Fig. 2: TRPV3 deficiency impairs the effect of citronellal on skin renewal.

a Responses of primary cultured keratinocytes from Trpv3^−/− mice were consecutively challenged with citronellal and ionomycin in the presence of 1.8 mM Ca²⁺ or free Ca²⁺, as indicated. Scale bars represent 60 μm. b Time courses of the relative change of fluorescence were plotted from the images shown in (a). n = 36 cells for 1.8 mM Ca²⁺ condition, n = 37 cells for 0 mM Ca²⁺ condition. c Representative whole-cell recordings from a Trpv3^+/+ keratinocyte and a Trpv3^−/− keratinocyte showing the responses to varying concentrations of citronellal. Holding potential was −60 mV. The dotted line indicates the zero current level. d Dose-response curves of citronellal in Trpv3^+/+ keratinocytes (n = 6 cells) and Trpv3^−/− keratinocytes (n = 7 cells). Fitting by Hill’s equation yielded an EC₅₀ = 5.46 ± 0.27 mM and n_H = 3.92 ± 0.63 for Trpv3^+/+ keratinocytes. e Representative images of H&E-stained skin sections obtained from Trpv3^−/− mice that were topically treated with either citronellal (1%) or vehicle for a period of 3 weeks. Scale bars represent 100 μm. f Average plot of the effects of citronellal on epidermal and dermal thickness in Trpv3^−/− mice. n = 5 or 6 mice/group. g Representative immunostaining images of keratin14 in skin sections obtained from Trpv3^−/− mice that were topically treated with 1% citronellal or vehicle for 3 weeks. Scale bars represent 100 μm. h Statistical plot of the effects of citronellal on keratin14 and keratin10 in skin sections derived from Trpv3^−/− mice. n = 5 or 6 mice/group. qRT-PCR analysis of TGF-α (i), TGF-β (j), VEGF (k) and TIMP1 gene expression in skin samples obtained from WT and Trpv3^−/− mice treated with vehicle or 1% citronellal for 3 weeks. n = 5 or 6 mice/group. Two-tailed unpaired t-tests were used for statistical analysis in (f), (h), (i), (j), (k) and (l). Data are presented as mean ± SEM; *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, n.s stands for not significant.