Transcriptional responses of human epidermal keratinocytes to Oncostatin-M

Oncostatin-M (OsM) plays an important role in inflammatory and oncogenic processes in skin, including psoriasis and Kaposi sarcoma. However, the molecular responses to OsM in keratinocytes have not been explored in depth. Here we show the results of transcriptional profiling in OsM-treated primary human epidermal keratinocytes, using high-density DNA microarrays. We find that OsM strongly and specifically affects the expression of many genes, in particular those involved with innate immunity, angiogenesis, adhesion, motility, tissue remodeling, cell cycle and transcription. The timing of the responses to OsM comprises two waves, early at 1 h, and late at 48 h, with much fewer genes regulated in the intervening time points. Secreted cytokines and growth factors and their receptors, as well as nuclear transcription factors, are primary targets of OsM regulation, and these, in turn, effect the secondary changes.