Netherton syndrome (NS) is a rare recessive skin disorder caused by loss-of-function mutations in SPINK5 encoding the protease inhibitor LEKTI. NS patients suffer from a severe skin barrier defect, display inflammatory skin lesions and superficial scaling with atopic manifestations. They present with typical ichthyosis linearis circumflexa (NS-ILC) or scaly erythroderma (NS-SE). Here we employed a combination of several molecular profiling methods to comprehensively characterize the skin, immune cells and allergic phenotypes of 9 NS-ILC and 4 NS-SE patients. Integrated multi-omics revealed abnormal epidermal proliferation and differentiation and IL-17/IL-36 signatures in lesion skin and in blood in both NS endotypes. While the molecular profiles of NS-ILC and NS-SE lesion skin were very similar, non-lesion skin of each disease subtype displayed distinctive molecular features. Non-lesion and lesion NS-SE epidermis showed activation of the type I IFN signaling pathway, while lesion NS-ILC skin differed from non-lesion NS-ILC skin by increased complement activation and neutrophil infiltration. Serum cytokine profiling and immunophenotyping of circulating lymphocytes showed a Th2-driven allergic response in NS-ILC, whereas NS-SE patients displayed mainly a Th9 axis with increased CCL22/MDC and CCL17/TARC serum levels. This study identifies IL-17/IL-36 as predominant signaling axes in both NS endotypes and unveils molecular features distinguishing NS-ILC and NS-SE. These results identify new therapeutic targets and could pave the way for precision medicine of NS.

ESDR228 - IL-36 is a hallmark of Netherton syndrome with type I IFN, Th2 and Th9 responses distinguishing its dual clinical presentation

50th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Dermatological Research. VIRTUAL MEETING