41 research outputs found
Genetic Associations and Differential mRNA Expression Levels of Host Genes Suggest a Viral Trigger for Endemic Pemphigus Foliaceus
The long search for the environmental trigger of the endemic pemphigus foliaceus (EPF,
fogo selvagem) has not yet resulted in any tangible findings. Here, we searched for genetic asso ciations and the differential expression of host genes involved in early viral infections and innate
antiviral defense. Genetic variants could alter the structure, expression sites, or levels of the gene
products, impacting their functions. By analyzing 3063 variants of 166 candidate genes in 227 EPF
patients and 194 controls, we found 12 variants within 11 genes associated with differential suscepti bility (p < 0.005) to EPF. The products of genes TRIM5, TPCN2, EIF4E, EIF4E3, NUP37, NUP50, NUP88,
TPR, USP15, IRF8, and JAK1 are involved in different mechanisms of viral control, for example, the
regulation of viral entry into the host cell or recognition of viral nucleic acids and proteins. Only two
of nine variants were also associated in an independent German cohort of sporadic PF (75 patients,
150 controls), aligning with our hypothesis that antiviral host genes play a major role in EPF due to a
specific virus–human interaction in the endemic region. Moreover, CCL5, P4HB, and APOBEC3G
mRNA levels were increased (p < 0.001) in CD4+ T lymphocytes of EPF patients. Because there is
limited or no evidence that these genes are involved in autoimmunity, their crucial role in antiviral responses and the associations that we observed support the hypothesis of a viral trigger for EPF,
presumably a still unnoticed flavivirus. This work opens new frontiers in searching for the trigger
of EPF, with the potential to advance translational research that aims for disease prevention and
treatment
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Charles C. Francis Papers, 1911-2013
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Marked to Die-Cell Death Mechanisms for Keratinocyte Acantholysis in Pemphigus Diseases
Pemphigus is a group of blistering autoimmune diseases causing painful skin lesions, characterized by acantholysis and by the production of autoantibodies against, mainly, adhesion proteins. We reviewed the literature for molecules and/ or features involved in the 12 cell death pathways described by Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death, taking place in pemphigus patients, cell lines, or human skin organ cultures treated with sera or IgG from pemphigus patients or in pemphigus mouse models, and found 61 studies mentioning 97 molecules involved in cell death pathways. Among the molecules, most investigated were pleiotropic molecules such as TNF and CASP3, followed by FASL and CASP8, and then by FAS, BAX, BCL2, and TP53, all involved in more than one pathway but interpreted to function only within apoptosis. Most of these previous investigations focused only on apoptosis, but four recent studies, using TUNEL assays and/or electron microscopy, disqualified this pathway as a previous event of acantholysis. For PV, apoptolysis was suggested as a cell death mechanism based on pathogenic autoantibodies diversity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and p38 MAPK signaling. To answer those many questions that remain on cell death and pemphigus, we propose well-controlled, statistically relevant investigations on pemphigus and cell death pathways besides apoptosis, to overcome the challenges of understanding the etiopathology of pemphigus diseases