Adalimumab changes the expression profile of selected BCL-2 family genes

Biological drugs are an alternative to treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Adalimumab is a representative of the anti-TNF group. The underlying of this disease is a cellular homeostasis disorder-apoptosis. Many proteins are involved in the apoptosis induction pathways, including those from the BCL-2 family. The aim of the study was to perform a transcriptional analysis of the genes coding selected proteins from the BCL-2 family in patients treated with adalimumab therapy, and to determine the direction of these changes. The test materials were peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The cells were obtained from 20 patients with psoriatic arthritis who were being treated with adalimumab (study group) and 20 healthy volunteers (control). The gene expression profile was determined using the real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction technique. Statistically significant changes were observed in the expression level of the BNIP3, BNIP3L, and BCL2L1 genes (p < .05) during a 24-month observation of therapy. We indicated that adalimumab therapy has an impact on the expression of the analyzed genes, which may constitute a new class of molecular markers for assessing the effectiveness of a therapy. It appears that the BNIP3L gene could be used as a potential diagnostic marker of psoriasis.