Deciphering the Role of the Hexosamine Pathway in Skin Homeostasis

    October 2017 in “ ˜The œjournal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology ”
    Kira Allmeroth, Carlos Andrés Chacón‐Martínez, Moritz Horn, Yvonne Hinze, Sara A. Wickström, Martin S. Denzel
    TLDR The hexosamine pathway helps maintain healthy skin by affecting the skin's structure and possibly increasing hair follicle stem cells.
    The study explored the role of the hexosamine pathway (HP) in skin homeostasis, focusing on its impact on the extracellular matrix (ECM) and cellular functions. The HP generates aminosugars like UDP-GlcNAc, which are crucial for glycosylation processes. Activation of the HP was shown to improve protein homeostasis and extend lifespan in a nematode model. In skin, HP activation increased hyaluronic acid secretion, potentially enhancing ECM composition and stem cell function. The study also found that HP supplementation could increase hair follicle stem cells in vitro. Transgenic mice with conditional HP activation were developed to further investigate these molecular changes in vivo.
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