Psoriasis vulgaris, fetal growth, and genomic imprinting

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Abstract
We report on 2 independent lines of evidence suggesting genomic imprinting of a major gene for psoriasis vulgaris. First, the birth weight of children from psoriatics is influenced by the sex of the psoriatic parent. Children from fathers with psoriasis are considerably (270 g) heavier than children from mothers with psoriasis (PPPP<0.04). Genomic imprinting is considered a special case of epigenetic modification. We propose that epigenetic modification. of a major predisposing gene in somatic tissues could cause differences in disease activity of psoriasis and could account for the often unpredictable clinical course the disease takes.