Analysis of RNA recovery and gene expression in the epidermis using non-invasive tape stripping.

Background: The recovery of RNA from the upper epidermis by tape stripping yields variable RNA mass but has not been evaluated for its dependence on anatomical location. Gene expression at different body locations and the origin of RNA recovered by tape stripping have not been investigated.

Objectives: To characterize the recovery of RNA from different anatomical locations by tape stripping; to correlate the recovery of RNA and removal of barrier by tape stripping, as assayed by transepidermal water loss; and to investigate gene expression in the upper epidermis at different body locations.

An analysis of select pathogenic messages in lesional and non-lesional psoriatic skin using non-invasive tape harvesting.

We report the use of non-invasive tape stripping to sample psoriatic lesional and non-lesional skin in 96 patients. The procedure was well tolerated with any discomfort described as mild; we did not observe any cases of Koebner phenomena at any non-lesional tape-stripped sites. Tape-harvested epidermis was extracted for RNA, which was profiled by semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR.

Use of RT-PCR and DNA microarrays to characterize RNA recovered by non-invasive tape harvesting of normal and inflamed skin.

We describe a non-invasive approach for recovering RNA from the surface of skin via a simple tape stripping procedure that permits a direct quantitative and qualitative assessment of pathologic and physiologic biomarkers. Using semi-quantitative RT-PCR we show that tape-harvested RNA is comparable in quality and utility to RNA recovered by biopsy. It is likely that tape-harvested RNA is derived from epidermal cells residing close to the surface and includes adnexal structures and present data showing that tape and biopsy likely recover different cell populations.