Plucked Hair Follicles From Patients With Chronic Discoid Lupus Erythematosus Show a Disease-Specific Molecular Signature

July 2019 in “ Lupus Science & Medicine ”

Mohammad Shalbaf, Adewonuola Alase, Anna Berekméri, Md Yuzaiful Md Yusof, Jelena Pistolic, Mark Goodfield, Sara Edward, Natalia V. Botchkareva, Martin Stacey, Edward M Vital, Miriam Wittmann

chronic discoid lupus erythematosus CDLE hair follicles inflammatory scalp lesions gene expression apoptotic cell death interferon signature complement components CD8+ T-cell immune responses scalp lupus erythematosus

TLDR Plucked hair follicles can help diagnose scalp lupus.

The study investigated a non-invasive diagnostic method for chronic discoid lupus erythematosus (CDLE) by analyzing plucked hair follicles (HFs) from 7 CDLE patients, 6 psoriasis patients, and 5 healthy controls. It identified a disease-specific molecular signature in CDLE, characterized by upregulation of interferon-stimulated genes, complement components, and genes related to apoptosis and CD8+ T-cell responses. These findings suggested that CDLE causes irreversible alopecia due to immune-mediated damage to the HF stem cell niche. The research indicated that plucked HFs could potentially replace invasive scalp biopsies for diagnosing CDLE, though further clinical validation was needed.

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Research cited in this study

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Plucked Hair Follicles From Patients With Chronic Discoid Lupus Erythematosus Show a Disease-Specific Molecular Signature

Research cited in this study

research Regeneration of Fat Cells from Myofibroblasts During Wound Healing

research Primary Cicatricial Alopecia: Treatment Approaches and Classification

research Lichen Planopilaris Is Characterized By Immune Privilege Collapse Of The Hair Follicle's Epithelial Stem Cell Niche

research Scar Classification in Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus: Morphological Description

research Human Follicular Stem Cells: Their Presence in Plucked Hair and Follicular Cell Culture

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