Hepatocyte growth factor reduces CXCL10 expression in keratinocytes

Keratinocytes secrete vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angioregulatory chemokines during cutaneous wound healing. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) promotes skin re-epithelialization by increasing VEGF expression in keratinocytes. Here, we investigated the regulatory roles of HGF in the expression of genes encoding angiogenic and angiostatic chemokines in keratinocytes and found that HGF specifically inhibits mRNA expression of the angiostatic chemokine CXCL10 in both mouse primary keratinocytes and in the human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT through the MEK/ERK cascade. Furthermore, HGF inhibited tumor necrosis factor-α-induced CXCL10 expression at both mRNA and protein levels in HaCaT cells. Thus, HGF may orchestrate angiogenesis in wounded skin by modulating both VEGF and CXCL10 expression in keratinocytes.