Approximately seven and a half million Americans have psoriasis. For the past twenty years, scientists have been unable to find a single gene directly linked to psoriasis. Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified the first gene directly linked to plaque psoriasis (Arbanas, 2012).
Plaque psoriasis is a chronic skin condition characterized by dry, raised red patches covered with white flaky scales that can be itchy and painful. These patches typically develop on elbows and knees but can develop on multiple parts of the body. In healthy individuals, basal skin cells take a month to rise to the surface, whereas in individuals with psoriasis, this turnover process occurs in a few days. In other words, those who suffer from psoriasis have a problem with their immune system in which skin cells mature and rise rapidly. At this time, there is no cure for psoriasis but those who have the disease use preventative care to keep skin …show more content…
The CARD14 gene is located on the long arm of chromosome 17 at position 25(my figure)(main primary). The function of the CARD14 gene is to provide instructions to make a protein that activates a group of interacting proteins known as a nuclear factor of kappa light chain enhancer in B cells (NF-kB) within skin. Specifically, CARD14 encodes a 1,004 amino acid protein that activates NF-kB. For those who have plaque psoriasis, mutations alter splicing, inserting 22 amino acids into the CARD14 peptide between exons 3 and 4(possibly my figure). This leads to enhanced NF-kB activation and increases the subset of transcripts associated with psoriasis. This protein increases the production of signaling molecules that attract inflammatory cells which leads to the inflammatory response in skin that characterizes psoriasis (main
Plaque psoriasis is a chronic skin condition characterized by dry, raised red patches covered with white flaky scales that can be itchy and painful. These patches typically develop on elbows and knees but can develop on multiple parts of the body. In healthy individuals, basal skin cells take a month to rise to the surface, whereas in individuals with psoriasis, this turnover process occurs in a few days. In other words, those who suffer from psoriasis have a problem with their immune system in which skin cells mature and rise rapidly. At this time, there is no cure for psoriasis but those who have the disease use preventative care to keep skin …show more content…
The CARD14 gene is located on the long arm of chromosome 17 at position 25(my figure)(main primary). The function of the CARD14 gene is to provide instructions to make a protein that activates a group of interacting proteins known as a nuclear factor of kappa light chain enhancer in B cells (NF-kB) within skin. Specifically, CARD14 encodes a 1,004 amino acid protein that activates NF-kB. For those who have plaque psoriasis, mutations alter splicing, inserting 22 amino acids into the CARD14 peptide between exons 3 and 4(possibly my figure). This leads to enhanced NF-kB activation and increases the subset of transcripts associated with psoriasis. This protein increases the production of signaling molecules that attract inflammatory cells which leads to the inflammatory response in skin that characterizes psoriasis (main