Nucleic Acid-Induced Chemokine Expression in Keratinocytes: Implications for Skin Inflammation

November 2025 in “ PLoS ONE ”

Judit Danis, E. Kelemen, Fanni Balogh, Kornélia Szabó, Gergely H. Fodor, Éva Ádám, Márta Széll

nucleic acids chemokine expression keratinocytes psoriasis atopic dermatitis vitiligo alopecia areata CCL2 CXCL10 CX3CL1 NF-κB pattern recognition receptors

Studysummary This study found that synthetic RNA and DNA trigger significant increases in certain chemokines in human keratinocytes, predominantly via NF-κB activation, without evidence of alternative splicing, suggesting other regulatory pathways may be involved. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

This study investigates the role of nucleic acids in inducing chemokine expression in keratinocytes, which has implications for skin inflammation. Researchers found that cytoplasmic nucleic acids significantly induce chemokines such as CCL2, CXCL10, and fractalkine through NF-κB activation. The study involved keratinocytes from 7 independent donors and showed that poly(I:C) and poly(dA:dT) transfections lead to elevated chemokine expression, with CXCL10 showing the highest increase. While alternative splicing of chemokines was explored, only the full-length variant of fractalkine was confirmed, suggesting other regulatory mechanisms. The study highlights the potential for targeting NF-κB and MAPK pathways as therapeutic strategies for inflammatory skin diseases.

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