Fig. 4: SLC35E1 regulates zinc ion concentrations and localization in keratinocytes.
From: SLC35E1 promotes keratinocyte proliferation in psoriasis by regulating zinc homeostasis
A–E RNA sequencing of the epidermis of wild-type (WT) (n = 2), knockout (KO) (n = 2), WT+ imiquimod (IMQ) (n = 2), and KO + IMQ (n = 2) mice. A Principal component analysis of the transcriptome of epidermal cells from the WT group (green dots), KO group (red dots), WT + IMQ group (violet dots), and KO + IMQ group (blue dots). B Volcano plots showing the log2 fold-change (FC) (vertical gray lines) and the nominal q-value (gray horizontal line) for all the transcripts detected by the RNA-Seq in the WT + IMQ versus KO + IMQ group comparison. Gray dots indicate transcripts not significantly changed, blue dots represent transcripts with FC < 2, and red dots represent transcripts with FC > 2. C Heatmap of differentially expressed genes based on the RNA-Seq data. D Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) of differentially expressed genes in the KO + IMQ group relative to the WT + IMQ group in human psoriatic skin (GSE54456). E Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes in the KO + IMQ group versus the WT + IMQ group. The size indicates the gene numbers and the color corresponds to the P-value. F SLC35E1 deficiency increases the zinc ion concentration in keratinocytes. Top: The zinc ion concentration was detected by flow cytometry after the separation of epidermal cells from WT (n = 3), KO (n = 3), WT + IMQ (n = 3), and KO + IMQ (n = 3) mice. Bottom: The zinc ion concentration was detected by flow cytometry 48 h after siRNA transfection into HaCat and Normal Human Epidermal Keratinocytes (NHEKs). G Zinc ion localization was changed after the knockdown of SLC35E1. Zinc ions were fluorescently stained after the transfection of siRNAs targeting SLC35E1 into NHEKs. H SLC35E1 partially co-localizes with zinc ions around the nucleus. NHEKs were transfected with the HA-tagged SLC35E1 eukaryotic expression vector followed by co-staining for the HA tag and zinc ions. Data are presented as means ± SEM; *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001.
