Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Plakophilin-2 protein differences in German shepherd dog skin
By Ardesjö-Lundgren, Brita et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2017·Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Comparison of cellular location and expression of Plakophilin-2 in epidermal cells from nonlesional atopic skin and healthy skin in German shepherd dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of German Shepherds with atopic dermatitis (a skin allergy causing itching and inflammation) had skin samples taken to study a specific protein called Plakophilin-2 (PKP2). Researchers found that PKP2 was present in both skin and immune cells, suggesting it plays a role in skin health and immune response. However, they did not find any significant differences in the amount of PKP2 between the dogs with skin issues and healthy dogs. This suggests that while PKP2 is important, it may not be the sole factor in causing atopic dermatitis in these dogs.
People also search for: German Shepherd skin allergy treatment · dog itching causes · atopic dermatitis in dogs · Plakophilin-2 in dog skin
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) is an inflammatory and pruritic allergic skin disease caused by interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Previously, a genome-wide significant risk locus on canine chromosome 27 for CAD was identified in German shepherd dogs (GSDs) and Plakophilin-2 (PKP2) was defined as the top candidate gene. PKP2 constitutes a crucial component of desmosomes and also is important in signalling, metabolic and transcriptional activities. OBJECTIVES: The main objective was to evaluate the role of PKP2 in CAD by investigating PKP2 expression and desmosome structure in nonlesional skin from CAD-affected (carrying the top GWAS SNP risk allele) and healthy GSDs. We also aimed at defining the cell types in the skin that express PKP2 and its intracellular location. ANIMALS/METHODS: Skin biopsies were collected from nine CAD-affected and five control GSDs. The biopsies were frozen for immunofluorescence and fixed for electron microscopy immunolabelling and morphology. RESULTS: We observed the novel finding of PKP2 expression in dendritic cells and T cells in dog skin. Moreover, we detected that PKP2 was more evenly expressed within keratinocytes compared to its desmosomal binding-partner plakoglobin. PKP2 protein was located in the nucleus and on keratin filaments attached to desmosomes. No difference in PKP2 abundance between CAD cases and controls was observed. CONCLUSION: Plakophilin-2 protein in dog skin is expressed in both epithelial and immune cells; based on its subcellular location its functional role is implicated in both nuclear and structural processes.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28386956/