Greig, Aina V. H.;
(2002)
Purinergic signalling in skin.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Purinergic receptors, which bind ATP, are expressed on human cutaneous keratinocytes. Previous work in rat epidermis suggested functional roles of purinergic receptors in the regulation of proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, for example P2X5 receptors were expressed on keratinocytes undergoing proliferation and differentiation, while P2X7 receptors were associated with apoptosis. In this thesis, the aim was to investigate the expression of purinergic receptors in human normal and pathological skin, where the balance between these processes is changed. A study was made of the expression of purinergic receptor subtypes in human adult and fetal skin. Functional studies using primary human keratinocyte cultures were performed, using specific agonists and antagonists to purinergic receptor subtypes. Purinergic signalling in non-melanoma skin cancer was investigated by immunohistochemical analysis of human basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas. A human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cell line (A431) was grown in culture. Specific agonists and antagonists to purinergic receptor subtypes were applied to these cells and changes in cell number were quantified. The expression of purinergic receptors in warts was investigated because of the relationship between human papilloma virus and the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas. Changes in purinergic receptor expression were examined in a rat model of normal and delayed wound healing. The possibility is raised that purinergic signalling within the skin may open the pathway for the development of new treatment modalities for skin cancers, wound healing and perhaps other skin diseases.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Purinergic signalling in skin |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Thesis digitised by ProQuest. |
| Keywords: | Biological sciences; Purinergic receptors |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10107263 |
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