Neuroimmune Contributions to Psoriasis

According to a study published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, genetic variants of the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) and dopachrome tautomerase (DCT) genes are significantly associated with psoriasis.

Researchers aimed to investigate the association of corticotropin-releasing hormone-proopiomelanocortin (CRH-POMC) system gene polymorphisms with psoriasis and evaluate the expression of related genes in lesional psoriatic skin compared with normal skin. They genotyped 104 patients with psoriasis and 174 healthy control individuals for 42 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CRH-POMC genes using the SNPlex method. They also analyzed transcript expression using RNA-seq data from lesional psoriatic and normal skin.

Findings showed significant associations between psoriasis and certain polymorphisms in the MC1R gene (rs2228479 and rs3212369) and DCT gene (rs7987802, rs2031526, and rs9524501) in the Tatar population. Notably, the SNP rs7987802 in the DCT gene showed a strong association with psoriasis. Haplotype analysis further revealed that specific combinations of alleles in the DCT and MC1R genes were significantly associated with psoriasis susceptibility.

“Our results support potential roles of CRH-POMC system genes and DCT in the pathogenesis of psoriasis,” the authors concluded.

Reference
Galimova E, Rätsep R, Traks T, et al. Polymorphisms in corticotrophin-releasing hormone-proopiomelanocortin (CRH-POMC) system genes: neuroimmune contributions to psoriasis disease. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. Published online June 15, 2023. doi:10.1111/jdv.19257