Maria Yhr

Age at onset and different types of psoriasis

Summary The age at onset of psoriasis has been analysed for 11,366 psoriasis patients. The age at onset for siblings of probands has been analysed for 805 probands having one affected sibling and for 1 79 probands having two affected siblings. The age at onset curve for all probands shows a dominating maximum at about puberty but also indications for two more maxima at about 30 and 50 years of age, respectively. A more relevant picture of the risk of getting psoriasis at different ages is obtained if the onset for old people having psoriasis is investigated. The three maxima come out more clearly in this case, and the puberty maximum is not so dominating. For the families with one proband and two affected siblings there is a statistically significant correlation (Plt;0·001) between the age at onset of the proband and of the siblings, and also between the siblings. The correlation coefficient is between 0·30 and 0·45. For the probands with one affected sibling, the ages at onset of the siblings mainly fall in the same range as those of the probands. These data indicate three groups of patients with respeel to age at onset. However, the overlap between the different groups is considerable. The data presented are compatible with three, possibly genetically different, variants of psoriasis vulgaris. By studying the occurrence of psoriasis among parents of the probands, the gene frequency can be estimated assuming a recessive mode of inheritance. It then turns out that the gene frequency of the group with the earliest age at onset has a gene frequency of about 0·25, the next earliest, 0·18, and the latest, 0·14.

Analysis of three suggested psoriasis susceptibility loci in a large Swedish set of families: confirmation of linkage to chromosome 6p (HLA region), and to 17q, but not to 4q.

Psoriasis is known to be a heterogeneous disease with so far three reported major psoriasis susceptibility loci on chromosome 4q, 6p and 17q. In this study we investigated three reported gene locations by nonparametric and parametric linkage analysis in a large family set consisting of 104 families (153 sib pairs) from Sweden. We could confirm linkage to chromosome 6p. A maximum heterogeneous lod score of 2.78 was reached at locus D6S276 (α = 0.60). Allelic association studies within the HLA region indicated linkage disequilibrium at locus TNFβ with a significant p value of 0.0009. Furthermore, we obtained weak evidence of linkage to the locus on chromosome 17q while no evidence of linkage could be found to the chromosome 4q region.

Expression patterns of S100A7 (psoriasin) and S100A9 (calgranulin-B) in keratinocyte differentiation

Abstract:  S100 proteins are involved in many biological processes. S100A7 and S100A9 have been shown to be markedly upregulated both in ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast and in psoriasis. We have examined the relationship between keratinocyte differentiation and the expression of the two proteins. Using Western blot analysis and quantitative reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR), both S100A7 and S100A9 were shown to be induced in normal primary keratinocytes (HEKn), when differentiation was promoted by high extracellular calcium, loss of contact with extracellular matrix and confluent conditions, as previously reported for S100A7 in mammary epithelial cells. Differentiation was confirmed by using RT‐PCR for the differentiation marker keratin‐1. Using immunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibodies, we compared the expression of the two proteins in a spectrum of conditions of dysregulated keratinocyte differentiation. We found a strikingly similar distribution of the proteins. Their expression correlated with the degree of keratinocyte differentiation. They were both absent in undifferentiated basalioma and strongly expressed in carcinoma in situ, as well as in keratoacanthoma and differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. In normal epithelium, they were expressed in the superficial, differentiated region of the epithelium rather than in the basal region. These findings support the hypothesis that these two S100 proteins are involved in keratinocyte differentiation.

Genetic counselling in psoriasis: empirical data on psoriasis among first‐degree relatives of 3095 psoriatic probands

The risk of getting psoriasis dependent on the occurence of psoriasis in the family has been determined empirically. Altogether 3717 families with one or both parents who had psoriasis have been analysed with regard to the number of children with or without psoriasis. The lifetime risk of getting psoriasis if no parent, one parent or both parents have psoriasis is 0.04, 0.28 and 0.65, respectively. If there is already one affected child in the family, the corresponding risks are 0.24, 0.51 and 0.83, respectively. The risk of getting psoriasis before the age of 32 years is dependent on the age‐of‐onset of psoriasis in one affected parent.

Psoriasin (S100A7) and Calgranulin-B (S100A9) Induction is Dependent on Reactive Oxygen Species and is Downregulated by Bcl-2 and Antioxidants

S-100 proteins are calcium-binding proteins with important growth regulatory functions. Of these proteins, psoriasin and calgranulin-B have been shown to be highly upregulated in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast and in psoriasis. The purpose of this study was to further elucidate the functional relevance of the over-expression of these two S-100 proteins in psoriasis and DCIS. We report the induction of both proteins by reactive oxygen species, phorbol ester TPA, and the induction of psoriasin in response to the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin. We also demonstrate that Bcl-2 over-expression represses the induction of psoriasin and calgranulin-B under these different conditions. The same effect was obtained with the antioxidant NAC, which indicates that the suppression of psoriasin and calgranulin-B induction is mediated by the antioxidant function of Bcl-2. Furthermore, we demonstrate that overexpression of a dominant negative IKK_ also inhibits the induction of psoriasin suggesting that the NF?B pathway is involved in the induction of this protein. Also, we found NF?B responsive DNA elements in the upstream promoter region of psoriasin. MCF10A cells with a stable retroviral over-expression of psoriasin were significantly more resistant to H2O2-induced cell death than control cells further supporting the hypothesis that these S-100 proteins may play a role in oxidative stress response.

S100A7 (Psoriasin), highly expressed in Ductal Carcinoma In Situ(DCIS), is regulated by IFN-gamma in mammary epithelial cells

BackgroundThe aim of the present work was to explore signal transduction pathways used in the regulation of S100A7 (psoriasin). Members of the S100 gene family participate in many important cellular functions. Psoriasin, S100A8 (calgranulin A) and S100A9 (calgranulin B) are expressed in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), as well as in the hyperproliferative skin disease, psoriasis. In the latter condition, a disturbance in the STAT pathway has recently been reported. This pathway is implicated in the regulation of IFN-gamma, widely recognized as a key cytokine in psoriasis. IFN-gamma also exerts anti-tumor action in a number of tumor cell types, including breast cancer. We therefore examined the effect of IFN-gamma and STAT-signaling on the psoriasin expression.MethodsWe established a TAC2 mouse mammary epithelial cell line with tetracycline-inducible psoriasin expression (Tet-Off). Viability in cell culture was estimated using MTS assay. Protein and gene expression were evaluated by Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR. Statistical analyses were assessed using a one-tailed, paired t-test.ResultsWe report the downregulation of psoriasin by IFN-gamma in the MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cell line, as well as the downregulation of psoriasin induced by anoikis in cell lines derived from different epithelial tissues. In contrast, IFN-gamma had no suppressive effect on calgranulin A or calgranulin B. IFN-gamma is an important activator of the STAT1 pathway and we confirmed an active signaling pathway in the cell lines that responded to IFN-gamma treatment. In contrast, in the SUM190 breast carcinoma cell line, IFN-gamma did not suppress the expression of endogenous psoriasin. Moreover, a reduced phosphorylation of the STAT1 protein was observed. We showed that IFN-gamma treatment and the inhibition of the transcription factor NFkappaB had a synergistic effect on psoriasin levels. Finally, in TAC2 cells with tetracycline-induced psoriasin expression, we observed the increased viability of psoriasin-expressing cells after IFN-gamma treatment.ConclusionOur data support the possibility that psoriasin expression is transcriptionally suppressed by IFN-gamma and that this effect is likely to be mediated by the activation of the STAT1 signaling pathway. The increased viability of psoriasin-expressing cells after IFN-gamma exposure suggests that psoriasin expression leads to the development of an apoptosis-resistant phenotype.

Loss of ICAM-1 signaling induces psoriasin (S100A7) and MUC1 in mammary epithelial cells

Psoriasin (S100A7), a member of the S100 gene family, is highly expressed in high-grade comedo ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), with a higher risk of local recurrence. Psoriasin is, therefore, a potential biomarker for DCIS with a poor prognosis. High-grade DCIS is characterized by a high proliferation rate and crowded cells, consequently, lose contact with the extracellular matrix. The aim of this study was, therefore, to elucidate the involvement of adhesion signals in the regulation of psoriasin. Protein expression was evaluated by Western blotting, flow cytometry, and immunohistochemistry, and using breast carcinoma SAGE databases available from the CGAP website. Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) was down-regulated in MCF10A cells using short hairpin RNA. We found a significant negative correlation between the expression of ICAM-1 and psoriasin, and a positive correlation between psoriasin and MUC1 in normal and DCIS SAGE libraries. In a cluster analysis of 34 adhesion molecules and 20 S100 proteins, we showed that SAGE libraries expressing the S100 proteins—psoriasin, calgranulin-A, and calgranulin-B—clustered together. Interestingly, the expression of all the three proteins correlated strongly to the oncogenic MUC1. We confirmed the negative correlation between ICAM-1 and psoriasin/MUC1, when normal and breast cancer cells were cultured in suspension and on collagen, respectively. The down-regulation of ICAM-1 by short hairpin RNA in MCF10A cells led to the induction of psoriasin, calgranulin-A, calgranulin-B, and MUC1, and we demonstrated that these up-regulations were not ROS dependent. By blocking the phospholipase C (PLC)-IP3 pathway in these cells, we showed that the induction of psoriasin diminished. The results suggest that psoriasin is an intracellular calcium-dependent target of the PLC pathway. Our findings suggest that the down-regulation of ICAM-1 in mammary epithelial cells may contribute both to the high expression of psoriasin seen in some high-grade DCIS tumors and to the induction of MUC1.

Deletion of the MGMT gene in familial melanoma

The DNA repair gene MGMT (O‐6‐methylguanine‐DNA methyltransferase) is important for maintaining normal cell physiology and genomic stability. Alterations in MGMT play a critical role in the development of several types of cancer, including glioblastoma, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer. The purpose of this study was to explore the function of genetic alterations in MGMT and their connection with familial melanoma (FM). Using multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification, we identified a deletion that included the MGMT gene in one of 64 families with a melanoma predisposition living in western Sweden. The mutation segregated with the disease as a heterozygous deletion in blood‐derived DNA, but a homozygous deletion including the promoter region and exon 1 was seen in tumor tissue based on Affymetrix 500K and 6.0 arrays. By sequence analysis of the MGMT gene in the other 63 families with FM from western Sweden, we identified four common polymorphisms, nonfunctional, as predominantly described in previous studies. We conclude that inherited alterations in the MGMT gene might be a rare cause of FM, and we suggest that MGMT contributes to melanoma predisposition.