Significance of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated signaling in human keratinocytes

✍ Scribed by Walter K. Nahm; Benjamin D. Philpot; Michelle M. Adams; Evangelos V. Badiavas; Linda H. Zhou; Janet Butmarc; Mark F. Bear; Vincent Falanga

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 445 KB
• Volume: 200
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9541
• DOI: 10.1002/jcp.20010

✦ Synopsis

Increasing data suggest that glutamate might act as a cell-signaling molecule in non-neuronal tissues such as the skin. Here we demonstrate the presence of functional N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptors in human keratinocytes. NMDA receptor expression strongly reflects the degree of cell-to-cell contact. Wounding polarizes the expression of NMDA receptors in keratinocytes involved in re-epithelialization, and the process of re-epithelialization is inhibited by NMDA receptor activation. We also demonstrate that squamous cell carcinomas lack NMDA receptors. Our data suggest that Ca2+ entry through NMDA receptors influences the cycle of keratinocyte proliferation, differentiation, and migration during epithelialization. Moreover, NMDA receptor activation might play a role in contact-mediated inhibition of growth, a process that is absent during neoplastic pathology. This receptor may serve as a pharmacological target for modulating keratinocyte behavior and treating cutaneous disorders.