Characterisation of IL‐1 family members in Sweet syndrome highlights the overexpression of IL‐1β and IL‐1R3 as possible therapeutic targets

Sweet syndrome (SS) as a prototypic neutrophilic dermatosis (NDs) shares certain clinical and histologic features with monogenic auto-inflammatory disorders in which interleukin (IL)-1 cytokine family members play an important role. This has led to the proposal that NDs are polygenic auto-inflammatory diseases and has fuelled research to further understand the role of IL-1 family members in the pathogenesis of NDs. The aim of this study was to characterise the expression of the IL-1 family members IL-1β, IL-36γ, IL-33 and IL-1R3 (IL-1RaP) in SS. The expression profile of IL-1β, IL-33, IL-36γ and their common co-receptor IL-1R3 was analysed by immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridisation and double immunofluorescence (IF) in healthy control skin (HC) and lesional skin samples of SS. Marked overexpression of IL-1β in the dermis of SS (p < 0.001), and a non-significant increase in dermal (p = 0.087) and epidermal (p = 0.345) IL-36γ expression compared to HC was observed. Significantly increased IL-1R3 expression within the dermal infiltrate of SS skin samples (p = 0.02) was also observed, whereas no difference in IL-33 expression was found between SS and HC (p = 0.7139). In situ hybridisation revealed a good correlation between gene expression levels and the above protein expression levels. Double IF identifies neutrophils and macrophages as the predominant sources of IL-1β. This study shows that IL-1β produced by macrophages and neutrophils and IL-1R3 are significantly overexpressed in SS, thereby indicating a potential pathogenic role for this cytokine and receptor in SS

The STELLAR Vision and Strategy Statement. STELLAR Deliverable WP1 - D1.1

This First TEL Grand Challenge Vision and Strategy Report aims to: . provide a unifying framework for members of STELLAR (including doctoral candidates) to develop their own research agenda . engage the STELLAR community in scientific debate and discussion with the long term aim of developing awareness of and respect for different theoretical and methodological perspectives . build knowledge related to the STELLAR grand challenges through the construction of a wiki that is iteratively co&#8208;edited throughout the life of the STELLAR network . develop understandings of the way in which web 2.0 technologies can be used to construct knowledge within a research community (science 2.0) . develop strategies for ways in which the STELLAR instruments can feed into the ongoing development of the wiki and how the they can be used to address the challenges highlighted in this report

Report on the first Rendez-Vous. STELLAR - Del. WP3. D3.1

This is a report on a non&#8208;standard conference called Alpine Rendez&#8208;Vous that has been organized as part of \u27Scientific Capacity Building\u27 in the Network of Excellence STELLAR (work package 3) and took place in December 2009 in Garmisch&#8208;Partenkirchen, Germany. Main goals were (a) to identify and advance emerging topics, methodologies and technologies in the field of Technology&#8208;Enhanced Learning (TEL) and (b) to build community within and beyond STELLAR