Auf1/Hnrnpd-Deficient Mice Develop Pruritic Inflammatory Skin Disease

Mice lacking heterogenous nuclear ribonuclear protein D (Hnrnpd), also known as Auf1, a regulator of inflammatory cytokine mRNA stability, develop chronic dermatitis with age that is characterized by pruritis and excoriations. Histological analysis showed marked epidermal acanthosis and spongiosis, neovascularization, and elevated number of inflammatory cells, including T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, mast cells, and eosinophils. Hnrnpd-deficient (Hnrnpdtm1Rjsc) mice with dermatitis display elevated serum IgE levels. Lesions in Hnrnpdtm1Rjsc mice were associated with a shift towards a Th2 immune environment. Evaluation of T-cell-mediated skin inflammation by assaying contact hypersensitivity indicated an increased response in Hnrnpdtm1Rjsc mice. T cells and macrophages from Hnrnpdtm1Rjsc mice demonstrate a number of abnormalities associated with dermatitis, including increased IL2, tumor-necrosis factor-α (TNFα), and IL1β production. Finally, many features of spontaneous dermatitis could be recapitulated in experimentally induced lesions by subcutaneous injection of CCL27 and TNF in unaffected Hnrnpdtm1Rjsc mice. Collectively, these data highlight the importance of HNRNPD and proper regulation of mRNA stability in the intricate processes of leukocyte recruitment and inflammatory activation within the skin.