Expression of selected human endogenous retroviral sequences in skin and peripheral blood mononuclear cells in morphea.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Morphea or localized scleroderma is a relatively rare disease whose main symptom is excessive skin fibrosis. Here we focus on the involvement of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) in morphea. The HERVs are a vast and intensely growing field in genomics. HERVs are of special interest as far as autoimmune disorders are concerned, yet little effort has been made until now to assess the possible changes of their expression in morphea.

Material and methods

Six sequences of particular interest were chosen for this study. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed on samples derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and skin biopsies. The results were normalized to the level of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) transcription.

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SUBMITTER: Kowalczyk MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3506226 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature