The following is a summary of “Downregulation of Caveolae-Associated Proteins in Psoriasis: A Case Series Study,” published in the March 2024 issue of Dermatology by Lin, et al.
Previous research has highlighted the involvement of the structural membrane protein Caveolin-1 (Cav1) in regulating aberrant keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation. However, the roles of Cav1, Caveolin-2 (Cav2), and Cavin-1 in the pathogenesis of psoriasis vulgaris and its subtypes remained unclear. For a study, researchers sought to elucidate the roles of Cav1, Cav2, and Cavin-1 in the pathogenesis of psoriasis vulgaris and its subtypes.
Human biopsies from validated cases of psoriasis vulgaris (n = 21) were obtained from the University of Miami Hospital. The expression of Cav1, Cav2, and Cavin-1 was compared by immunohistochemistry staining with that in normal healthy age-/sex-/location-matched skin (n = 15) and chronic spongiotic dermatitis skin samples (as a control inflammatory skin condition). Expression levels were quantified using QuPath software. Psoriasis subtypes included guttate, inverse, nail, plaque, palmoplantar, and pustular.
All biopsy samples exhibited a trend toward downregulating Cav1, with nail, plaque, and palmoplantar psoriasis showing the most pronounced effects. Only nail and pustular psoriasis samples exhibited significant downregulation of Cav2 and Cavin-1, suggesting that Cav1 may be the primary caveolar contributor to the pathogenesis of psoriasis. The findings supported the notion that caveolae are pathophysiological targets in nail and pustular psoriasis, while Cav1 appears to be a general biomarker of multiple psoriasis subtypes.
The downregulation of Cav1, and to a lesser extent Cav2 and Cavin-1, in psoriasis vulgaris and its subtypes highlighted the potential involvement of caveolae in the pathogenesis of this condition. Cav1 may serve as a general biomarker for various psoriasis subtypes, while Cav2 and Cavin-1 downregulation appears more specific to nail and pustular psoriasis.
Reference: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667026724000110