How Are Genes Involved in Psoriasis?
First posted Nov. 4, 2003
Genetics researchers at a recent meeting in Rome supported by the National Psoriasis Foundation suggest many of the genes that make people susceptible to psoriasis will be identified in the next several years. Gene discovery provides hope, but hope also requires understanding the next steps in the process and how these dicoveries may lead to improved treatments.
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Genes control everything from height to eye and hair color. Differences between people result from different forms of the gene. Genes determine how cells act. When genes are working normally, the body and its cells function normally. When a misstep occurs in the way a gene works, disease may result.
When a specific gene is found to be linked to psoriasis, researchers will have to determine what the gene does in a "normal" setting. Then, they will have to determine how the gene is different and thus how it causes psoriasis. This is a very difficult and time-consuming process, because researchers know that more than one gene is responsible for causing psoriasis.
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In fact, scientists believe that at least 10 percent of the general population inherits one or more of the genes that create a predisposition to psoriasis. However, only 2 percent to 3 percent of the population develops the disease.
This is thought to be because only 2 percent to 3 percent of people encounter the "right" mix of genetics and triggers that lead to the development of psoriasis. Those who have psoriasis but don't have a family history of it, for example, may have "inherited" two genes from their father and two from their mother-neither of whom had all four and therefore never developed psoriasis.
Genetics 101
Genes are essential for the body to perform the functions necessary for life. Every cell has 3 billion units of genetic material, called "deoxyribonucleic acid" (DNA).
DNA provides the information to direct the "synthesis," or making of, proteins.
Proteins are large molecules that perform a wide variety of very specific functions in the body. Out of all the DNA in our cells, only an estimated 30,000 proteins are produced. Genes are a unit of genetic material that code information for one protein. Therefore, researchers say we have approximately 30,000 to 40,000 genes. |
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There are several possible genetic changes that could explain why psoriasis occurs.
- The DNA that makes up the genes may have too many components. It may contain extra chemical pieces that make up DNA, which results in "faulty" proteins being made.
- Some chemicals in the DNA could be in the wrong place or missing, which leads to the proteins being misshapen or not produced at all.
- Some genes may be turned on or off at the wrong rate.
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Once the genetic source of the disease is pinpointed, researchers will then be able to begin work on determining why some people get psoriasis and others don't. By understanding how people who develop psoriasis are genetically different than people who do not, scientists may be able to create treatments that "correct" the behavior of cells. Or, they may be able to fix this difference in the genes themselves.
Stay tuned to the Psoriasis Advance for further articles about research and genetics discoveries or for more information, download the Foundation's booklet Psoriasis Research: Progress and Promise. You may need to become a registered Friend or Member to download the booklet.
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