Identifying ST6GAL1 as a novel factor for human dermal fibroblast photoaging

This study addresses the underexplored role of glycosylation in dermal fibroblast photoaging by establishing an in vitro model using human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) exposed to UVA. Transcriptomic profiling revealed significant enrichment of gene sets associated with glycosylation and carbohydrate derivative synthesis.

We employed lectin arrays and binding assays to identify candidate oligosaccharide ligands responsive to UVA exposure, revealing a marked upregulation of cell-surface sialylation levels during photoaging. Western blot analysis further indicated specific overexpression of the sialyltransferase ST6GAL1 in photoaged HDFs. Intervention with the sialyltransferase inhibitor 3FAx-Neu5Ac or ST6GAL1 gene silencing significantly alleviated the skin photoaging markers including p16, MMPs and SA-β-gal staining, while ST6GAL1 overexpression replicated these photoaging characteristics.