Modeling the human lip using lip-derived cells
To provide the scientific community with the most clinically relevant study tool and to better understand lip epithelial biology, we aim to establish 3D human lip models using primary keratinocytes. So far, such a system is not available which is due to the lack of human lip tissue and the complex anatomical structure of lip tissue.
We isolate primary lip keratinocytes from surplus lip tissue that has to be excised during routine surgical cleft lip repair. This tissue is otherwise discarded but provides us with the ideal source for lip keratinocyte extractions. The human lip is a complex anatomical structure and represents a mucocutaneous junction where labial skin transitions into the oral mucosa (Figure 1). Consequently, an optimal lip model should be compromised of labial skin and oral mucosal keratinocytes that meet in a transition zone. For this purpose, immunohistochemical analyses are of utmost importance as they allow the distinction of keratinizing skin lip keratinocytes from non-keratinizing mucosal keratinocytes.
With the funding provided by the Berne University Research Foundation, we purchased a reliable and temperature-monitoring laboratory-grade microwave oven (Figure 2A) as well as a universal oven (Figure 2B). This equipment is used to establish our own in-house immunohistochemical setup, which enables us to reproducibly stain limited amounts of lip tissues and 3D culture models. It enables us to maintain a standardized immunohistochemistry protocol of both high quality and safety standards, which should guarantee the integrity of the whole project. While the temperature-controlled microwave oven is routinely used in the laboratory to perform heat-induced antigen retrieval, the oven allows us to conduct key steps involved in the paraffin embedding process. Together, these instruments facilitate the whole staining process and represent an important improvement of both safety and quality in our laboratory.
We sincerely thank the Berne University Research Foundation for its valuable support of this work.
PD Dr. Martin Degen
Laboratory for Oral Molecular Biology
Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
zmk bern