title: Expression of Transglutaminase in Foreskin of Children with Balanitis Xerotica Obliterans.
abstract: Balanitis xerotica obliterans (BXO) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder of unclear etiology. The etiology and the exact molecular mechanisms underlying the disease are still unknown. The human transglutaminase (TG) family consists of several proteins with catalytic activity essential for biological processes. In the present research we investigated the transcript levels of three TGs in patients operated on for congenital phimosis without or with histologically confirmed BXO; Thirty children with acquired phimosis were enrolled. The removed foreskins were sent both for histological diagnosis and for quantitative real-time PCR to evaluate the transcript levels of keratinocyte (TG1), tissue (TG2), and epidermal (TG3) transglutaminase; We observed a decrease in TG1 and TG3 transcripts by about 70% (p < 0.001) in foreskins from patients with BXO (n = 15) in comparison with patients without BXO (n = 15) and an increase in TG2 mRNA levels by 2.9 folds (p < 0.001); Reduced expression of both TG1 and TG3 was associated with the altered structure of the foreskin in BXO and can be a consequence of damage to keratinocytes. Increased expression of TG2 can be the result of chronic inflammation. TG2 overexpression can play a pivotal role in triggering and maintaining the inflammatory response in BXO patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Pathology of Adult and Childhood "Gaetano Barresi", University of Messina, Messina 98125, Italy. russotiziana82@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina 98125, Italy. moncurro@unime.it.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Currò
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina 98125, Italy. anna.barbera1@virgilio.it.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbera
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina 98125, Italy. dcaccamo@unime.it.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caccamo
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Pathology of Adult and Childhood "Gaetano Barresi", University of Messina, Messina 98125, Italy. pantonuccio@unime.it.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Antonuccio
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Pathology of Adult and Childhood "Gaetano Barresi", University of Messina, Messina 98125, Italy. salvatore.arena@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arena
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Pathology of Adult and Childhood "Gaetano Barresi", University of Messina, Messina 98125, Italy. asmontalto@libero.it.
authors.forename: Angela Simona
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Montalto
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Pathology of Adult and Childhood "Gaetano Barresi", University of Messina, Messina 98125, Italy. parisi.saveria@libero.it.
authors.forename: Saveria
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parisi
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Pathology of Adult and Childhood "Gaetano Barresi", University of Messina, Messina 98125, Italy. lmarseglia@unime.it.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marseglia
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Pathology of Adult and Childhood "Gaetano Barresi", University of Messina, Messina 98125, Italy. egitto@unime.it.
authors.forename: Eloisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gitto
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina 98125, Italy. ientile@unime.it.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ientile
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Pathology of Adult and Childhood "Gaetano Barresi", University of Messina, Messina 98125, Italy. impellizzerip@unime.it.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Impellizzeri
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Pathology of Adult and Childhood "Gaetano Barresi", University of Messina, Messina 98125, Italy. romeoc@unime.it.
authors.forename: Carmelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Romeo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D052798:Balanitis Xerotica Obliterans / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D052816:Foreskin / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010688:Phimosis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011503:Transglutaminases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D007527:Isoenzymes; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D011503:Transglutaminases
keywords: E-cadherin; IFN-γ; balanitis xerotica obliterans; foreskin; phimosis; transglutaminase