Expression of Transglutaminase in Foreskin of Children with Balanitis Xerotica Obliterans.

Tiziana Russo,Pietro Antonuccio,Daniela Caccamo,Eloisa Gitto,Monica Currò,Anna Barbera,Riccardo Ientile,Carmelo Romeo,Lucia Marseglia,Saveria Parisi,Salvatore Arena,Pietro Impellizzeri,Angela Montalto

doi:10.3390/ijms17091551

Expression of Transglutaminase in Foreskin of Children with Balanitis Xerotica Obliterans.

Tiziana Russo, Pietro Antonuccio + Show 11 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17091551

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Abstract

Balanitis xerotica obliterans (BXO) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder of unclear etiology. The etiology and the exact molecular mechanisms underlying the disease are still unknown. The human transglutaminase (TG) family consists of several proteins with catalytic activity essential for biological processes. In the present research we investigated the transcript levels of three TGs in patients operated on for congenital phimosis without or with histologically confirmed BXO; Thirty children with acquired phimosis were enrolled. The removed foreskins were sent both for histological diagnosis and for quantitative real-time PCR to evaluate the transcript levels of keratinocyte (TG1), tissue (TG2), and epidermal (TG3) transglutaminase; We observed a decrease in TG1 and TG3 transcripts by about 70% (p < 0.001) in foreskins from patients with BXO (n = 15) in comparison with patients without BXO (n = 15) and an increase in TG2 mRNA levels by 2.9 folds (p < 0.001); Reduced expression of both TG1 and TG3 was associated with the altered structure of the foreskin in BXO and can be a consequence of damage to keratinocytes. Increased expression of TG2 can be the result of chronic inflammation. TG2 overexpression can play a pivotal role in triggering and maintaining the inflammatory response in BXO patients.

Highlights

Balanitis xerotica obliterans (BXO) is a chronic progressive inflammatory condition of unclear etiology and is considered the male genital variant of lichen sclerosus (LS)
Foreskin samples from patients with and without BXO were examined for the TG2 and IFN-γ mRNA levels
We found a significant increase in the expression of TG2 and IFN-γ transcripts by 2.9and 2.8-fold, respectively (p < 0.001), in foreskin from BXO patients in comparison to patients without BXO (Figure 1A,B)

Summary

Introduction

Balanitis xerotica obliterans (BXO) is a chronic progressive inflammatory condition of unclear etiology and is considered the male genital variant of lichen sclerosus (LS). BXO most commonly presents in the genital region as white atrophic skin lesions of the glans frenulum, meatus and urethra. BXO may be complicated by meatal and urethral stenosis and maybe associated with a higher incidence of high-risk penile carcinoma [2]. The etiology of this disease still remains unknown, but it has been reported to have a frequent association with autoimmune diseases, thyroid disease, alopecia areata, vitiligo, and pernicious anemia [3,4]

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