JID innovations : skin science from molecules to population health •
Autoinflammatory diseases (AIDs) arise from disturbances that alter interactions of immune cells and tissues. They give rise to prominent (auto)inflammation in the absence of aberrant autoantibodies and/or autoreactive T cells. AIDs that are predominantly caused by changes in the inflammasome pathways, such as the NLRP3- or pyrin-associated inflammasome, have gained substantial attention over the last years. However, AIDs resulting primarily from other changes in the defense system of the innate immune system are less well-studied. These noninflammasome-mediated AIDs relate to, for example, disturbance in the TNF or IFN signaling pathways or aberrations in genes affecting the IL-1RA. The spectrum of clinical signs and symptoms of these conditions is vast. Thus, recognizing early cutaneous signs constitutes an important step in differential diagnoses for dermatologists and other physicians. This review provides an overview of the pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and available treatment options highlighting dermatologic aspects of noninflammasome-mediated AIDs.
Lovšin E, Kovač J, Tesovnik T, Toplak N, Perko D , et al.
Frontiers in immunology •
Periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome is the most common autoinflammatory disease in children and is often grouped together with hereditary periodic fever syndromes, although its cause and hereditary nature remain unexplained. We investigated whether differential DNA methylation was present in DNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in patients with PFAPA vs. healthy controls. A whole-epigenome analysis (MeDIP and MBD) was performed using pooled DNA libraries enriched for methylated genomic regions and identified candidate genes, two of which were further evaluated with methylation-specific restriction enzymes coupled with qPCR (MSRE-qPCR). The analysis showed that the and gene regions are differentially methylated in patients with PFAPA. MSRE-qPCR proved to be a quick, reliable, and cost-effective method of confirming results from MeDIP and MBD. Our findings indicate that a B-cell adapter protein (), as the PI3K binding inhibitor of inflammation, and spondin-2 (), as a pattern recognition molecule and integrin ligand, could play a role in the etiology of PFAPA. Their role and the impact of changed DNA methylation in PFAPA etiology and autoinflammation need further investigation.