Upregulation of REL and WSB1 in patients with psoriasis and metabolic syndrome

Abstract

Objective: A strong association exists between metabolic syndrome and psoriasis. The current study was performed to explore the gene regulation of metabolic syndrome in patients with psoriasis. Methods: Patients were assessed for psoriasis and metabolic syndrome clinically (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, height, weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure) and biochemically (lipid profile and fasting blood sugar concentration). Systemic gene regulation was first explored by microarray and analyzed using Transcriptome Analysis Console Software, after which two selected upregulated genes were further validated using polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and analyzed using independent sample t test. Results: The analysis showed 7,269 upregulated and 3 downregulated genes at a fold change of 2 and P value of <0.05; only 17 genes were upregulated and none were downregulated at a fold change of 8 and P value of <0.005. Comparison with 22 previously reported potential biomarkers of metabolic syndrome in patients with psoriasis showed that the levels of 16 biomarkers aligned with the gene regulation observed in the current study. In particular, the REL transcript was upregulated 12-fold (P = 8.16 × 10−17), while the WSB1 transcript was upregulated 9-fold (P = 9.87 × 10−13). Validation showed that REL was also upregulated 2-fold in the polymerase chain reaction, and its protein was expressed at 7.140 ng/mL versus undetectable levels in the cases (P = 0.048). However, WSB1 was upregulated 2-fold in the polymerase chain reaction compared with controls, and unexpectedly, its protein was undetectable in cases but detectable in controls (P = 0.018). Conclusion: The upregulation of REL and WSB1 was observed in patients with psoriasis and metabolic syndrome, the clinical application of REL and WSB1 as biomarkers needs further validation for potential future implications in clinical practice.