Filaggrin-2 is a member of the S100 fused-type
protein family, and the structural features and expression of filaggrin-2 are similar to those of
profilaggrin, a
protein essential for keratinization. In the present study, we investigated the expression profile of filaggrin-2 in patients with
skin diseases using
antibodies against the repetitive region of filaggrin-2. In tissue samples from patients with
skin diseases which are associated with a decrease in
filaggrin, including
ichthyosis vulgaris,
atopic dermatitis and
psoriasis vulgaris, the expression level of filaggrin-2 was markedly decreased compared to that in normal skin samples. In contrast, the expression of filaggrin-2 increased in parallel with that of
filaggrin in samples of tissue from patients with
skin diseases associated with hyperkeratosis, such as
lichen planus and
epidermolytic ichthyosis. Interestingly, filaggrin-2 signals were observed in slightly higher layers of the epidermis in comparison to those of
filaggrin. Similarly, the expression of filaggrin-2
proteins was induced slightly later than
filaggrin in the cultured keratinocytes. These findings suggest that filaggrin-2 may play an overlapping role with
filaggrin in epithelial cornification; however, it may also have a partially distinct role in the molecular processes of cornification.