Gene-gene interactions in psoriasis

Abstract

In recent years,significant breakthroughs have been made in the search for psoriasis susceptibility genes through genome-wide association studies (GWAS),and positive evidences have also been established for gene-gene interactions in the pathogenesis of psoriasis,both of which greatly increase the understanding of psoriasis pathogenesis.Moreover,these interactions mainly occur in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region and interleukin-23 (IL-23)/T helper 17 (Th17) pathway.The MHC region,the first susceptible region identified for psoriasis,is thought to be the most important region in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.Evidences have been found for the interactions between HLA-Cw6 and various genes including the endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase I (ERAP1) gene,cystatin A (CSTA) gene,LCE gene cluster,chromosome 19p13 region (PSORS6),etc.The IL-23/Th17 pathway is closely associated with the pathogenesis of several chronic inflammatory diseases,and multiple genes in this pathway are found to interact mutually in the initiation of psoriasis. Key words: Psoriasis; Genetic predisposition to disease; Gene-gene interactions