Journal
JOURNAL OF AUTOIMMUNITY
Volume 34, Issue 3, Pages J247-J257Publisher
ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2009.11.011
Keywords
Ultraviolet radiation; Skin; Phototoxic reaction; Photoallergic reaction; Phototherapy; Autoimmunity
Categories
Funding
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute Funding Source: Medline
- NIAID NIH HHS [K08 AI075029-02, K08 AI075029] Funding Source: Medline
- NIAMS NIH HHS [R03 AR059312] Funding Source: Medline
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Ultraviolet (UV) light is intricately linked to the functional status of the cutaneous immune system. In susceptible individuals, UV radiation can ignite pathogenic inflammatory pathways leading to allergy or autoimmunity. In others, this same UV radiation can be used as a phototherapy to suppress pathogenic cutaneous immune responses. These vastly different properties are a direct result of UV light's ability to ionize molecules in the skin and thereby chemically alter them. Sometimes these UV-induced chemical reactions are essential, the formation of pre-vitamin D(3) from 7-dehydrocholesterol, for example. In other instances they can be potentially detrimental. UV radiation can ionize a cell's DNA causing adjacent pyrimidine bases to chemically bond to each other. To prevent malignant transformation, a cell may respond to this UV-induced DNA damage by undergoing apoptosis. Although this pathway prevents skin cancer it also has the potential of inducing or exacerbating autoreactive immune responses by exposing the cell's nuclear antigens. Ultaviolet-induced chemical reactions can activate the immune system by a variety of other mechanisms as well. In response to UV irradiation keratinocytes secrete cytokines and chemokines, which activate and recruit leukocytes to the skin. In some individuals UV-induced chemical reactions can synthesize novel antigens resulting in a photoallergy. Alternatively, photosensitizing molecules can damage cells by initiating sunburn-like phototoxic reactions. Herein we review all types of UV-induced skin reactions, especially those involving the immune system. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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