Conversion of xanthine dehydrogenase to xanthine oxidase occurs during keratinocyte differentiation: modulation by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate.

The distributions of xanthine dehydrogenase (XD) and xanthine oxidase (XO) in subpopulations of murine keratinocytes differing in their stages of terminal differentiation were determined by enzymatic analyses. Keratinocytes were isolated from the skins of female SENCAR mice that had been treated 72 h earlier with either acetone or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). The ratio of XO/(XD + XO) specific activities was used as an index of the XD to XO conversion. The XO/(XD + XO) ratios for basal cell, suprabasal cell, granular cell plus squamae, and horny sheet preparations isolated from acetone- or TPA-treated mice were 0.35, 0.35, 0.45, 0.75 and 0.28, 0.29, 0.58, and 1.0, respectively. Total XD + XO and XO specific activities in each subpopulation derived from TPA-treated mice were approximately twice the values measured in their control counterparts. Suspension culturing of basal cell keratinocytes in methylcellulose induced terminal differentiation and a conversion of XD to XO. The kinetics of keratin disulfide crosslinking and the XD to XO conversion were similar and preceded cornification. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that the conversion of XD to XO occurs primarily during the later stages of keratinocyte terminal differentiation. Furthermore, the increases in XO activity measured in epidermal homogenates after TPA treatment are due to TPA-dependent increases in 1) the relative proportions of keratinocytes undergoing differentiation, 2) tissue XD content, and 3) increased conversion of XD to XO.