Exploring the role of vitamin D-VDR pathway in pemphigus foliaceous: a novel perspective on disease pathogenesis.

Several auto-immune diseases have been linked to vitamin D deficiency as a contributing environmental factor. Its pleiotropic effects on the immune system, especially its essential role in maintaining immune tolerance, make the vitamin D pathway of great interest. In this study, we focused on Pemphigus foliaceous (PF) in Tunisian population. we aimed to quantify the Serum 25[OH]D levels using chemiluminescence assay and to analyze the differential expression of the VDR, CYP27B1 and CYP24A1 genes in the circulating blood cells and lesional skin tissue of PF patients using Q-PCR. A genetic explanation was then sought to explore any direct relationship between tag polymorphisms and the inherited features of PF. Results confirmed a vitamin D hypovitaminosis in Tunisian PF patients. Interestingly, a differential gene expression correlated to the disease stratification was noted. Indeed, at the systemic level, an upregulation of VDR and CYP27B1 genes was observed in healthy controls compared to PF patients. Notably, in lesional skin tissue, the clinical and serological remission phase was correlated with high transcriptional levels of the VDR gene and conversely a drop in expression of the CYP24A1 gene. Genetic analysis indicated the involvement of the most appealing polymorphisms, rs2228570 and poly (A) microsatellite, in PF etiopathogenesis. Indeed, CAC13 haplotype was associated with a higher risk of PF development. Our findings suggest that alterations in the vitamin D-VDR pathway may influence PF physiopathology, making this pathway a potential target for pharmacological modulation, especially for cortico-resistant PF patients.

Unraveling the role of the vitamin D-VDR pathway in pemphigus vulgaris from Tunisian patients.

Vitamin D dysregulation has been recognized as a factor that may cause or aggravate autoimmunity. Vitamin D deficiency was found to be common in pemphigus vulgaris (PV) in different populations. This study aimed to investigate the vitamin D-VDR pathway in PV in the Tunisian population. A serological study was carried out to determine the vitamin D status in newly diagnosed PV patients. CYP27B1, CYP24A1 and VDR mRNA expression was assessed using quantitative real-time PCR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from untreated newly diagnosed and treated PV patients. In addition, a genetic study was accomplished on VDR polymorphisms to investigate the changes in VDR gene expression. Overall, the serological study confirmed the hypovitaminosis D in newly diagnosed PV patients. Vitamin D-VDR pathway gene expression showed downregulation of CYP27B1 and CYP24A1 mRNA in first-discovery patients compared to healthy controls, while VDR mRNA was highly expressed in newly diagnosed PV patients. Moreover, CYP27B1, CYP24A1 and VDR mRNA were significantly upregulated in chronic disease severity groups compared to mild disease groups. The genetic study showed low VDR gene expression in carriers of FokI > CC genotype, which was more frequent among PV patients, and FokI > C-TaqI > C-ApaI > A-polyA > A16 haplotype, suggesting that the VDR gene polymorphisms testing can provide useful information for PV treatment decision-making. In conclusion, our findings underline the impact of vitamin D-VDR pathway disruption in the PV pathophysiology in Tunisian patients.

Human epidermal keratinocytes and human dermal fibroblasts interactions seeded on gelatin hydrogel for future application in skin in vitro 3-dimensional model.

Introduction: Plenty of biomaterials have been studied for their application in skin tissue engineering. Currently, gelatin-hydrogel is used to support three-dimensional (3D) skin in vitro models. However, mimicking the human body conditions and properties remains a challenge and gelatin-hydrogels have low mechanical properties and undergo rapid degradation rendering them not suitable for 3D in vitro cell culture. Nevertheless, changing the concentration of hydrogels could overcome this issue. Thus, we aim to investigate the potential of gelatin hydrogel with different concentrations crosslinked with genipin to promote human epidermal keratinocytes and human dermal fibroblasts culture to develop a 3D-in vitro skin model replacing animal models. Methods: Briefly, the composite gelatin hydrogels were fabricated using different concentrations as follows 3%, 5%, 8%, and 10% crosslinked with 0.1% genipin or non-crosslinked. Both physical and chemical properties were evaluated. Results and discussion: The crosslinked scaffolds showed better properties, including porosity and hydrophilicity, and genipin was found to enhance the physical properties. Furthermore, no alteration was prominent in both formulations of CL_GEL 5% and CL_GEL8% after genipin modification. The biocompatibility assays showed that all groups promoted cell attachment, cell viability, and cell migration except for the CL_GEL10% group. The CL_GEL5% and CL_GEL8% groups were selected to develop a bi-layer 3D-in vitro skin model. The immunohistochemistry (IHC) and hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E) were performed on day 7, 14, and 21 to evaluate the reepithelization of the skin constructs. However, despite satisfactory biocompatibility properties, neither of the selected formulations, CL_GEL 5% and CL_GEL 8%, proved adequate for creating a bi-layer 3D in-vitro skin model. While this study provides valuable insights into the potential of gelatin hydrogels, further research is needed to address the challenges associated with their use in developing 3D skin models for testing and biomedical applications.

ICOS gene polymorphisms in systemic lupus erythematosus: A case-control study.

The inducible T-cell costimulator (ICOS) may play an important role in adaptive immunity by regulating the interaction between T cells and antigen-presenting cells. Disruption of this molecule can lead to autoimmune diseases, in particular systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this study, we aimed to explore the possible association between ICOS gene polymorphisms and SLE as well as their influence on disease susceptibility and clinical outcomes. A further objective was to assess the potential impact of these polymorphisms on RNA expression. A case-control study, including 151 patients with SLE, and 291 unrelated healthy controls (HC) matched in gender, and geographical origin, was performed to genotype two polymorphisms located in the ICOS gene: rs11889031 (-693 G/A) and rs10932029 (IVS1 + 173 T/C); using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The different genotypes were validated by direct sequencing. The expression level of ICOS mRNA was assessed by quantitative PCR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of SLE patients and HC. The results were analysed using Shesis and spss.20. Our results revealed a significant association between ICOS gene rs11889031 > CC genotype and SLE disease (codominant genetic model 1, (C/C vs. C/T), p = .001, odds ratio [OR] = 2.18 IC [1.36-3.49]); codominant genetic model 2, (C/C vs. T/T) p = .007, OR = 15.29 IC [1.97-118.5]); dominant genetic model, (C/C vs. C/T + T/T) p = .0001, OR = 2.44 IC [1.53-3.9]). Besides, there was a marginal association between rs11889031 > TT genotype and T allele with a protective role from SLE (recessive genetic model, p = .016, OR = 0.08 IC [0.01-0.63] and p = 7.6904E - 05, OR = 0.43 IC = [0.28-0.66], respectively). Moreover, statistical analysis indicated that the rs11889031 > CC genotype was linked with clinical and serological manifestations of SLE, including blood pressure, and anti-SSA antibodies production in SLE patients. However, the ICOS gene rs10932029 polymorphism was not associated with susceptibility to SLE. On the other side, we did not note any effect of the two selected polymorphisms on the level of ICOS mRNA gene expression. The study showed a significant predisposing association of the ICOS rs11889031 > CC genotype with SLE, in contrast to a protective effect of rs11889031 > TT genotype in Tunisian patients. Our results suggest that ICOS rs11889031 may act as a risk factor for SLE and could be used as a genetic susceptibility biomarker.

miRNA implication in the pathogenesis and the outcome of Tunisian endemic pemphigus foliaceus.

Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is a bullous autoimmune skin disease diagnosed through sera and skin analyses. PF severity is associated with maintained anti-Dsg1 sera levels and its prognosis is unpredictable. MicroRNA (miRNA), dynamic regulators of immune function, have been identified as potential biomarkers for some autoimmune diseases. This study aimed to assess the miRNA expression of miR-17-5p, miR-21-5p, miR-146a-5p, miR-155-5p and miR-338-3p using quantitative real-time PCR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and lesional skin samples from untreated and treated PF patients (both remittent and chronic) over 3 months. Overall, miRNA expression was significantly higher in PBMC than in biopsy samples. Blood miR-21 expression was increased in untreated patients compared to controls and had a diagnostic value with an AUC of 0.78. After 6 weeks, it decreased significantly, similar to anti-Dsg1 antibodies and the PDAI score. In addition, a positive correlation was observed between cutaneous miR-21 expression and the disease activity score. Conversely, cutaneous expressions of miR-17, miR-146a and miR-155 were significantly higher in treated chronic patients compared to remittent ones. The cutaneous level of miR-155 positively correlated with pemphigus activity, making it a potential predictive marker for patients' clinical stratification with an AUC of 0.86.These findings suggest that blood miR-21 and cutaneous miR-155 can be used as supplemental markers for PF diagnosis and activity, respectively in addition to classical parameters.

Autoantibodies to Zinc Transporter 8 and SLC30A8 Genotype in Type 1 Diabetes Childhood: A Pioneering Study in North Africa.

Background: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) occurs as a result of insulin deficiency due to destructive lesions of pancreatic ß cells. In addition to classical autoantibodies (Abs) to islet cell antigens, antizinc transporter 8 Abs (ZnT8-Ab) have been recently described in T1D. Objective: As no data on ZnT8-Ab in Tunisian patients has been reported, we aim to evaluate the relationships between ZnT8-Ab, ZnT8 coding gene (SLC30A8) promoter polymorphism, and T1D risk in newly diagnosed children. Methods: ZnT8-Ab were measured in the serum of T1D newly affected children (n = 156) who were admitted to the pediatric department of the Hedi Chaker University Hospital of Sfax. Rs13266634 was genotyped in T1D children and 79 of their first-degree parents. The SPSS software was used to analyze the serological data. Allelic association analysis was conducted with family-based association tests implemented in the FBAT program v1.5.1. Results: ZnT8-Ab was detected in 66/156 (42.3%) of T1D newly diagnosed children. Among them, 6 (9%) presented ZnT8-Ab as the only humoral marker. The inclusion of ZnT8-Ab increased the number of Ab-positive patients to 90% and reduced the negative ones by 27%. There was no evidence of any overtransmission of any allele of the rs13266634 C/T polymorphism from parents to affected T1D children, nor of any correlation with any clinical or serological parameter. After the T1D disease onset age adjustment, a significant association was observed with the C allele suggesting that it could have a susceptibility role. Conclusion: ZnT8-Ab appears as a relevant diagnostic marker for T1D in Tunisian children, especially at the onset of the disease as teenagers.

Role of innate immune receptors TLR4 and TLR2 polymorphisms in systemic lupus erythematosus susceptibility.

AIM: Through their recognition of various bacterial cell wall components, TLR2 and TLR4 participate in the innate response and modulate the activation of adaptive immunity. Therefore, the genetic background of these receptors might play a crucial role in autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this study, we investigated the possible association between polymorphisms within TLR2 and TLR4 genes with SLE susceptibility. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 100 SLE patients and 200 unrelated healthy controls of the Tunisian population were enrolled in the study.TLR4rs4986790, TLR4rs4986791, and TLR2rs5743708 genotyping were performed using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The number of guanine-thymine (GT) repeat microsatellite in the intron 2 of TLR2 gene was analyzed by sequencing. RESULTS: We reported a lack of allelic and genotypic association between SNPs of TLR4 and TLR2 genes and SLE pathogenesis. No correlation was found with any SLE features. However, SLE susceptibility was associated with the GT repeat microsatellite polymorphism in the human TLR2 gene. Further subclassification of alleles into three subclasses revealed a significant association between the long-sized repeats ((GT) >23) and SLE. CONCLUSION: Though the results showed the absence of genetic association of TLR4 and TLR2 SNPs with the risk of developing SLE, we have identified a protective association between the microsatellite polymorphism in intron 2 of the TLR2 gene and SLE. Functionally, these (GT)n repeats may confer modifying effects or susceptibility to certain inflammatory conditions.

Toll-like-Receptor Gene Polymorphisms in Tunisian Endemic Pemphigus Foliaceus.

Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is considered to be caused by the combined effects of susceptibility genes and environmental triggers. The polymorphisms of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) genes have been associated with the risk of various autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential association of TLR2-3-4 and 7 gene polymorphisms with Tunisian PF. Fourteen polymorphisms were analyzed in 93 Tunisian PF patients compared to 193 matched healthy controls: rs5743703-rs5743709 and (GT)n repeat (TLR2); rs5743305, rs3775294, and rs3775291 (TLR3), rs4986790 and rs4986791 (TLR4); and rs3853839 (TLR7). Our results showed that the genetic factors varied depending on the epidemiological feature stratification. In fact, in the whole population, no association with the susceptibility to PF was found. The TLR2 GT repeat seems to be closely associated with PF risk in patients originated from the endemic localities (group 3); the GT18 allele and the heterozygous genotype GT18/GT19 seem to confer risk to endemic PF (P = 0.02; OR = 2.3 [1.1-4.9] and P = 0.0002, OR = 20 [2.5-171], respectively). In contrast, the GT23 repeat could be considered as protector allele (P = 0.02, OR = 0.2 [0.06-0.87]). Furthermore, medium GT alleles which induce high promoter activity were also significantly more frequent in patients versus short or long GT repeats (P = 0.0018 with OR = 3.26 [1.5-7]). On the other hand, the TLR3-rs574305 AA genotype and A allele were significantly more frequent in patients whose age of the onset was above 35 years (group 2) (P = 0.038, OR = 1.78 and P = 0.009, OR = 3.92, respectively). Besides, the TLR4>rs3775294 A allele was found to be protector only in patients with sporadic features (groups 2 and 4) (P = 0.03, OR = 0.57 [0.3-0.9] and P = 0.006, OR = 0.24 [0.08-0.74], respectively). No statistically significant difference was observed in the genotypic and allelic frequencies of TLR-4 and TLR-7 gene polymorphisms. The present data suggest that TLR2and TLR3 polymorphisms are significantly associated with increased susceptibility to PF in the Tunisian population.