The genetic basis of psoriasis.

摘要

For a complex genetic disease, psoriasis has a high penetration within families and a concordance rate of up to 70% in identical twins. Despite this and the endeavors of many research groups for more than a decade, no susceptibility allele has so far been unequivocally identified, although about 20 genetic loci associated with psoriasis have been reported from linkage-based studies. Moreover, only 1 of these linkage-based loci, PSORS1, that includes the HLA-C gene on chromosome 6p21, has been universally confirmed. Very recent data strongly indicate that HLA-Cw*0602 is the susceptibility allele in this locus, a finding that is consistent with the notion that the pathogenesis of psoriasis involves autoantigen recognition by epidermal CD8+ T lymphocytes. Several candidate genes in some of the other 7 PSORS designated loci are currently being evaluated. The relative lack of success in elucidating the genetic basis of psoriasis highlights the formidable challenge of dissecting the genetic basis of diseaseswith a complex mode of inheritance.