RNAseq of epidermis reconstructed from TSG-6-/- and TSG-6+/+ immortalized N/TERT keratinocytes and stimulated or not with interleukins 4 and 13 for 48h

TNFα-stimulated gene 6 (TSG-6) is an anti-inflammatory protein. In human epidermis, TSG-6 is secreted in extracellular matrix where it interacts with hyaluronan (HA). However, their functions are not well understood. In this study, immortalized N/TERT keratinocytes were edited by CRISPR/Cas9, used to reconstruct in vitro epidermis (RHE) and stimulated or not with interleukins 4 and 13 for 48h to mimic atopic dermatitis (AD). Two TSG-6-/- clones (respectively TSG-6-/- (a) and TSG-6-/- (b)) harboring major deletions in both alleles were selected and compared to TSG-6+/+ cells. Epidermis reconstructed from TSG-6-/- (a) and TSG-6-/- (b) exhibit normal differentiation process and morphology but show an increased HA leakage in the underlying culture medium of both TSG-6-/- RHE compared to TSG-6+/+ tissues, especially in conditions that mimic AD. While IL-4/13 treatment of RHE induces regulation of genes associated with AD, the absence of TSG-6 don’t seem to show any major transcriptomic regulation.