Impact of sex hormones in gene and protein expression of PTGS2/Cox-2, RNASEL/RNase-L and miR-146a in skin cells

Immunity and inflammatory pathways are important in the genesis of cancers, including skin cancer. Functional genetic variation in immune and inflammatory modulators has the potential to affect disease predisposition. Epigenetics also plays an important role in melanoma development and progression.Sex is a genetic factor involved in melanoma skin cancer, in particularly sex hormones can influence in development, survival, progression of this type of cancer. In the present study, we investigate if gene and protein expression of PTGS2/COX-2, RNASEL/RNase-L and miR-146a expression are differently affected by sex hormones in skin cells. The effect of 17β-estradiol or testosterone in melanoma cells, keratinocyte cells and primary fibroblasts was analyzed. The eventuality miR-146a regulation upon PTGS2 or RNASEL 3’UTR genes expression was tested in keratinocyte cells.