What is the extent of psoriasis heritability, and what is known about its genetic basis?
Medically reviewed by Louis-Antoine Mullie, MD.
Answer
Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated disorder with a strong genetic basis, albeit polygenic in nature
Heritability of psoriasis
- Twin studies: Twin studies have shown greater concordance rates for psoriasis in monozygotic (MZ) twins than in dizygotic (DZ) twins, with heritability estimates between 66% and 90% . This supports a genetic influence on psoriasis, but also highlights the fact that genes are not the only explanation for the disease.
- Familial aggregation: The recurrence risk ratio for both psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and psoriasis is high in first-degree relatives (FDRs) and siblings of patients with PsA, confirming a strong heritable component
Genetic basis of psoriasis
- Major histocompatibility complex (MHC): Approximately half of the accountable genetic effect of psoriasis maps to the major histocompatibility complex
- Other loci: More than 70 other loci have been identified, many of which implicate nuclear factor-κB, interferon signalling, and the IL-23-IL-23 receptor axis
- Epistatic interactions: Recent studies have shown epistatic interactions involving HLA-C*06, ERAP1, and LCE3C_LCE3B-del, which makes psoriasis a unique model to investigate genetic and biological interactions of associated genes in a complex disease
- Shared genetic factors: Shared genetic factors may contribute to the etiology of both psoriasis and other skin or immune-mediated disorders
Genome-wide studies
- Genome-wide association studies (GWAS): GWAS have identified more than 60 psoriasis-susceptibility loci, but genes are estimated to explain only one-third of the heritability in psoriasis, suggesting additional, yet unidentified, sources of heritability
- Pathway analysis: Genome-wide pathway analysis has identified genetic pathways associated with psoriasis risk, including retinol metabolism, transport of inorganic ions and amino acids, and post-translational protein modification
In conclusion, psoriasis is a complex multifactorial disease with a strong heritable component. Its genetic basis is polygenic, involving multiple loci and pathways, and shared genetic factors may contribute to its etiology along with other skin or immune-mediated disorders.