The transcriptome of hand eczema assessed by tape stripping

Background No biomarkers have been identified that can classify subtypes of hand eczema (HE). Although skin biopsies represent the gold standard for investigations of the skin, the invasive technique is not favorable when investigating skin from sensitive areas. Recent advances in the use of skin-tape strips for molecular investigations enable noninvasive investigations of HE. Objective By using whole transcriptome sequencing (WTS), the molecular profile of HE according to different localizations on the hands, etiologies, and clinical/morphological subtypes was investigated. Methods Thirty adult, Danish HE patients, 12 with and 18 without concurrent atopic dermatitis (AD), as well as 16 controls were included. Tape strip samples were collected from lesional, nonlesional, and healthy skin. Total RNA was extracted and WTS was performed. Results The largest molecular difference of HE patients with and without AD was found in nonlesional skin areas and included a downregulation of CXCL8 for HE patients without AD. Differences between allergic and irritant contact dermatitis included promising epidermal biomarkers such as EPHA1. Conclusion Skin tape strip samples could be used to assess the gene expression profile of HE on different localizations of the hands. The skin tape strip method identified new molecular markers that showed promising result for the identification of HE subtypes.