Exploring BMI-associated gene expression patterns in hidradenitis suppurativa lesions through transcriptional profiling

Summary: Abstract Body: Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is a multifactorial skin disease characterized by local and systemic inflammation; the latter is often linked to higher BMI. However, the precise relationship between elevated BMI and HS remains unclear. This study investigated transcriptional changes associated with BMI in HS lesions using bulk RNA-sequencing datasets. We analyzed an IRB-approved dataset generated at Henry Ford Health (n=19) and a publicly available dataset (GSE151243, n=20). Samples were stratified into BMI-Low (≤35) and BMI-High (≥35, Class 1 Obesity) groups. Differential expression (DE) analysis identified 28 differentially expressed genes (DEGs): 5 DEGs in the BMI-High cohort and 23 DEGs in the BMI-Low cohort. These genes included inflammatory markers, obesity-associated genes, and genes involved in keratin filament formation and hair follicle development. Our findings, supported by published datasets, highlight novel genes associated with high BMI and suggest potential pathways linking obesity to HS development. Future research should further explore the role of BMI in HS pathogenesis and evaluate weight loss interventions or targeted therapies addressing these pathways. Sahil Kapur^{1, 2}, Jeffrey Cruz^{1, 2}, Randy Mi^{1, 2}, Xzaviar K Solone^{1, 2}, Meyer Gershater^{1, 2}, Iltefat Hamzavi¹, Indra Adrianto^{1, 2, 3}, Qing-Sheng Mi^{1, 2, 4} 1. Center for Cutaneous Biology and Immunology, Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, United States. 2. Immunology Research Program, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, United States. 3. Center for Bioinformatics, Department of Public Health Sciences, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, United States. 4. Department of Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States. Translational Studies: Cell and Molecular Biology