"Cholinergic Regulation of Skin Antimicrobial Responses in Models of Injury and Infection"
Speaker: Katherine A. Radek, PhD - Loyola University Chicago
Host: Melissa Brown, PhD
TOPIC
The Radek laboratory focuses on how epidermal cholinergic signaling controls antimicrobial responses in the skin. The pathways by which skin antimicrobial responses are induced have been more thoroughly investigated, while those mechanisms which suppress them have not been fully elucidated. We established that activation of keratinocyte nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), specifically CHRNA7, dampens antimicrobial responses in several models of skin bacterial infection and wound healing. This suggests that CHRNA7 could be a novel target to boost skin antimicrobial responses as a means to improve infection and wound healing outcomes.