The crosstalk of monocyte-neutrophil in hair follicles regulates neutrophil transepidermal migration in contact dermatitis

Abstract The excessive accumulation of neutrophils within the epidermis is a significant hallmark of cutaneous diseases; however, the mechanisms governing neutrophil transepidermal migration (NTEM) remain inadequately understood. In this study, we develop trichromatic-fluorescence-labeled chimeric m...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zhan Fan, Yilun Xu, Yafang Lu, Xinlin Li, Mengli Xu, Jinxin Liu, Zhenzhen Cai, Jiayang Liu, Jingping Su, Jialu Wang, Qingming Luo, Zhihong Zhang, Zheng Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Communications Biology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07960-w
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract The excessive accumulation of neutrophils within the epidermis is a significant hallmark of cutaneous diseases; however, the mechanisms governing neutrophil transepidermal migration (NTEM) remain inadequately understood. In this study, we develop trichromatic-fluorescence-labeled chimeric mice by utilizing Cx3cr1 GFP/+ Lyz2 RFP/+ mice as bone marrow donors and Krt14YFP/+ mice as recipients. This approach enables us to visualize the process of NTEM and the crosstalk between neutrophils and monocytes in a murine model of irritant contact dermatitis (ICD). Intravital imaging reveals a preferential transmigration of neutrophils through hair follicle (HF), where dermal neutrophils exhibit limited mobility and interact with dermal monocytes. Notably, 18 h following hapten exposure, dermal neutrophils continuously migrate toward HF regions and form clusters within 3 h. Importantly, MMP-9 is identified as essential for the NTEM process; the depletion of dermal monocytes results in a significant reduction of MMP-9 expression in the skin and inhibits the NTEM process in ICD. Mechanistically, dermal monocytes are found to be a crucial source of the cytokines TNF-α and CXCL2, which promote the upregulation of MMP-9 in neutrophils. Therefore, our results highlight HF regions as crucial gateways for dermal monocyte-modulated NTEM and provide visual insights into the crosstalk between neutrophils and monocytes in inflammatory skin disorders.
ISSN:2399-3642