Project description:miR-146a acts as a negative feedback regulator of inflammation. To investigate the role of miR-146a in psoriasis psoriasiform skin inflammation was indeuced in Mir-146a-/- and wild type mice (C57BL6J) by topical applciation of imiquimod (IMQ)-cream (Aldara). Gene expression profiling (Affymetrix) was used to identify transcriptomic changes associated with psoriasis-like skin inflammation in wild type vs. miR-146a -/-mice. A daily topical dose of 31.25 mg of Aldara cream (5% IMQ) was applied on the right ear of miR-146a -/- and C57BL/6 mice on three consecutive days to induce psorisis-like skin inflammation. Mice were sacrificed at day 4. Ear flaps were collected for total RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymatrix GeneTitan plate format Gene ST 2.1 (mouse).
Project description:miR-146a acts as a negative feedback regulator of inflammation. To investigate the role of miR-146a in psoriasis psoriasiform skin inflammation was indeuced in Mir-146a-/- and wild type mice (C57BL6J) by topical applciation of imiquimod (IMQ)-cream (Aldara). Gene expression profiling (Affymetrix) was used to identify transcriptomic changes associated with psoriasis-like skin inflammation in wild type vs. miR-146a -/-mice.
Project description:CaMK4 has an important function in autoimmune diseases, and the contribution of CaMK4 in psoriasis remains obscure. Here, we show that CaMK4 expression is significantly increased in psoriatic lesional skin from psoriasis patients compared to healthy human skin as well as inflamed skin from an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced mouse model of psoriasis compared to healthy mouse skin. Camk4-deficient (Camk4−/−) mice treated with IMQ exhibit reduced severity of psoriasis compared to wild-type (WT) mice. There are more macrophages and fewer IL-17A+γδ TCR+ cells in the skin of IMQ-treated Camk4−/− mice compared to IMQ-treated WT mice. CaMK4 inhibits IL-10 production by macrophages, thus allowing excessive psoriatic inflammation. Deletion of Camk4 in macrophages alleviates IMQ-induced psoriatic inflammation in mice. In keratinocytes, CaMK4 inhibits apoptosis as well as promotes cell proliferation and the expression of pro-inflammatory genes such as S100A8 and CAMP. Taken together, these data indicate that CaMK4 regulates IMQ-induced psoriasis by sustaining inflammation and provides a potential target for psoriasis treatment.
Project description:Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that is predominantly characterized by sharply demarcated chronic erythematous plaques. Although its etiological mechanisms are largely unknown, recent evidence suggests that the topical application of imiquimod (IMQ) cream causes psoriasis-like skin inflammation in humans and mice. Skin examined 4 hours after IMQ cream treatment. Results provide insight into the role of each knockout mice phenotype in the response to IMQ-induced psoriasis model.
Project description:Inflammation and autoimmunity are known as central processes in many skin diseases, including psoriasis. It is therefore important to develop pre-clinical models that describe disease-related aspects to enable testing of pharmaceutical drug candidates and formulations to essentially develop safe and effective treatments. A widely accepted pre-clinical model of psoriasis is the imiquimod (IMQ)-induced skin inflammation mouse model. It is primarily used to assess safety and efficacy of drug candidates for treatment of psoriasis but can also be used to evaluate the performance of drug delivery systems. In this model, topically applied IMQ provokes local skin inflammation, which is characterized by elevated levels of cytokines and chemokines, cellular infiltration, and increased epidermal thickness. In this study, we investigated the abundance of a subset of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in skin from mice with IMQ-induced skin inflammation and skin from naïve mice using targeted proteomics. Our findings revealed a significant increase in the abundance of MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-8, and MMP-13 after treatment with IMQ compared to the control skin, while MMP-3, MMP-9, and MMP-10 were exclusively detected in the IMQ-treated skin. The increased abundance and broader representation of MMPs in the IMQ-treated skin provide valuable insight into the pathophysiology of skin inflammation in the IMQ model. Specifically, the changes in the MMP profiles observed in the IMQ-treated skin resemble the MMP patterns found in skin lesions of individuals with psoriasis. Ultimately, the differences in MMP abundance under IMQ-induced inflammation as compared to non-inflamed control skin can be exploited as a model to investigate drug efficacy or performance of drug delivery systems.
Project description:Psoriasis, a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory skin disorder, exerts systemic impacts across multiple organs. Although transcobalamin 2 (TCN2) has been reported to be associated with several autoimmune diseases, its role in psoriasis remains elusive. Hence, we investigated the role of TCN2 in psoriasis pathogenesis. Our results indicated that TCN2 was highly expressed in the skin tissues and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of psoriatic patients, with downregulation following biologic therapy. Moreover, imiquimod (IMQ) - induced psoriasis in mice exhibited heightened TCN2 expression. To further explore the role of TCN2 in psoriasis, we generated Tcn2-deficient (Tcn2-/-) mice and established a psoriasis model using IMQ. IMQ-treated Tcn2-/- mice displayed milder psoriatic lesions and a lower level of inflammation. RNA-seq analysis of lesional skin revealed significant downregulation of inflammatory mediators (S100A7, S100A8, S100A9, IL-1β, IL-6) and suppression of STAT3 signaling in Tcn2-/- mice compared to WT-IMQ mice. Parallel in vitro experiments using TCN2-knockout HaCaT cells demonstrated cell cycle arrest. Collectively, our findings highlight TCN2 as a critical regulator of psoriatic inflammation, proposing it as a novel therapeutic target.
Project description:Psoriasis is one of the most common dermatological disorders, characterized by increased epidermal hyperplasia and immune cell infiltration. Psychological stress has been reported to contribute to the severity, aggravation, and relapse of psoriasis. We developed a chronic restrain stress (CRS)-imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like mouse model and performed a comprehensive comparative transcriptomic and metabolic analysis with control mice, CRS-treated mice, and IMQ-treated mice to investigate how psychological stress affects psoriasis. We found that CRS-IMQ-induced psoriasis-like mice showed significant exacerbation of psoriasis-like skin inflammation compared with mice treated with IMQ only. Mice of the CRS+IMQ group showed increased expression of keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation genes, differential regulation of cytokines, and promotion of the linoleic acid metabolism. Our study provides new insights into the effects of psychological stress on psoriasis pathogenesis and the mechanisms involved, which provides clues for development of therapeutics or biomarkers.
Project description:Vanillin is one of the most widely used flavouring products worldwide. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder. Here we analyzed the effect of vanillin on imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriatic skin inflammation in mice.
Project description:TREX2 is a keratinocyte specific 3â-deoxyribonuclease that participates in the maintenance of skin homeostasis upon damage. This transcriptome analysis identified multiple genes and pathways deregulated by TREX2 loss in the IMQ-induced psoriasis-like model in mouse skin. mRNA sequencing of 5 biological replicates of skin from wild-type mice treated with Imiquimod and 6 of Trex2 knockout mice treated with Imiquimod
Project description:Psoriasis-like skin inflammation was indused by 5 daily topical applications of imiquimod (IMQ), a TLR7/8 agonist, or vehicle, in mice fed a high fat diet (HFD) or control chow diet (CD). Skin samples were collected at day 6.