Analysis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in the lesions of lichen planus in patients with chronic hepatitis C: detection of anti-genomic- as well as genomic-strand HCV RNAs in lichen planus lesions.
BACKGROUND
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a single-strand RNA virus. The association of lichen planus with chronic HCV infection has been reported, as has been cryoglobulinemic purpura, psoriasis, urticaria, and porphyria cutanea tarda. However, the cause of lichen planus is unclear.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether genomic- and/or anti-genomic-strand HCV RNAs are present in the lichen planus lesions of chronic hepatitis C patients and to elucidate the pathogenesis of lichen planus.


METHODS
Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) followed by nested-PCR was carried out to detect HCV RNA using RNA samples from lichen planus lesions of three patients with chronic hepatitis C. Since it is well known that commonly there is relatively dense inflammatory cell infiltration mainly in the upper dermis in lichen planus, the same RT-PCR procedure was performed using RNA from peripheral blood leukocytes from the same patients. In addition, in one patient, the same procedure was also performed using an RNA sample from normal skin.


RESULTS
Bands of the appropriate size (161 base pairs corresponding to region 98-258 of HCV RNA) in the nested-PCR products for both genomic- and anti-genomic-strands were detected in lichen planus lesions as well as in peripheral blood leukocytes in all the cases.


CONCLUSIONS
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report showing the presence of anti-genomic- as well as genomic-strand HCV RNAs in lichen planus lesions in patients with chronic hepatitis C; suggesting that HCV-associated lichen planus lesions may be sites of HCV replication.
Kurokawa
Motoki
M
Department of Dermatology, Miyazaki Medical College, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki 889-1692, Japan. mkurokawa@post1.miyazaki-med.ac.jp
Hidaka
Tomonori
T
Sasaki
Hidenori
H
Nishikata
Ichiro
I
Morishita
Kazuhiro
K
Setoyama
Mitsuru
M
D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008010:Lichen Planus / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D012367:RNA, Viral