Severe Abnormalities in the Oral Mucosa Induced by Suprabasal Expression of Epidermal Keratin K10 in Transgenic Mice

The study investigated the effects of suprabasal expression of epidermal keratin K10 in transgenic mice, revealing severe abnormalities in the oral mucosa, specifically in the tongue and palate, but not in other K6-expressing tissues like the esophagus, nails, and hair follicles. These abnormalities included cytolysis of epithelial suprabasal cells, acute inflammatory response, and lymphocyte infiltration, leading to the death of transgenic pups likely due to impaired suckling. The findings suggested that the specific composition of the keratin intermediate filament cytoskeleton significantly impacted the physiology of epithelial cells, particularly in the oral mucosa, and highlighted the importance of regulated keratin gene expression patterns. These results were reminiscent of lesions in pachyonychia congenita, a condition associated with keratin mutations, although no epithelial fragility was observed in the study's mice.