Purpose of the Study: To study the expression of osteopontin (OPN) in alopecia areata (AA) lesions in a trial to clarify its possible role in the pathogenesis of such a disease. Procedures: Tissue level of OPN was measured in 28 AA patients as well as 25 age- and sex-matched healthy controls using both real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry. Results: The tissue level of OPN by real-time PCR (4.5-12.8, 8.93 ± 1.9) and immunohistochemical expression of positive OPN mean area percent (7.1-21.2%, 12 ± 5.5%) were significantly higher in patients compared to controls (1-4.6, 2.11 ± 0.93; 3.9-12.02%, 6.8 ± 2.8%, respectively; p < 0.0000). The Severity of Alopecia Tool score showed no significant correlation with the OPN mRNA expression (r = 0.11, p = 0.55). Conclusion: High OPN mRNA expression is associated with AA. OPN might play an important role in the pathogenesis of AA. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel

1.
Lew BL, Cho HR, Haw S, Kim HJ, Chung JH, Sim WY: Association between IL17A/IL17RA gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to alopecia areata in the Korean population. Ann Dermatol 2012;24:61-65.
2.
Attia EA, El Shennawy D, Sefin A: Serum Interleukin-4 and total immunoglobulin E in nonatopic alopecia areata patients and HLA-DRB1 typing. Dermatol Res Pract 2010;2010:503587.
3.
Gilhar A, Kalish RS: Alopecia areata: a tissue specific autoimmune disease of the hair follicle. Autoimmun Rev 2006;5:64-69.
4.
Senger DR, Asch BB, Smith BD, Perruzzi CA, Dvorak HF: A secreted phosphoprotein marker for neoplastic transformation of both epithelial and fibroblastic cells. Nature 1983;302:714-715.
5.
Denhardt DT, Noda M, O'Regan AW, Pavlin D, Berman JS: Osteopontin as a means to cope with environmental insults: regulation of inflammation, tissue remodeling, and cell survival. J Clin Invest 2001;107:1055-1061.
6.
El-Eishi N, Kadry D, Hegazy R, Rashed L: Estimation of tissue osteopontin levels before and after different traditional therapeutic modalities in psoriatic patients. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2013;27:351-355.
7.
Buback F, Andreas AC, Schulz G, Weiss JM: Osteopontin and the skin: multiple emerging roles in cutaneous biology and pathology. Exp Dermatol 2009;18:750-759.
8.
Chang PL, Harkins L, Hsieh YH, et al: Osteopontin expression in normal skin and non-melanoma skin tumors. J Histochem Cytochem 2008;56:57-66.
9.
Yu D, Yang T, Sonoda T, Gong Y, Cao Q, Gaffney K, et al: Osteopontin gene is expressed in the dermal papilla of pelage follicles in a hair-cycle-dependent manner. J Invest Dermatol 2001;117:1554-1558.
10.
Olsen EA, Hordinsky MK, Price VH, et al: Alopecia areata investigational assessment guidelines. Part II. J Am Acad Dermatol 2004;51:440-447.
11.
Olsen EA: Investigative guidelines for alopecia areata. Dermatol Ther 2011;24:311-319.
12.
Livak KJ, Schmittgen TD: Analysis of relative gene expression data using real-time quantitative PCR and the 2-ΔΔCT method. Methods 2001;25:402-408.
13.
Wang KX, Denhardt DT: Osteopontin: role in immune regulation and stress responses. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev 2008;19:333-345.
14.
Giachelli CM, Lombardi D, Johnson RJ, Murry CE, Almeida M: Evidence for a role of osteopontin in macrophage infiltration in response to pathological stimuli in vivo. Am J Pathol 1998;152:353-358.
15.
Uede T: Osteopontin, intrinsic tissue regulator of intractable inflammatory diseases. Pathol Int 2011;61:265-280.
16.
Lund SA, Giachelli CM, Scatena M: The role of osteopontin in inflammatory processes. J Cell Commun Signal 2009;3:311-322.
17.
Renkl AC, Wussler J, Ahrens T, Thoma K, Kon S, et al: Osteopontin functionally activates dendritic cells and induces their differentiation toward a Th1-polarizing phenotype. Blood 2005;106:946-955.
18.
Ashkar S, Weber GF, Panoutsakopoulou V, et al: Eta-1 (osteopontin): an early component of type-1 (cell-mediated) immunity. Science 2000;287:860-864.
19.
O'Regan AW, Hayden JM, Berman JS: Osteopontin augments CD3-mediated interferon-gamma and CD40 ligand expression by T cells, which results in IL-12 production from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. J Leukoc Biol 2000;68:495-502.
20.
Koguchi Y, Kawakami K, Kon S, et al: Penicillium marneffei causes osteopontin-mediated production of interleukin-12 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Infect Immun 2002;70:1042-1048.
21.
Koguchi Y, Kawakami K, Uezu K, et al: High plasma osteopontin level and its relationship with interleukin-12-mediated type 1 T helper cell response in tuberculosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2003;167:1355-1359.
22.
Alkhalifah A, Alsantali A, Wang E, McElwee KJ, Shapiro J: Alopecia areata update: part I. Clinical picture, histopathology, and pathogenesis. J Am Acad Dermatol 2010;62:177-188.
23.
Kawamura K, Iyonaga K, Ichiyasu H, Nagano J, Suga M, et al: Differentiation, maturation, and survival of dendritic cells by osteopontin regulation. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol 2005;12:206-212.
24.
Cetin ED, Savk E, Uslu M, Eskin M, Karul A: Investigation of the inflammatory mechanisms in alopecia areata. Am J Dermatopathol 2009;31:53-60.
25.
Buommino E, Tufano MA, Balato N, et al: Osteopontin: a new emerging role in psoriasis. Arch Dermatol Res 2009;301:397-404.
26.
Chen YJ, Shen JL, Wu CY, Chang YT, et al: Elevated plasma osteopontin level is associated with occurrence of psoriasis and is an unfavorable cardiovascular risk factor in patients with psoriasis. J Am Acad Dermatol 2009;60:225-230.
27.
Finner AM: Alopecia areata: clinical presentation, diagnosis, and unusual cases. Dermatol Ther 2011;24:348-354.
28.
Denhardt DT, Giachelli CM, Rittling SR: Role of osteopontin in cellular signaling and toxicant injury. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 2001;41:723-749.
29.
Namazi MR: Nitric oxide donors as potential additions to anti-alopecia areata armamentarium. Inflamm Res 2003;52:227-229.
30.
Sonoda T, Asada Y, Kurata S, Takayasu S: The mRNA for protease nexin-1 is expressed in human dermal papilla cells and its level is affected by androgen. J Invest Dermatol 1999;113:308-313.
31.
Jensen PJ, Yang T, Yu D-W, et al: Serpins in the human hair follicle. J Invest Dermatol 2000;114:917-922.
32.
Scott JA, Weir ML, Wilson SM, Xuan JW, Chambers AF, McCormack DG: Osteopontin inhibits inducible nitric oxide synthase activity in rat vascular tissue. Am J Physiol 1998;275:H2258-H2265.
33.
Dippel E, Mayer B, Schonfelder G, Czarnetzki BM, Paus R: Distribution of constitutive nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity and NADPH-diaphorase activity in murine telogen and anagen skin. J Invest Dermatol 1994;103:112-115.
34.
Paus R, Christoph T, Müller-Röver S: Immunology of the hair follicle: a short journey into terra incognita. J Invest Dermatol Symp Proc 1999;4:226-234.
35.
Nagoshi J, Nomura S, Uchida N, et al: Expression of genes encoding connective tissue proteins in androgen-dependent SC115 tumors after androgen removal. Lab Invest 1994;70:210-216.
36.
McDonagh AJ, Messenger AG: Alopecia areata. Clin Dermatol 2001;19:141-147.
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.