Biology subjects

Marella, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Marella, S..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

TWEAK Signaling Drives the Transition from Psoriasis to Atopic Dermatitis-like Inflammation in Paradoxical Skin Reactions

Targeted biologics have significantly advanced the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis; however, some patients paradoxically develop eczematous skin reactions during or after anti-TNF, IL-17, or IL-23 therapy. Although these paradoxical reactions resemble atopic dermatitis clinically and histologically, the molecular mechanisms that drive their development are not fully understood. Here, we generated high-resolution cellular and spatial maps of healthy skin, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and paradoxical reactions using single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, immunohistochemistry, and in vitro assays. In paradoxical reactions, we identified a distinct transcriptional landscape characterized by myeloid and T-cell expansion and an altered keratinocyte phenotype shaped by TWEAK signaling. Mechanistically, we showed that TWEAK synergizes with IL-13 to drive the Th2/type I interferon-polarized epithelial program. Notably, anti-TNF therapy induced TWEAK gene expression in myeloid cells, suggesting a compensatory inflammatory circuit. Together, these findings identify the TWEAK-IL-13 axis as a central driver of paradoxical skin reactions and provide a mechanistic framework for how cytokine blockade may rewire cutaneous immune responses. One Sentence Summary The TWEAK-IL-13 signaling axis is a key driver of immune reprogramming underlying paradoxical skin reactions.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2025

A Transcriptomic Atlas of Healthy Human Skin Links Regional Identity to Inflammatory Disease.

Human skin is not a uniform organ but a mosaic of anatomically distinct niches, with each site finely tuned to unique environmental demands and immune pressures. Yet, the molecular determinants that define these regional identities and their relationship to site-specific vulnerability to inflammatory disease remain poorly understood. Here, we generate a high-resolution single-cell atlas of human skin, profiling 274,834 cells from 96 healthy samples across 7 anatomically distinct sites (acral, arm, axilla, back, face, leg and scalp). Our analysis reveals striking region-specific transcriptional and cellular networks, uncovering how local immune-stromal crosstalk governs tissue homeostasis and underpins anatomical susceptibility to distinct inflammatory diseases such as such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), atopic dermatitis (AD), and psoriasis. These findings illuminate the tissue-intrinsic foundations of regional immune identity and provide a blueprint/resource for the development of precision therapies tailored to the distinct immunological microenvironments of specific anatomical skin sites.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Antidiabetic action of Mcy protein through the regulation of number and affinity of insulin receptors

Evidence based immunological cross-reactivity studies and anti-diabetic investigations have suggested the presence of insulin-like peptides in plants. Mcy protein, isolated from the fruits of Momordicacymbalaria, was shown to have antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic activities along with renal as well as hepatoprotective activities in Streptozotocin induced diabetic rats.Mcy protein was shown to have insulin like and/or insulin secretagoguestructure and/or functions. Hence, the present study was conducted to elucidate molecular mechanism wherebyMcy protein elicits its therapeutic role and also to know whether the Mcyprotein has any structural and functional similarity with insulin. Results of our experiments revealed that the Mcyprotein is insulin like protein. Further, we assessed the effect of treatment of Mcy protein on the levels of glucose transport (glucose transporter (GLUT-2) and on the levels of key regulators of glucose and lipid metabolisms like hepatic glucokinase (GK) and sterol regulated element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c). Our findings demonstrated that Mcy protein decreased the elevated expressions of GK, SREBP-1c and GLUT-2 that were observed in diabetic animals. Insulin-receptor binding studies using rat erythrocytes demonstrated that mean specific binding of insulin with insulin receptors was significantly increased in Mcy treated diabetic rats when compared to diabetic control rats. Scatchard analyses of insulin-binding studies yielded curvilinear plots, and the number of receptor sites per cell was found to be 180{+/-}21.1 in Mcy treated diabetic animals calculated to be significantly superior to that of diabetic control animals. Kinetic analyses also revealed an increase in the average receptor affinity of erythrocytes from Mcy treated rats compared to diabetic control rats suggesting acute alteration in the number and affinity of insulin receptors on the membranes of erythrocytes.

pharmacology and toxicology↗