Fibulin-5, an integrin-binging matricellular protein, maintains epidermal stem cell heterogeneity during skin aging

The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a crucial role in building the extracellular environment and translating extracellular information into biochemical signals that sustain organ functions. Fibulin-5 is a multifunctional ECM protein essential for the formation of elastic fibers and the regulation of cellular functions through integrin binding. Fibulin-5 expression decreases with aging in human skin; however, its functional significance remains unknown. To address the roles of fibulin-5 in regulating epidermal stem cells during skin aging, Fbln5 knockout mice were examined for changes in their cellular and molecular phenotypes. Loss of Fbln5 in mice results in early impairments of epidermal stem cell properties, similar to the chronological aging of the skin. Fibulin-5 deficiency results in the suppression of integrins and other cell junctional molecules, leading to the inactivation of YAP signaling in epidermal stem cells. The reduced YAP signal is associated with the down-regulation of the fast-cycling epidermal stem cell marker, SLC1A3, in human skin and primary keratinocytes. These findings underscore the important role of fibulin-5 in governing the balance of epidermal stem cell populations during skin aging via crosstalk between the extracellular environment and intracellular signaling.