010 Role of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) in imiquimod-induced psoriasis like dermatitis

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder that is characterized by excessive skin inflammation with scaly erythema and epidermal thickness. Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is a cell surface protein that is expressed by Langerhans cells (LCs), a population of epidermal dendritic cells, and normal epithelial cells. LCs control initial immune response to antigen or pathogen and therefore we hypothesized that EpCAM expressed by LC might be important in regulating inflammatory immune responses. Mutations in EpCAM have been reported in patients with congenital tufting enteropathy (CTE), who suffer from severe diarrhea and EpCAM-deficient mice have a CTE-like phenotype, indicating that EpCAM is also important for the intestinal epithelial homeostasis.
Source: Journal of Investigative Dermatology - Category: Dermatology Authors: Tags: Adaptive and Auto-Immunity Source Type: research