title: HLA-G 14-bp polymorphism: a possible marker of systemic treatment response in psoriasis vulgaris? Preliminary results of a retrospective study.
abstract: Human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) is a nonclassical HLA class I molecule that exerts an immunosuppressive function. A 14-base pair (bp) sequence insertion/deletion (INS/DEL) polymorphism in the exon 8 at the 3' untranslated region (UTR) modifies mRNA stability and protein production and has been shown to concur with efficacy of pharmacological treatments in immune-mediated conditions. The aim of this study was to assess for the first time the correlation between HLA-G 14-bp INS/DEL polymorphism with the response to systemic therapy in psoriatic patients. We retrospectively analyzed the HLA-G 14-bp INS/DEL polymorphism of HLA-G gene in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis: 21 treated with acitretin, 16 with cyclosporine, 11 with anti-TNF-α. Patients who reached PASI 75 at weeks 10-16 were considered responders. Among patients treated with acitretin, we observed a significantly increased frequency of the HLA-G DEL allele and of the DEL/DEL genotype in responder patients when compared with nonresponders. An association between HLA-G genotype and response to cyclosporine and biologics was not found. The significant association between HLA-G 14-bp DEL allele and 14-bp DEL/DEL genotype and acitretin clinical outcome may suggest an advantage of this allele and propose this HLA-G polymorphism as a potential marker of response to acitretin in psoriatic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Dermatology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borghi
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corazza
authors.forename: Alberto Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bertoldi
authors.forename: Daria
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bortolotti
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sturabotti
authors.forename: Annarosa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Virgili
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Di Luca
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D017255:Acitretin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020029:Base Pairing; D001688:Biological Products / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005091:Exons; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D059951:HLA-G Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010597:Pharmacogenetics; D010641:Phenotype; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D001688:Biological Products; D003879:Dermatologic Agents; D059951:HLA-G Antigens; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016572:Cyclosporine; D017255:Acitretin
keywords: 14-bp polymorphism; HLA-G; immune-modulation; pharmacogenetics; psoriasis; systemic therapy