Objective To detect differentially expressed genes between human normal skin and photoaging skin, and to investigate the molecular and biological mechanisms of human skin photoaging at transcriptional level. Methods Full-thickness skin specimens were obtained during full-face rhytidectomy from sun-exposed (anterior ear skin) and sun-protected (retroauricular skin) sites of 6 patients with facial photoaging from 2007 to 2008. Genomic microarray analysis was conducted to identify differentially expressed genes between the two groups of specimens followed by gene-cluster analysis. Results The normalization of microarray data showed that the number of differentially expressed genes was 2163 between skin samples from sun-exposed and sun-protected sites in one patient, significantly higher than that in the other 5 patients (less than 200);therefore, the data from the patient with 2163 differentially expressed genes were excluded from further analysis.Totally, 172 differentially expressed genes were identified with Beadarray chip, including 99 up-regulated genes and 73 down-regulated genes. Based on Genebank research, 118 functionally classified genes werefound, which were associated with a series of biological processes, including cell adhesion, receptor regulation,signal transduction, metabolism, and so on. Conclusions There are a lot of differentially expressed genes between human photoaging skin and normal skin. Rhytidectomy may be associated with the differential expression of skin photoaging-related genes.

OBJECTIVEEstrogens play an important role in intrinsic skin aging. The associated changes in global gene expression are poorly understood.

METHODSWe used the Illumina microarray platform to obtain comprehensive gene expression profiles in female Chinese Han skin, and confirmed the data by quantitative real-time PCR (Q-RT-PCR).

RESULTSWe found 244 genes significantly related to estrogen-associated intrinsic skin aging, and some of these genes were confirmed by Q-RT-PCR. We also performed functional analysis by both Gene Ontology annotation and enrichment of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways database. The functional analysis revealed 11 biological pathways (including the KEGG pathways, the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway and metabolic pathways), that were associated with multiple cellular functions which may be involved in intrinsic skin aging.

CONCLUSIONThis study suggests that estrogen-associated intrinsic skin aging is a complicated biological process involving many genes and pathways.

Aging ; physiology ; China ; ethnology ; Estrogens ; metabolism ; Female ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation ; physiology ; Humans ; Menopause ; Middle Aged ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; methods ; RNA ; genetics ; metabolism ; Skin ; metabolism