CAPN3, DCT, MLANA and TYRP1 are overexpressed in skin of vitiligo vulgaris Mexican patients.

Vitiligo is a disorder causing skin depigmentation, in which several factors have been proposed for its pathogenesis: Environmental, genetic and biological aspects of melanocytes, even those of the surrounding keratinocytes. However, the lack of understanding of the mechanisms has complicated the task of predicting the development and progression. The present study used microarray analysis to characterize the transcriptional profile of skin from Vitiligo Vulgaris (VV) patients and the identified transcripts were validated using targeted high-throughput RNA sequencing in a broader set of patients.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha promoter-308G/A polymorphism in Mexican patients with patchy alopecia areata.

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is a chronic inflammatory condition characterized by hair loss, most frequently from the scalp. Its etiopathogenesis is currently unknown, but inflammatory traits and associations with autoimmune diseases suggest that AA shares a similar origin. The tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) gene, located on chromosome 6 within the major histocompatibility complex class III gene, may carry previously described polymorphisms--particularly in the promoter region, such as TNFα-308G/A--known to be risk factors in a wide variety of inflammatory pathologies.