For those wondering how to keep their skin young, scientists may
have found an answer in the form of a protein that encourages cell
competition.
The prosaically named COL17A1 might not sound like a fountain of
youth, but the new study suggests it does the heavy lifting when it
comes to keeping skin intact and unimpaired.
The protein works by encouraging cell competition, a key process to
maintain tissue fitness. That effectively “drives out” weaker cells
while encouraging replication of stronger ones.
But ageing results in a depletion of COL17A1, as do familiar enemies of youthful skin, like UV radiation.
And when that happens, weaker cells replicate, leaving the skin thinner, more prone to damage and slower to heal.
The research published Thursday in the journal Nature is based on
investigations using mice tails, which share many of the same
characteristics as human skin.
After confirming the importance of COL17A1, the team decided to
investigate whether they could stimulate the protein once it was
depleted — effectively looking for compounds that could kickstart the
anti-ageing process in skin.
They isolated two chemical compounds — Y27632 and apocynin — and tested both on skin cells, with positive results.
“Application of these drugs to full-thickness skin wounds significantly promoted wound repair,” the study said.
The two compounds point to ways of “facilitating skin regeneration and reducing skin ageing,” the study added.
In a review of the study commissioned by Nature, two professors from
the University of Colorado said cell competition had previously only
been studied extensively in fruit flies.
The research “provides evidence that healthy cells in mammals can
also efficiently repopulate adults tissues, replacing unfit or damaged
cells,” wrote professors Ganna Bilousova and James DeGregori.
And they said the research offered “proof-of-principle” that the two chemical compounds could combat ageing.
“Future studies are needed to determine the mechanisms of cell
competition in other tissues, and to identify compounds capable of
reversing ageing in other organs,” they said.
*AFP
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