The study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics (2006, vol 78), investigated which of eleven previously identified genes in the major histocompatibility complex were linked to psoriasis. The major histocompatibility complex is a field of genes that regulate how the immune system fights off infection. Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School analyzed the data of 2,723 people from 678 families in which at least one family member had the disease. The scientists used a haplotype mapping technique, which identifies clusters of variations (called alleles) on a chromosome that tend to be inherited together as a group. Detailed analysis of the participants' DNA sequences revealed differences that were only present on psoriasis chromosomes but not on normal chromosomes.
The researchers narrowed the search to one gene, the HLA-C gene, which they named the PSORS1 (psoriasis susceptibility 1) gene. Although the PSORS1 is the major gene involved in psoriasis susceptibility, researchers believe that there may also be other genes involved. "For every individual with psoriasis who carries the PSORS1 gene, there are 10 other people with the gene who don't get psoriasis," says researcher James T. Elder, MD, PhD, professor of dermatology and radiation oncology at the University of Michigan Medical School, in a news release. "But even if you get all the bad genes, you still need a trigger from the environment to develop the disease."
The researchers believe that this discovery could lead to better treatments for psoriasis.
Posted by Kristopher Foster on May 9, 2006 03:27 PM
