Our Funds at Work

Determining the Genetic Code for Vitiligo

Youwen Zhou MD., University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.

Vitiligo is a common disfiguring disease that affects approximately 300,000 Canadians. It results from abnormal death of melanocytes that are responsible for generating normal pigmentation of the skin. Patients with vitiligo develop strikingly white patches unevenly distributed on the skin surfaces, often on body sites highly visible to the public, such as the face and hands, causing severe negative impact on the quality of life for the affected individuals. To date there is no satisfactory therapy for restoration of pigment in vitiligo. The long term goal of our research is to achieve a clear understanding of the mechanism of vitiligo development. Specifically, we plan to determine the identity and molecular characteristics of genes, or genetic codes, that are linked with the development of vitiligo in families with hereditary vitiligo. Previous investigation from this laboratory has mapped one such gene to a segment on human chromosome 22 (22q12.1). In this proposal, we plan to perform high-resolution mapping of this chromosomal location to pin-point the location of this gene with high precision. Then, this location will be fully analyzed by determining the nucleotide sequence (the composition of the genetic code) to reveal the nature of the genetic changes responsible for vitiligo development. Highly specialized tools such as high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based mapping analyses and targeted sequence determination will be employed to achieve this goal. Successful identification and detailed understanding of this gene will greatly facilitate development of vitiligo therapies.

Publications Supported by the Canadian Dermatology Foundation (2003-07)

1. Tang, L., Huang C, Su, MW, Zhang, Y, Ip, W, Martinka, M, and Zhou, Y. Endothelin 3 autocrine pathway in metastatic melanoma. (2008) J. Cutaneous Med. Surg. (In press)
   (Supported by CDF)
2. Zhang, Y, Tang T, Su, MW, Eisen, D, Zloty, D, Warshawski, L, and Zhou, Y. Expression of endothelins and their receptors in non-melanoma skin cancers. (2006). J. Cutaneous Med. Surg. 10 (6): 269-276
   (Supported by CDF)
3. Ringrose A, Zhou, Y, Pang E, Zhou L, Lin AE-J, Sheng G, Li XJ, Weng A, Su M-W, Pittelkow MR and Jiang X. Evidence for an Oncogenic Role of AHI-1 in Sezary Syndrome, a Leukemic Variant of Human Cutaneous T-cell Lymphomas (2006) Leukemia 20:1593-601
   (Supported by CDF)
4. Tang, L, Dai, D, Martinka, M., Su, MW, Zhang, Y, Li, G and Zhou, Y Aberrant Expression of CTHRC1 in human cancers (2006) Clinical Cancer Research 12:3716-3722
   (Supported by CDF)
5. Huang, CZ and Zhou, Y. Familial bullous lichen planus (FBLP): clinical characteristics and inheritance analysis (2005). J. Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery 9:217-222
   (Supported by CDF)
6. Zhou, Y, Dai D, Martinka M, Su M, Zhang Y, Campos E, Dorocicz I, Tang L, Huntsman D, Nelson C, Ho, V, Li G. Osteopontin expression correlates with melanoma invasion. J Invest Dermatol 2005 May; 124(5):1044-52.
   (Supported by CDF)
7. Su MW, Dorocicz I, Degawska V, Voss N, Ho V, Li G, Gascoyne R and Zhou, Y. Aberrant Expression of T-plastin gene in Sezary Cells (2003) Cancer Research 63:7122-7127.
   (Supported by CDF)
8. Dai D, Makretsov N, Campos E, Martinka M, Huang C, Zhou, Y, Huntsman D, and Li G. Increased expression of integrin linked kinase correlates with melanoma invasion. (2003) Clinical Cancer Research 9:4409-4414.
   (Supported by CDF)

©2008