S100 Calcium Binding Protein A15 (S100A15)

The human calcium-binding protein (hS100A15) was first identified in inflamed hyperplastic psoriatic skin, where the S100A15 gene is transcribed into two mRNA splice variants, hS100A15-S and hS100A15-L. In cultured keratinocytes, IL-1beta and Th1 cytokines significantly induced hS100A15-L compared with hS100A15-S. In contrast, Th2-derived cytokines had no influence on the expression of either hS100A15 splice variant. Differentiation of human keratinocytes induced by 1.2 mm calcium resulted in the upregulation of both hS100A15 mRNA isoforms. Overexpression of hS100A15 in chronic inflammatory skin diseases and regulation by inflammatory cytokines and calcium suggest that hS100A15 is involved in Th1-associated epithelial responses and epidermal maturation in normal and diseased human skin.