The Association Between Forkhead Box Class O3A Gene Polymorphism and Psoriasis and Its Relationship with Psoriasis Severity

Ahmed Ibrahim Abd Elneam; Ghadah Alhetheli; Mohammed Saleh Al-Dhubaibi; Ali Ismaeil Ali Abd Alrheam; Ahmed El-Sayed Hassan

The Association Between Forkhead Box Class O3A Gene Polymorphism and Psoriasis and Its Relationship with Psoriasis Severity

J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2022 Aug;15(8):22-26.

Authors

Ahmed Ibrahim Abd Elneam¹, Ghadah Alhetheli², Mohammed Saleh Al-Dhubaibi³, Ali Ismaeil Ali Abd Alrheam⁴, Ahmed El-Sayed Hassan⁵

Affiliations

¹ Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim Abd Elneam is with the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, and College of Medicine at Shaqra University in Dawadmi, Saudi Arabia; and Molecular Genetics and Enzymology Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute in Cairo, Egypt; and the National Research Center in Cairo, Egypt.
² Dr. Ghadah Alhetheli is with the Division of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery and College of Medicine at Qassim University in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
³ Dr. Mohammed Saleh Al-Dhubaibi is with the Departments of Dermatology and College of Medicine at Shaqra University in Dawadmi, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Dr. Ali Ismaeil Ali Abd Alrheam is with the Clinical Laboratory Science Department College of Applied Medical Sciences at Shaqra University in Dawadmi, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Dr. Ahmed El-Sayed Hassan is with the Department of Medical Physiology and Faculty of Medicine at Zagazig University in Zagazig, Egypt and the Departments of Basic Medical Science, Physiology unit, and College of Medicine at Shaqra University in Dawadmi, Saudi Arabia.

PMID: 36061485
PMCID: PMC9436227

Abstract

Background: Psoriasis vulgaris is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory disorder marked by an intensified immune response. The role of immunogenetics in psoriasis is still poorly understood; however, experts agree that its expression depends on proinflammatory cytokines.Forkhead box class O3A (FOXO3a), a transcription factor, plays a crucial role in intercellular regulation, oxidative stress, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) repair, and cell death.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the role of FOXO3a genetic polymorphism as a risk factor for psoriasis vulgaris and assess its possible relationship with disease severity.

Methods: A comparative case-control study included 53 patients with psoriasis and 41 matched healthy controls. We measured serum FOXO3a levels and used the PCR-RFLEP technique to detect FOXO3a genetic polymorphism (rs13217795) in both groups.

Results: Our results revealed significantly higher serum FOXO3a levels in the psoriasis group compared to the control group (p≤0.001). Serum FOXO3a levels were significantly higher in patients with severe psoriasis than in those with mild-to-moderate disease. FOXO3a genotypes found homozygous mutant genotype (TT) was substantially more frequent in the psoriasis group than in the control group. Furthermore, the T allele was more frequent in the psoriasis group than in the control group.

Conclusion: The study indicates that rs13217795 polymorphism of the FOXO3a gene is strongly associated with susceptibility to psoriasis. Also, the serum level of FOXO3a is significantly higher in patients with severe psoriasis, compared to patients with mild-to-moderate psoriasis. This finding could be an area of future targeted therapy.

Keywords: FOXO3a gene.; Psoriasis vulgaris; Serum FOXO3a.