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

Abstract

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.