The Role of Group A Streptococcus-Derived, HLA-C*06:02-Restricted Antigens in Psoriasis

Principal Investigator: Runqiu Song, M.Bio.H.Sc.
Institution: Monash University

Grant Mechanism: Early Career Research Grant
Funding Amount: $50,000
Project Start Date: August 1, 2024
Project End Date: July 31, 2025
Status: Active
Keywords: Psoriasis, Animal Models, Cell Biology, Genetics, Cell Signaling

Project Summary:

The risk of developing psoriasis is linked to genetics and environmental triggers, including bacterial infections. We hypothesize that there is a direct link between the main risk gene HLA-C6 and common Streptococcal throat infections. We believe that the HLA-C6-led immune response against Streptococci can cause a misguided recruitment of immune cells to the skin where they wreak havoc and cause psoriasis. This proposal aims to find Streptococcal immune targets presented by HLA-C6 and to verify any T cell responses against such targets. Identifying bacterial triggers of psoriasis and understanding their similarity to molecules in the skin opens up new therapeutical avenues to develop long-lasting tolerizing and remission-inducing therapies.

How will your project help improve the lives of the 125 million affected by psoriatic disease?

One of the key obstacles to curing psoriasis is its yet-unidentified molecular trigger of pathology. By unraveling how bacterial peptides from highly prevalent infections with Streptococcus pyogenes could be linked to skin autoimmunity in genetically predisposed HLA-Cw6+ individuals, we will have the opportunity to understand how psoriasis is initiated, design new treatment strategies to re-educate the immune system to promote a remission state.

Why is psoriatic disease research important to you, personally? What role will this award play in your research efforts or career development?

I have been fond of immunology, specifically autoimmunity because I am fascinated by the process of untangling the complexity of immune response pathways and mechanisms directed against one’s own body. More importantly, psoriasis as an important and extensively studied skin disease, stands out from other autoimmune topics because one of my close relatives suffers from it. I have witnessed and heard about the inconvenience and even stigma it may bring while becoming increasingly curious and keen to discover the reason for such suffering. Being aware of the struggle to understand the pathogenesis behind psoriasis, I am devoted to identifying potential psoriasis triggers with the hope of making my contribution and pushing our knowledge boundary of the field.

Researcher Profile:

Runqiu Song completed her Master’s in biomedical science at Monash University, Australia. Her research interest lies in investigating the combined pathogenic effects of bacterial infection and genetic background in triggering psoriasis. During her Master’s research project, she found a number of Streptococcal peptides with similarity to skin-expressed proteins that could be triggers of autoimmunity. Runqiu is currently undertaking her first year Ph.D. degree at the Biomedicine Discovery Institute of Monash University, supervised by Dr. Asolina Braun and Prof Anthony Purcell. At this stage, she aims to identify more bacterial trigger candidates, followed by the assessment of T cell-mediated immune responses against those antigens in psoriasis patients.