The research team is led by Professor Mona St'hle, one of Sweden's most prominent scientists in the field.
MicroRNA are small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression, and by acting on many different proteins and different cellular mechanisms in skin and immune cells these small RNA molecules may be an important factor in the development of disease. Therapies based on microRNA might therefore in the future become more effective than medicines targeted at individual proteins.
"We believe that microRNA may also be significant in regulating other common chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and certain autoimmune diseases," says Andor Pivarcsi, who has directed the study together with Enik Sonkoly.
The study shows that microRNA has different patterns of expression in psoriasis compared with normal skin and also in comparison with atopic eczema. One of these molecules, miR-203, is of particular interest as it is greatly upregulated in psoriasis and is only expressed by the skin's epithelial cells, keratinocytes.
No one has previously investigated whether this quite recently discovered group of molecules might be significant in inflammatory diseases. Psoriasis and atopic eczema are the most common chronic inflammatory skin diseases. Despite intensive research, not enough is yet known about underlying disease mechanisms, which hampers the development of effective drugs.
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The findings, in conjunction with previous work on sweet, bitter, and umami (savory) taste, suggest that people differ in how they perceive the taste of foods, and that these differences are determined in part by their taste genes. So someone who inherited a high sensitivity to sour taste may find foods containing lemons or vinegar off-putting, whereas the same foods may be better accepted by a person whose genes make them less sensitive.
Wise comments, These taste perceptions presumably evolved because they have a significant impact on food choice and therefore nutrition. If we can understand how and why people differ in their taste perception, we might eventually be able to manipulate the taste of individual diets to help encourage healthy eating.
Also contributing to the work were Danielle R. Reed and Paul A.S. Breslin of Monell and Jonathan L. Hansen from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane, Australia.
The Monell Chemical Senses Center is a nonprofit basic research institute based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For 39 years, Monell has been the nation's leading research center focused on understanding the senses of smell, taste and chemical irritation: how they function and affect lives from before birth through old age. Using a multidisciplinary approach, scientists collaborate in the areas of: sensation and perception, neuroscience and molecular biology, environmental and occupational health, nutrition and appetite, health and well being, and chemical ecology and communication. For more information about Monell, please visit
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