Expression Patterns in Psoriasis and Comorbidities: An Integrative Computational Analysis

Abstract

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic type of inflammatory arthritis occurring in people who have psoriasis. Psoriasis is a longterm autoimmune ailment with characteristic patches of abnormal skin. PsA has a range of comorbidities which include cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes mellitus. The present study investigates genetic and molecular links between psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis and associated comorbidities. Microarray data analysis of datasets obtained from patients of these disorders was done to find the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Common DEGs, functions and pathways present in both PsA and associated comorbidities were identified. According to network topological properties, AKAP13 was found to be more biologically significant. This study suggests that the significant DEGs and their associated pathways may have the potential to be used as biomarkers and drug targets for PsA diagnosis and treatment, especially when a concurrent comorbidity is suspected that warrant further experimental validation.