Skin proteomics – analysis of the extracellular matrix in health and disease

Jörn Dengjel 1 , Leena Bruckner-Tuderman 2 , Alexander Nyström 2

¹ Department of Biology, University of Fribourg , Fribourg, Switzerland.

² Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg , Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany Germany.

Introduction: The skin protects the human body from external insults and regulates water and temperature homeostasis. A highly developed extracellular matrix (ECM) supports the skin and instructs its cell functions. Reduced functionality of the ECM is often associated with skin diseases that cause physical impairment and also have implications on social interactions and quality of life of affected individuals.

Areas covered: With a focus on the skin ECM we discuss how mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomic approaches first contributed to establishing skin protein inventories and then facilitated elucidation of molecular functions and disease mechanisms.

Expert opinion: MS-based proteomic approaches have significantly contributed to our understanding of skin pathophysiology, but also revealed the challenges in assessing the skin ECM.