Keratinocytes as Depository of Ammonium-Inducible Glutamine Synthetase: Age- and Anatomy-Dependent Distribution in Human and Rat Skin

    February 2009 in “ PLoS ONE ”
    Lusine Danielyan, Sebastian Zellmer, Stefan Sickinger, Genrich V. Tolstonog, Jürgen Salvetter, Ali Lourhmati, Dieter Reißig, Cristoph H. Gleiter, Rolf Gebhardt, Gayane Hrachia Buniatian
    The study investigated the distribution and regulation of glutamine synthetase (GS) in human and rat skin, focusing on age and regional differences. GS, crucial for glutamine production, was found to co-localize with astrocyte-specific proteins and was prominently present in the epidermis of young skin, with reduced and varied distribution in older skin. The study revealed that GS activity in keratinocytes increased 8-10 fold in response to ammonium ions, despite no change in expression levels, indicating a posttranscriptional regulation mechanism. This suggests that the skin acts as a significant reservoir of GS, essential for maintaining the epidermal barrier and responding to conditions like hyperammonemia.
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