Gene expression profiling in the human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT exposed to urushiol isolated from sap of Korean lacquer tree (Rhus verniciflua Stokes)

Rims verniciflua Stokes (RVS) is a common poison ivy that causes allergy dermatitis. However, RVS has been widely used in Korea as a traditional food preservative and herb. RVS sensitization on skin involves the activation of Langerhans cells and keratinocytes, as well as T cell-mediated reaction. While keratinocytes are the first line of immune defense against injury and infection on the skin, there is barely documented about immune-related gene profiles of keratinocytes following RVS treatment To clarify this issue, we investigated the changes in gene expression in HaCaT cells upon stimulation of RVS extracts, either urushiol or non-urushiol (allergen-removed-extract: non-urushiol) by employing the Human Whole Genome Oligo 12-plex chip (44,049 elements). We identified 154 upregulated (P=0.0708) and 196 downregulated (P=0.021) genes that underwent a greater than 2-fold change in expression level from urushiol-treated HaCaT cells. In non-urushiol treated-HaCaT cells, we found 207 upregulated (P=0.00688) and 251 downregulated (P=0.00157) genes with a greater than 2-fold change in expression levels. Collectively, these data provides for the first time RVS-specific genes expression pattern corresponding to gene expression profiles. Our findings could help in understanding the mechanism by which RVS affects the skin.