Study reveals protein that keeps skin youthful

Beauty may be just a deep skin, but for those who are wondering how to keep this skin young, scientists may have found an answer in the form of a protein that encourages cell competition.

The prosaically named COL17A1 might not seem to be a fountain of youth, but the new study suggests that it does the hard work to keep the skin intact and intact.

The protein works by encouraging cell competition, a key process for maintaining tissue shape. This effectively "hunt" weaker cells while encouraging stronger cell replication.

But aging causes exhaustion of COL17A1, as do familiar enemies of young skin, such as UV rays.

And when this happens, the weaker cells replicate, leaving the skin thinner, more prone to damage, and slower to heal.

Research published Thursday in the newspaper Nature is based on investigations using mouse tails, which share many of the same characteristics as human skin.

After confirming the importance of COL17A1, the team decided to study the possibility of stimulating the protein once it is exhausted, by effectively looking for compounds capable of reviving the anti-aging process of the skin.

They isolated two chemical compounds – Y27632 and apocynin – and tested both on skin cells, with positive results.

"The application of these drugs on full-thickness skin wounds has greatly promoted wound repair," the study said.

Both compounds suggest ways to "facilitate skin regeneration and reduce skin aging," the study added.

In a review of the study commissioned by Nature, two professors at the University of Colorado, said inter-cell competition had only been the subject of many studies on fruit flies.

The research "proves that healthy mammalian cells can also effectively repopulate adult tissues, replacing unsuitable or damaged cells," wrote professors Ganna Bilousova and James DeGregori.

And they said that the research offered a "proof of principle" that both chemical compounds could combat aging.

"Future studies are needed to determine the mechanisms of cellular competition in other tissues and to identify compounds that can reverse aging in other organs," they said.

© 2019 AFP