Project description:We identified zinc-alpha-2-glycoprotein (ZAG), a 41-kDa adipokine that regulates body weight, lipid, and mobilization, as a novel biomarker for AD. ZAG levels were consistently decreased in sera, T cells, and skin in human AD patients compared with healthy controls. We used microarrays to obtain the data of expressions of ZAG between human healthy controls and atopic patients skin.
Project description:Human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs) were isolated via the magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) method from skin biopsies of patients with DFUs and healthy controls. We then performed gene expression profiling analysis using data obtained from RNA-seq of these cells.
Project description:Rosacea is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease of unknown etiology. Our knowledge about an involvement of the adaptive immune system is very limited. We performed detailed transcriptome analysis, qRT-PCR, and quantitative immunohistochemistry on facial biopsies of rosacea patients, classified according to their clinical subtype. As controls, we used samples from healthy controls. Our study shows significant activation of the immune system in all subtypes of rosacea, characterizing erythematotelangiectatic rosacea (ETR) already as a disease with significant influx of proinflammatory cells. The T cell response is dominated by Th1/Th17-polarized immune cells, as demonstrated by significant upregulation of IFNγ or IL-17, for example. Chemokine expression patterns support a Th1/Th17 polarization profile of the T cell response. Macrophages and mast cells are increased in all three subtypes of rosacea, while neutrophils reach a maximum in papulopustular rosacea. Our studies also provide evidence for activation of plasma cells with significant antibody production already in ETR, followed by a crescendo pattern towards phymatous rosacea. In sum, Th1/Th17 polarized inflammation and macrophage infiltration is an underestimated hallmark in all subtypes of rosacea. Therapies directly targeting the Th1/Th17 pathway are promising candidates in the future treatment of this skin disease. Total of 58 chips. 19 patients and 10 healthy volunteers
Project description:Background: Familial melanoma accounts for 10% of cases, withCDKN2A being the main high-risk gene. However, the mechanisms underlying melanomagenesis in individuals at high risk of developing melanoma remain poorly understood. Objective: To analyze the transcriptome of melanocyte/keratinocyte co-cultures derived from healthy skin from familial melanoma patients vs. controls, to comprehend melanoma development. Methods: Primary melanocyte-keratinocyte co-cultures were established from healthy skin biopsies from 16 unrelated familial melanoma patients (8 CDKN2A mutant, 8 CDKN2A wild-type) and from 7 healthy controls. Whole transcriptome was captured using the SurePrint G3 Human Microarray. Transcriptome analyses included: differential gene expression, functional enrichment, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. Results: We identified a gene profile associated with familial melanoma independently of CDKN2A germline status. Functional enrichment analysis of this profile showed a downregulation of pathways related to DNA repair and immune response in familial melanoma (P < 0.05). In addition, the PPI network analysis revealed a network that consisted of double stranded DNA repair genes (including BRCA1, BRCA2, BRIP1, and FANCA), immune response genes and regulation of chromosome segregation. The hub gene was BRCA1. Conclusion: The constitutive deregulation of BRCA1 pathway genes and immune response in healthy skin could be a mechanism related with melanoma risk.
Project description:Profiling the skin microbiota composition from the face of healthy women. Exploring the differences between three age groups and between dry skin and not dry.
Project description:Rosacea is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease of unknown etiology. Our knowledge about an involvement of the adaptive immune system is very limited. We performed detailed transcriptome analysis, qRT-PCR, and quantitative immunohistochemistry on facial biopsies of rosacea patients, classified according to their clinical subtype. As controls, we used samples from healthy controls. Our study shows significant activation of the immune system in all subtypes of rosacea, characterizing erythematotelangiectatic rosacea (ETR) already as a disease with significant influx of proinflammatory cells. The T cell response is dominated by Th1/Th17-polarized immune cells, as demonstrated by significant upregulation of IFNγ or IL-17, for example. Chemokine expression patterns support a Th1/Th17 polarization profile of the T cell response. Macrophages and mast cells are increased in all three subtypes of rosacea, while neutrophils reach a maximum in papulopustular rosacea. Our studies also provide evidence for activation of plasma cells with significant antibody production already in ETR, followed by a crescendo pattern towards phymatous rosacea. In sum, Th1/Th17 polarized inflammation and macrophage infiltration is an underestimated hallmark in all subtypes of rosacea. Therapies directly targeting the Th1/Th17 pathway are promising candidates in the future treatment of this skin disease.
Project description:The aim of this study was to find disease-associated genes in atopic eczema. Experiment Overall Design: Skin biopsies were analyzed from ten patients with active atopic eczema and ten healthy controls.
Project description:Epigenetic alterations are increasingly recognized as mechanisms for disease-associated changes in genome function and important risk factors for complex diseases. The epigenome differs between cell types and so far has been characterized in few human tissues only. In order to identify disease-associated DNA methylation differences for atopic dermatitis (AD), we investigated DNA from whole blood, T cells, B cells, as well as lesional and non-lesional epidermis from AD patients and healthy controls. To elicit functional links, we examined epidermal mRNA expression profiles. No genome-wide significant DNA methylation differences between AD cases and controls were observed in whole blood, T cells, and B cells, and, in general, intra-individual differences in DNA methylation were larger than interindividual differences. However, striking methylation differences were observed between lesional epidermis from patients and healthy control epidermis for various CpG sites, which partly correlated with altered transcript levels of genes predominantly relevant for epidermal differentiation and innate immune response. Significant DNA methylation differences were discordant in skin and blood samples, suggesting that blood is not an ideal surrogate for skin tissue. Our pilot study provides preliminary evidence for functionally relevant DNA methylation differences associated with AD, particularly in the epidermis, and represents a starting point for future investigations of epigenetic mechanisms in AD. Total RNA obtained from 7 patients from non-lesional skin, 12 patients from lesional skin and 14 controls from healthy skin