Based on Molecular Profiling of Gene Expression, Palmoplantar Pustulosis and Palmoplantar Pustular Psoriasis Are Highly Related Diseases that Appear to Be Distinct from Psoriasis Vulgaris

PLoS One. 2016 May 6;11(5):e0155215. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155215. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Introduction: There is a controversy surrounding the existence of palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) and palmoplantar pustular psoriasis (PPPP) as separate clinical entities or as variants of the same clinical entity. We used gene expression microarray to compare gene expression in PPP and PPPP.

Methodology/principal findings: Skin biopsies from subjects with PPP (3), PPPP (6), psoriasis vulgaris (10) and acral skin from normal subjects (7) were analyzed using gene expression microarray. Principal component analysis showed that PPP and PPPP were different from psoriasis vulgaris and normal acral skin. However gene expression of PPP and PPPP clustered together and could not be used to differentiate PPP from PPPP. Gene-wise comparison between PPP and PPPP found no gene to be differentially expressed at a false discovery rate lower than 0.05. Surprisingly we found a higher expression of several genes involved in neural pathways (e.g. GPRIN and ADAM23) in PPP/PPPP as compared to psoriasis vulgaris and normal acral skin. Immunohistochemistry confirmed those findings and showed a keratinocyte localization for those proteins.

Conclusion significance: PPP and PPPP could not be differentiated using gene expression microarray suggesting that they are not distinct clinical entities. Increased expression of GPRIN1, and ADAM23 in keratinocytes suggests that these proteins could be new therapeutic targets for PPP/PPPP.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Gene Expression Profiling*
  • Humans
  • Psoriasis / genetics*

Grants and funding

This study was funded and medication provided by Janssen Inc. Canada. The funders (Janssen Inc. Canada) had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Author Carrie Brodmerkel is employed by Janssen Research & Development, LLC. Janssen Research & Development, LLC provided support in the form of salary for author CB, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific role of this author is articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section. Author Robert Bissonnette is employed by Innovaderm Research, Montreal. Innovaderm Research provided support in the form of salary for author RB, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific role of this author is articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.