LCE3A gene

The LCE3A gene (LCE3A stands for: Late Cornified Envelope 3A) is a protein coding gene located on chromosome 1q21.3. The encoded LCE3A protein is a structural component of the cornified envelope of the stratum corneum. It is thought to be involved in "innate cutaneous host defense." The protein has defensin-like antimicrobial activity against a broad spectrum of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, both aerobic and anaerobic species. In inflammation, it potentially regulates skin barrier repair by influencing the composition of the cutaneous microbiota and the immune response to bacterial antigens (Niehues H et al. 2017).

Terminally differentiating epidermal keratinocytes express a large number of structural and antimicrobial proteins that are involved in the physical barrier function of the stratum corneum and provide innate cutaneous host defense. The late cornified envelope (LCE) genes, located in the epidermal differentiation complex on chromosome 1, encode a family of 18 proteins of largely unknown function whose expression is largely restricted to the epidermis.

Thus, deletion of two members, LCE3B and LCE3C (LCE3B/C-del) has been shown to be a common psoriasis risk factor that interacts with the major psoriasis risk gene HLA-C*06. LCE3A is directly adjacent to and functionally linked to LCE3B/C. LCE3B/C-del is associated with significantly increased expression of LCE3A. Functional analyses show that LCE3 proteins, and LCE3A in particular, exhibit defensin-like antimicrobial activity against a variety of bacterial taxa, even at low micromolar concentrations.

Diseases associated with LCE3A include psoriasis. Related signaling pathways include keratinization and nervous system development. An important paralog of this gene is LCE3C.

1. Niehues H et al (2017) Psoriasis-Associated Late Cornified Envelope (LCE) Proteins Have Antibacterial Activity. J Invest Dermatol 137:2380-2388.