22Tissue homeostasis requires regulation of cell-cell communication, which relies on signaling 23 molecules and cell contacts. In skin epidermis, keratinocytes secrete specific factors transduced 24 by melanocytes into signaling cues to promote their pigmentation and dendrite outgrowth, while 25 melanocytes transfer melanin pigments to keratinocytes to convey skin photoprotection. How 26 epidermal cells integrate these functions remains poorly characterized. Here, we found that 27 caveolae polarize in melanocytes and are particularly abundant at melanocyte-keratinocyte 28 interface. Caveolae in melanocytes are sensitive to ultra-violet radiations and miRNAs released 29 by keratinocytes. Preventing caveolae formation in melanocytes results in increased production 30 of intracellular cAMP and melanin pigments, but decreases cell protrusions, cell-cell contacts, 31 pigment transfer and epidermis pigmentation. Altogether, our data establish that, in 32 melanocytes, caveolae serve as key molecular hubs that couple signaling outputs from 33 keratinocytes to mechanical plasticity. This process is crucial to maintain cell-cell contacts and 34 intercellular communication, skin pigmentation and tissue homeostasis.
84Epidermal melanocytes and keratinocytes are in constant communication, not only via secreted 85 factors and exosomes that modulate cellular responses, but also by the physical contacts they 86 establish to maintain the tissue homeostasis and pigmentation. Here, we report a new function 87 for caveolae, which, by integrating the biochemical and mechanical behavior of melanocytes, 88 control melanin transfer to keratinocytes and epidermis pigmentation. Altogether, this study 89 provides the first evidence for a physiologic role of caveolae as a molecular sensing platform 90 required for the homeostasis of the largest human tissue, the skin epidermis. 91 5 Results 92 Caveolae polarize in melanocytes and are positively-regulated by keratinocytes-secreted 93 factors 94Melanocytes and keratinocytes establish a complex intercellular dialogue required for skin 95 photoprotection. 2D-co-culture systems, where these two cell types share the same medium,
96have been widely used to study intercellular communication and pigment transfer between 97 epidermal cells (Hirobe, 2005; Lei et al., 2002). To evaluate the distribution of caveolae within 98 the epidermal unit in 2D, normal human melanocytes and keratinocytes were co-cultured and 99 labelled for the two constituents of caveolae, Cav1 or Cavin1. Immunofluorescence microscopy 100 revealed that both Cav1 and Cavin1, and therefore caveolae, were asymmetrically distributed in 101 melanocytes (Figures 1A and B), which were identified by the abundant staining of the 102 premelanosome protein PMEL [hereafter referred as melanin, see Experimental Procedures; 103 (Raposo et al., 2001)]. This polarization was not observed in keratinocytes.104 Cells can break their symmetry in response to local external chemical and/or mechanical cues 105 such as signaling molecules and/or cell-ce...