The skin is the frontline of immune defense and acts as a barrier against microorganisms. Immune activity in the skin, and the body as a whole, must be tightly regulated, as improper control can lead to autoimmune diseases.
Atopic dermatitis (AD), a chronic skin disease caused by complex immune dysfunction, affects around 15% of children worldwide, with some cases persisting into adulthood. Recent research published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine has identified a type of cell in human skin that may play a role in inflammatory skin diseases like AD and psoriasis (PSO). These findings could lead to new treatments for these diseases.
Though the causes of AD and PSO are not fully understood, certain types of activated T cells in the skin are known to release inflammatory molecules that can trigger disease. A recent study using single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) explored immune cells, such as dendritic cells (DCs), which activate T cells. RNA-seq provides a snapshot of gene expression in individual cells, offering insights into cell types and active pathways.
This study revealed that in PSO-affected skin, there was an increase in a type of dendritic cell known as CD14+ DC3s. These cells were found to express two cytokines, IL1B and IL23A, which are associated with PSO.
"The findings from this study are important because they enable the development of new strategies to target or modulate myeloid cell populations for better health outcomes in patients with atopic dermatitis and psoriasis," said Dr. Florent Ginhoux, senior principal investigator at A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN).
Professor Kenji Kabashima from SIgN and the Skin Research Institute of Singapore (SRIS) added, "The roles of antigen-presenting cells in the development of inflammatory skin diseases remain unclear. This study provided valuable insights into the functions of each antigen-presenting cell subset, which is crucial to understanding the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis."
Sources: A*STAR, Journal of Experimental Medicine
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