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Detection of IL-20 and its receptors on psoriatic skin.

Wei CC, Chen WY, Wang YC, Chen PJ, Lee JY, Wong TW, Chen WC, Wu JC, Chen GY, Chang MS, Lin YC

Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of interleukin-20 (IL-20) and its receptors on psoriatic skin by immunohistochemical analysis and to evaluate the correlation of CD8-positive T lymphocytes with epidermal proliferation. Overexpression of IL-20 and its receptors was detected in the keratinocytes of the lesional skin of psoriasis and spongiotic dermatitis. The expression pattern of IL-20 spreads throughout the whole layer of epidermis, while IL-19 was expressed in up to three or four layers suprabasally. The serum level of IL-20 in psoriatic patients was significantly lower than that in healthy controls. IL-20 upregulated KGF transcripts on CD8-positive T cells. We hypothesize that overexpression of IL-20 is correlated with keratinocyte proliferation that acts through their receptor complex expressed by keratinocytes themselves. Furthermore, IL-20 can stimulate CD8-positive lymphocytes to produce KGF, which may contribute to sustaining the hyperproliferative status of the keratinocytes.

Published 2 September 2005 in Clin Immunol, 117(1): 65-72.
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