| Abstract |
The human eccrine sweat gland is present on most body sites and is crucial
for thermoregulation. Yet, little is known on the mechanisms that govern
its function and its morphogenesis. The main reason for the lack in
research with regards to the human eccrine gland is the difficulty in
isolation and maintenance of the glands and cells in vitro. Only one other
cell line derived from the human eccrine gland has ever been reported, the
NCLSG3 cell line. NCL-SG3 cells do not however, function like native
eccrine secretory coil cells, and thus a better cell model was required.
In this project, a human eccrine secretory coil cell line, the EC23 cell
line, was developed, along with 8 clones derived from said cell line. EC23
cells and their clones express a panel of markers characteristic of the
human eccrine sweat gland secretory coil cells. Furthermore, calcium
fluxes can be elicited by cholinergic stimulation of the cells suggesting
retention of the native secretory cell phenotype unlike NCL-SG3 cells. The
EC23 cell line is also responsive to adrenergic stimuli to a higher degree
than NCL-SG3 cells, especially clone 2, however all the cell lines
responded significantly less than primary eccrine secretory coil cells
upon isoproterenol stimulation. It was also found that the mesenchyme has
a crucial effect in determining the formation of eccrine like down-growths
in Matrigel organotypic models seeded with EC23 cells, where organotypics
made with adult fibroblasts failed to form down-growths in comparison to
neonatal fibroblasts. Furthermore, the co-culture of EC23 cell with
keratinocytes enhanced the amount of downgrowth. EC23 cells have the
capacity to form branching structures that resemble native eccrine glands
in GFR Matrigel supplemented with EGF and EDA, and to a lesser extent BMP4.
In conclusion it was demonstrated that the EC23 cells can be used as a
model to study the human eccrine gland, in particular the secretory coil.
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