Saakshi Bangera, DY Patil School of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics
Hepatitis C, caused by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a worldwide disease with a prevalence rate of approximately 70 million infections. After an infection, the parenchymal cells produce a large number of interstitial lymphocytes. These lymphocytes stimulate the proliferation and differentiation of T helper cells. T cells are considered to be an important factor in the mediation of Psoriasis. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease that is triggered by trauma, stress, drugs, and genetic factors. However, the pathogenesis of psoriasis is not totally understood yet.
Previous studies have demonstrated the relation between Hepatitis C and psoriasis. These studies show that antimicrobial peptides such as Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) and interferon, are involved in the progress of Psoriasis. They also pointed out that this involvement may be due to the upregulation of these antimicrobial peptides by the Hepatitis C virus. The idea behind this investigation was to systematically analyse the relationship between hepatitis C and psoriasis.
Following methods were used to perform this investigation
Search strategy and selection criteria
For this analysis, public databases such as PubMed and EMBASE were searched. Review papers and other meta-analysis studies were searched and reviewed. Case-control studies and cross-sectional studies were reviewed for this research.
Bias assessment
Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess the risk of bias in the study.
Statistical analysis
Odds ratios, I2 statistic, and p values were determined
Construction of the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network
STRING database was used to study the interactions between expressed proteins and the desired species i.e., Homo sapiens. The obtained results were imported into Cytoscape, a database that draws the interactive network and analyses it.
Construction of gene enrichment analysis
Using Gene Ontology (GO) item and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, genes co-expressed during HCV and psoriasis were investigated. GO enrichment analysis arranges a structured network of cell composition, molecular function, and biological processes to describe the gene traits.
Results obtained
It is known that Psoriasis affects the immune system by mediating an imbalance between different cytokines and other interactions in the tissues. Through PPI analysis, 398 overlapping genes targets were found. These overlapping genes include – IL6, TNF, IL10, and other inflammatory factors.
The study found that patients suffering from psoriasis were more susceptible to the Hepatitis C function. Cross-sectional / case-control studies suggested that psoriasis patients had a 1.72-fold increased chance of developing Hepatitis C.
According to the study, antimicrobial peptides and chemokines were mainly responsible for the persistent recurrence of psoriasis. This was because these peptides recruit pathogenic T cells and endorse the proliferation of keratinocytes. In the psoriatic lesions, many typical pathways such as TNF/IL23/IL17A pathway were observed to be upregulated. Infection with the hepatitis C virus leads to an increase in the production of various cytokines, especially IL6 and TNFα. Psoriatic lesions also produce TNF mainly by activation of macrophages.
Although Psoriasis and Hepatitis C possibly have a similar pathogenesis, the exact mechanism leading to their coexistence is still unclear.
Conclusion
This study confirms the relation between Hepatitis C and Psoriasis. Overlapping gene targets of both HCV and psoriasis indicate the genetic relationship between the two. The production of a common cytokine (TNFα) during the pathogenesis of both diseases helps us to understand the presence of common pathways. However, to further study this observation, a stronger analysis is required. An improved understanding of this relationship might help develop better treatments.
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Source:
Liu, Y., Cui, S.N., Duan, M.Y. et al. Is there a relationship between psoriasis and hepatitis C? A meta-analysis and bioinformatics investigation. Virol J 18, 135 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-021-01606-z
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About the author: The author is currently pursuing MSc in Biotechnology from DY Patil School of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics. She believes that she doesn’t have a specific area of interest yet. She wishes to explore toxicology and food biotechnology. She’s quite passionate about Biotechnology and aims to grab every opportunity she comes across.
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