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

Studysummary In this study, gene expression analysis of plucked hair follicles from scalp lesions was sufficient to differentiate chronic discoid lupus erythematosus from psoriasis and healthy controls, suggesting a non-invasive diagnostic potential. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

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

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

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