hypofractionation. DSB foci number after 2 Gy irradiation revealed an initial radioresistance followed by increasing radiosensitivity. Growth arrest mediated by p21 strongly suggests that cells within or recruited into the cell cycle during treatment are at high risk of loss and do not contribute significantly to repopulation. It is possible that quiescent (G0) cells at treatment completion accounted for the accelerated post-treatment repopulation. Recent knowledge of epidermal tissue regeneration and cell cycle progression during genotoxic and mitogen stress allows for a credible explanation of the current finding. Melanocytes were radioresistant regarding cell depletion.

UV-Radiation Response Proteins Reveal Undifferentiated Cutaneous Interfollicular Melanocytes with Hyperradiosensitivity to Differentiation at 0.05 Gy Radiotherapy Dose Fractions.

To date, the response activated in melanocytes by repeated genotoxic insults from radiotherapy has not been explored. We hypothesized that the molecular pathways involved in the response of melanocytes to ionizing radiation and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) are similar. Skin punch biopsies, not sun-exposed, were collected from prostate cancer patients before, as well as at 1 and 6.5 weeks after daily doses of 0.05-1.1 Gy. Interfollicular melanocytes were identified by ΔNp63- and eosin-periodic acid Schiff staining. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were performed to detect molecular markers of the melanocyte lineage. Melanocytes were negative for ΔNp63, and the number remained unchanged over the treatment period. At radiation doses as low as 0.05 Gy, melanocytes express higher protein levels of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) and Bcl-2. Subsets of MITF- and Bcl-2-negative melanocytes were identified among interfollicular melanocytes in unexposed skin; the cell number in both subsets was reduced after irradiation in a way that indicates low-dose hyperradiosensitivity. A corresponding increase in MITF- and Bcl-2-positive cells was observed. PAX3 and SOX10 co-localized to some extent with MITF in unexposed skin, more so with radiation exposure. Low doses of ionizing radiation also intensified c-KIT and DCT staining. Nuclear p53 and p21 were undetectable in melanocytes. Apoptosis and proliferation could not be observed. In conclusion, undifferentiated interfollicular melanocytes were identified, and responded with differentiation in a hypersensitive manner at 0.05 Gy doses. Radioresistance regarding cell death was maintained up to fractionated doses of 1.1 Gy, applied for 7 weeks. The results suggest that the initial steps of melanin synthesis are common to ionizing radiation and UVR, and underline the importance of keratinocyte-melanocyte interaction behind hyperpigmentation and depigmentation to radiotherapy.