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The parkin-γ-tubulin axis regulates epidermal homeostasis and is associated with the susceptibility to psoriasis

Abstract

Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease marked by excessive proliferation of keratinocytes, and there is accumulating evidence indicating its association with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the molecular link between these two diseases remains elusive. Herein, we identify a potential role for parkin, a PD-related E3 ubiquitin ligase, in the inhibition of psoriasis pathogenesis. The level of parkin is reduced in psoriatic skin both in clinical samples and in mouse models. Parkin-deficient mice exhibit epidermal hyperplasia, increased keratinocyte proliferation, and enhanced susceptibility to psoriasis. Mechanistically, parkin interacts with γ-tubulin, a centrosomal protein required for microtubule organization, and mediates γ-tubulin ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Reduction of parkin in psoriatic skin leads to abnormal accumulation of γ-tubulin and disrupts the proper organization of microtubules in the epidermis, resulting in the hyperproliferation of keratinocytes. These findings reveal a previously unrecognized role for parkin in epidermal physiology and pathology, and offer novel insights into the crosstalk between psoriasis and PD.

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Fig. 1: Parkin is reduced in psoriatic skin both in clinical samples and in mouse models.
Fig. 2: Park2 knockout mice are more susceptible to psoriasis.
Fig. 3: Parkin deficiency results in abnormal γ-tubulin accumulation in keratinocytes.
Fig. 4: Parkin interacts with γ-tubulin both in cells and in vitro.
Fig. 5: Parkin mediates K48-linked ubiquitination of γ-tubulin to stimulate its proteasomal degradation.
Fig. 6: Parkin deficiency blocks the decrease of centrosomal MTOC activity to stimulate keratinocyte hyperproliferation.
Fig. 7: A schematic model showing the regulation of epidermal homeostasis by the parkin-γ-tubulin axis.

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Data availability

The mass spectrometry-based proteomics data for proteins differentially expressed in wild-type and Park2 knockout mice have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium (https://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org) via the iProX partner repository [67, 68].

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32230025) and the National Key R&D Program of China (2021YFA1101001).

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J.Z. supervised the project. Y.L., W.X., and J.Z. designed the experiments. Y.L., Shaoze Y., J.W., D.D., Shaodong Y., H.Y., and K.L. performed the experiments. Y.L., M.L., D.L., J.G., W.X., and J.Z. analyzed the data. H.L. provided clinical samples. Y.L., W.X., and J.Z. wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Wei Xie or Jun Zhou.

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Liu, Y., Yan, S., Wang, J. et al. The parkin-γ-tubulin axis regulates epidermal homeostasis and is associated with the susceptibility to psoriasis. Cell Death Differ (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41418-026-01693-x

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