The osmolyte strategy of ageing skin

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Skin provides a barrier between the entire body and the outside world that prevents uncontrolled water loss. Without skin, life as a terrestrial organism would be impossible because water would continually leave the skin to the outside environment. Although the structural components within skin regulating water loss are well characterised, the cellular mechanisms regulating water homeostasis within epidermal skin cells - keratinocytes - have yet to be fully explored.One mechanism by which skin cells control their homeostasis is the transport of organic osmolytes into the cytoplasm in response to water stress. Osmolytes also have other functions besides preservation of water including stabilisation of protein structure and antioxidant effects which are all fundamental to overall cellular health.Dehydration of the skin is common in ageing, leading to xerosis and inflammation. Our hypothesis is that during the process of ageing, the skin loses the ability to either synthesise or transport osmolytes. This may also be true for other less accessible organs as the ability to regulate cell water content is fundamental to all organ systems. In this project, we will characterise the expression and distribution of osmolyte transporters in aged versus young human skin and investigate the effects of specific osmolytes on cell volume control, redox balance and protein stability within keratinocytes cultured from aged and young individuals. This project may shed light on some of the mechanisms underlying one aspect of ageing, i.e. loss of hydration.Reference: El Chami et al (2011) Experimental Dermatology 23(8) 534-7