Apoptosis in Autoimmunological Diseases, with Particular Consideration of Molecular Aspects of Psoriasis

Identification of PANoptosis-related biomarkers and immune infiltration characteristics in psoriasis

BACKGROUND

PANoptosis may play a vital role in psoriasis. We investigated the relationship between PANoptosis in psoriasis.

METHODS

Genes information was mainly obtained from GeneCards and the gene expression omnibus database. Genefunctions identification was based on gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses. Gene set enrichment analysis was used to identify enriched signaling pathways in psoriasis. We constructed PPI networks using the search tool for the retrieval of interacting genes database and Cytoscape and explored mRNA-miRNA, mRNA-TF, and mRNA-drug interaction networks. Receiver operating characteristic curves were performed to screen potential biomarkers among these hub genes. Immune cell infiltration was analyzed using the Pearson algorithm, and the correlation between immune-cell abundance and PANoptosis-related differentially expressed gene (PDGs) was investigated.

RESULTS

We identified 10 PDGs, which were mainly involved in pyroptosis, cytokine-mediated signaling pathways, Salmonella infection and NOD-like receptor signaling pathway. The activated pathways were mostly proinflammatory and immunoregulatory pathways between immune cells. BAK1, CASP4, IL18, and IRF1 were identified as hub genes in the mRNA-miRNA network, and BAK1, IRF1, and PYCARD were hub genes in the mRNA-TF network. CASP1 was found to be the most targeted gene by drugs or molecular compounds. We found PDGs were positively associated with proinflammatory immune cell infiltration and negatively associated with anti-inflammatory or regulatory immune cells.

CONCLUSION

We confirmed the role of PANoptosis in psoriasis for the first time and predicted hub genes and immune characteristics, which provides new ideas for further investigation of psoriasis on pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic strategies.

Salivary proteins offer insights into keratinocyte death during aphthous stomatitis. A case-crossover study

BACKGROUND

The death of oral keratinocytes is a crucial step in the emergence of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS, also known as aphthae or aphthous ulcers). Since there are no experimental models available to research aphthous ulcers, little is understood about this process. We hypothesize that saliva can be a data bank of information that offers insights on epithelial damage.

METHODS

In this case-crossover study, we assessed the salivary proteome of patients with RAS (n = 36) in the presence and absence of ulcers using discovery proteomics and bioinformatics. Additionally, we contrasted these patterns with those of healthy individuals (n = 31) who had no prior aphthous ulceration.

RESULTS

Salivary proteome showed that during the ulcerative phase, controlled cell death was downregulated. Due to its ability to distinguish between individuals with and without ulcers, the ATF6B protein raises the possibility that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is responsible for the damage that leads to the death of oral keratinocytes. The high abundance of TRAP1 and ERN1 matches with this biological discovery. The type of death is immunogenic, according to the functional data found in a cell death database.

CONCLUSION

We identified a cellular process that can lead to the death of oral keratinocytes in the etiopathogenesis process of RAS. Future studies should be conducted to identify what is responsible for the increase in ER stress signaling that would lead to an anti-cell death response.

Conundrum for Psoriasis and Thyroid Involvement

Strategies concerning thyroid anomalies in patients confirmed with psoriasis, either on clinical level or molecular levels, and their genetic findings remain an open issue. Identification of the exact subgroup of individuals that are candidates to endocrine assessments is also controversial. Our purpose in this work was to overview clinical and pathogenic data concerning psoriasis and thyroid comorbidities from a dual perspective (dermatologic and endocrine). This was a narrative review of English literature between January 2016 and January 2023. We included clinically relevant, original articles with different levels of statistical evidence published on PubMed. We followed four clusters of conditions: thyroid dysfunction, autoimmunity, thyroid cancer, and subacute thyroiditis. A new piece of information in this field was the fact that psoriasis and autoimmune thyroid diseases (ATD) have been shown to be related to the immune-based side effects of modern anticancer drugs-namely, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICP). Overall, we identified 16 confirmatory studies, but with heterogeneous data. Psoriatic arthritis had a higher risk of positive antithyroperoxidase antibodies (TPOAb) (25%) compared to cutaneous psoriasis or control. There was an increased risk of thyroid dysfunction versus control, and hypothyroidism was the most frequent type of dysfunction (subclinical rather than clinical), among thyroid anomalies correlated with >2-year disease duration, peripheral > axial and polyarticular involvement. With a few exceptions, there was a female predominance. Hormonal imbalance included, most frequently, low thyroxine (T4) and/or triiodothyronine (T3) with normal thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), followed by high TSH (only one study had higher total T3). The highest ratio of thyroid involvement concerning dermatologic subtypes was 59% for erythrodermic psoriasis. Most studies found no correlation between thyroid anomalies and psoriasis severity. Statistically significant odds ratios were as follows: hypothyroidism: 1.34-1.38; hyperthyroidism: 1.17-1.32 (fewer studies than hypo); ATD: 1.42-2.05; Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT): 1.47-2.09; Graves' disease: 1.26-1.38 (fewer studies than HT). A total of 8 studies had inconsistent or no correlations, while the lowest rate of thyroid involvement was 8% (uncontrolled studies). Other data included 3 studies on patients with ATD looking for psoriasis, as well as 1 study on psoriasis and thyroid cancer. ICP was shown to potentially exacerbate prior ATD and psoriasis or to induce them both de novo (5 studies). At the case report level, data showed subacute thyroiditis due to biological medication (ustekinumab, adalimumab, infliximab). Thyroid involvement in patients with psoriasis thus remained puzzling. We observed significant data that confirmed a higher risk of identifying positive antibodies and/or thyroid dysfunction, especially hypothyroidism, in these subjects. Awareness will be necessary to improve overall outcomes. The exact profile of individuals diagnosed with psoriasis who should be screened by the endocrinology team is still a matter of debate, in terms of dermatological subtype, disease duration, activity, and other synchronous (especially autoimmune) conditions.

CARD9 gene rs4077515 polymorphism is associated with the susceptibility of Hashimoto's thyroiditis and the development of thyroid cancer

AMIS: Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is the most common type of autoimmune thyroiditis and is a risk factor for the occurrence of thyroid papillary carcinoma (PTC). The study aimed to explore the distribution of CARD9 rs4077515 polymorphism in HT and PTC patients, in order to evaluate its association with the occurrence and development of HT.

METHODS

150 HT patients and 120 PTC cases were included. Genotypes of CARD9 rs40775155 polymorphism were sequenced and counted.

RESULTS

A remarkable increase trend of rs4077515 AA genotype was found in HT cases in comparison with the control group, while GG genotype frequency exhibited a down trend. An excess of A allele was also detected in HT group. HT cases carrying AG and AA genotypes had high risk to receive hormonotherapy and needed a much larger dose. In comparison with HT cases, both AG and AA appeared more frequently in PTC patients, and are associated with the tumor size, LN metastasis and surgical margin. The AG (OR = 2.566, 95 % CI = 1.376-4.786) and AA (OR = 3.040, 95 % CI = 1.525-6.060) genotype carriers had a greater risk of developing PTC. The A allele of rs4077515 polymorphism was a risk allele for the onset of PTC among HT cases (OR = 1.775, 95 % CI = 1.260-2.502).

CONCLUSION

CARD9 rs4077515 polymorphism is likely to be a risk factor for HT in the Chinese Han population, it also contributes to the development of PTC for HT patients.

Inflammatory-associated apoptotic markers: are they the culprit to rheumatoid arthritis pain?

BACKGROUND

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a prolonged inflammatory disease resulting from autoimmune reactions that leads to local and systemic bone erosion, joint defects and functional impairment. Although the inflammation is subsided through the prescription of anti-inflammatory therapeutics, the patients persistently complained of sleepless nights due to flare pain. This indicates the possible contribution of other pathways besides inflammation in leading to RA pain. This review aims to uncover the roles and involvement of several inflammatory-associated apoptotic markers in facilitating pain transmission and processing during the pathogenesis of RA.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This narrative review focused on the reports from the previous literature based on the search string of "apoptotic marker AND inflammation AND 'chronic pain' OR 'neuropathic pain' and apoptosis AND 'rheumatoid arthritis' OR arthritis from the databases including Science Direct and Scopus, considering the exclusion criteria of the published abstracts, proceedings or articles on other neuropathic pain types such as painful bowel syndrom, insterstitial cystitis, fibrosis and so on.

RESULTS

Several studies in the literature demonstrate a close association between imbalanced apoptotic regulations and an increased number of synovial fibroblasts and inflammatory cells in RA. Cell death or specific cell survival has been linked with increased central hypersensitivity in various types of chronic and neuropathic pain.

CONCLUSION

The RA-related flare pain is possibly contributed by the abnormal regulation of apoptosis through several inflammatory-related pathways, and further studies need to modulate these pathways for the putative anti-nociceptive benefits.

Challenges and Opportunities for the Translation of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Technologies to Dermatology

Skin is a complex and heterogeneous organ at the cellular level. This complexity is beginning to be understood through the application of single-cell genomics and computational tools. A large number of datasets that shed light on how the different human skin cell types interact in homeostasis-and what ceases to work in diverse dermatological diseases-have been generated and are publicly available. However, translation of these novel aspects to the clinic is lacking. This review aims to summarize the state-of-the-art of skin biology using single-cell technologies, with a special focus on skin pathologies and the translation of mechanistic findings to the clinic. The main implications of this review are to summarize the benefits and limitations of single-cell analysis and thus help translate the emerging insights from these novel techniques to the bedside.

The effects of thyroid dysfunction on DNA damage and apoptosis in liver and heart tissues of rats

OBJECTIVES

Thyroid hormones affect many enzymes, organs, and systems. They also play a role in complex biological events including development and growth. The main objective of this study was to analyze the effects of thyroid dysfunction on DNA damage and apoptosis in liver and heart tissues as well as the treatment of these disorders.

METHODS

Thirty-eight Wistar-albino male rats were randomly divided into five groups: 1. Control group (n=6): The rats were sacrificed without any application and liver and heart samples were collected. 2. Hypothyroidism group (n=8): Prophyltiouracil (PTU)-10 mg/kg/day was applied to induce hypothyroidism by intraperitoneal route for two weeks. 3. Hypothyroidism + Thyroxine group (n=8): After one week of PTU application (10 mg/kg/day), a high dose of l-thyroxine (1.5 mg/kg/day) was applied by intraperitoneal route for one week. 4. Hyperthyroidism group (n=8): l-thyroxine (0.3 mg/kg/day) was applied intraperitoneally to induce hyperthyroidism for two weeks. 5. Hyperthyroidism + PTU group (n=8): After one week of high dose l-thyroxine application, PTU (10 mg/kg/day) was applied for one week.

RESULTS

Liver and heart tissues were collected to evaluate 8-hydroxy-2 deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), caspase-8 and caspase-9 levels. Hypothyroidism caused DNA damage in the liver, while hyperthyroidism caused DNA damage in the heart tissue. Hyperthyroidism also led to a significant increase in levels of caspase-8 and caspase-9 in liver tissue.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the study show that DNA damage and caspase levels in the heart and liver are affected differently in experimental hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.