PSORIASIS ASSOCIATION RESEARCH REPORT

Title of the research project
Analysis of intracellular calcium signalling in psoriasis

Grant awarded £52, 835

Location of the research University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Lead researcher Professor N Reynolds

Reasons for doing the research
To establish whether calcium signals induced in normal skin cells differ from those in cells cultured from psoriatic skin.

Type of research
Laboratory study

Dates the grant awarded 2002 & 2003

Date research published 2008

Outcomes of the research
Techniques were developed for imaging the patterns of intracellular calcium signalling. Using these techniques it was shown that the induction of calcium signalling in cells derived from psoriatic skin is impaired when the cells are treated with an inhibitor of an enzyme called calcium-independent phospholipase A (iPLA2).

Conclusions
The enzyme iPLA2 may play an important role in calcium signalling in skin cells, which means that by altering its activity it may be possible artificially to increase intracellular calcium levels. As raised calcium levels are associated with skin cell differentiation, iPLA2 -generated increases may provide a mechanism for therapeutic intervention in psoriasis.

What does this project mean for people with psoriasis?
This research is part of on-going work to understand calcium signalling in skin cells, and to gain insights into the calcium signalling defects found in psoriasis. Greater understanding increases the chance that new or improved therapies will be discovered.

Have there been any publications as a result of the research?
Yes. An article has been published in the British Journal of Dermatology.

Glossary
Calcium-independent phospholipase A: This is an enzyme involved in the metabolism of fats (specifically in the conversion of one sort of fat (phospholipid) into another (fatty acid)).
Calcium signaling: Calcium ions act as intracellular signals (i.e. signals that occur within a cell) that influence physiological processes.
Enzyme inhibitor: This is a small molecule that reduces the activity of an enzyme.
Skin cell differentiation: Describes the process of normal skin development that constantly replenishes the upper layers of human skin we lose each day. This process is abnormal in psoriasis.