The impact of intrinsic ageing on the protein composition of the dermal-epidermal junction

The dermal-epidermal junction of human skin exhibits age-related remodelling, resulting in a flattened appearance and reduced surface area. Despite this, a paucity of information is available regarding which protein components change with advancing age. Here we report a significant reduction in the protein distribution of collagen IV (P < 0.0001), collagen VII (P < 0.001), collagen XVII (P < 0.01), integrin β4 (P < 0.001) and laminin-332 (P < 0.0001) in intrinsically aged skin. The functional implication of this altered protein composition appears to be loss of structural integrity and may, in part, explain the increased fragility of aged skin.