Abnormal Epigenetic Modifications in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from Patients with Alopecia Areata

September 2011 in “ British Journal of Dermatology ”

Ming Zhao, Guobiao Liang, Xiaoyan Wu, S. Wang, P. Zhang, Yu‐Wen Su, Heng Yin, Yixin Tan, J. Zhang, Qianjin Lu

alopecia areata epigenetic modifications peripheral blood mononuclear cells DNA methylation histone modifications DNMT1 MBD1 MBD4 histone H3 acetylation RANTES CCL5 histone H3 lysine 4 methylation epigenetic regulatory genes AA PBMCs

Studysummary This study found that DNA methylation and histone modification status were altered in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with alopecia areata, suggesting these changes may contribute to the disease's pathological immune responses. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

The study investigated epigenetic modifications in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 25 patients with alopecia areata (AA) and 20 healthy controls. It found increased DNA methylation and altered histone modifications in AA patients, with higher levels of DNMT1, MBD1, and MBD4 expression. Histone H3 acetylation was elevated, correlating with disease severity and RANTES (CCL5) mRNA expression, while histone H3 lysine 4 methylation was decreased. These epigenetic changes were linked to the deregulation of various epigenetic regulatory genes, suggesting they may contribute to the pathological immune responses in AA.

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