Signalling in inflammatory skin disease by AP-1 (Fos/Jun).

Skin inflammation is a physiological reaction to tissue injury, pathogen invasion and irritants. During this process, innate and/or adaptive immune cells are activated and recruited to the site of inflammation to either promote or suppress inflammation. The sequential recruitment and activation of immune cells is modulated by a combination of cytokines and chemokines, which are regulated by transcription factors, such as AP-1 (Fos/Jun), NF-κB, NFATs, and STATs. Here we review the present evidence and the underlying mechanisms of how Jun/AP-1 proteins control skin inflammation. Genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) in which AP-1 proteins are deleted in the epidermis have revealed that these proteins control cytokine expression at multiple levels. Constitutive epidermal deletion of JunB in mice leads to a multi-organ disease characterised by increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. These JunB-deficient mutant mice display several phenotypes from skin inflammation to a G-CSF-dependent myeloproliferative disease, as well as kidney atrophy and bone loss, reminiscent of psoriasis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Importantly, epidermal deletion of both JunB and c-Jun in an inducible manner in adult mice leads to a psoriasis-like disease, in which the epidermal proteome expression profile is comparable to the one from psoriasis patient samples. In this GEMM and in psoriasis patient-derived material, S100A8/A9-dependent C3/CFB complement activation, as well as a miR-21-dependent TIMP-3/TACE pathway leading to TNF-α shedding, plays causal roles in disease development. The newly identified therapeutic targets from GEMMs together with investigations in human patient samples open up new avenues for therapeutic interventions for psoriasis and related inflammatory skin diseases.