KWE is of unknown cause, as at the present time, no specific mutation of any gene has been established as the cause of the disorder. Research has shown, however, that the gene involved is located on human chromosome 8. The function of enzymes in general are fundamentally subject to temperature. A candidate gene is a gene that is suspected to cause a disease or disorder. In KWE, this gene is known to be located in the area between chromosome 8q22 and 8q23. Within this region, the occurrence of loss of heterozygosity (simultaneous loss of function in both alleles of a gene) has been associated with malignancy, including certain types of breast and lung cancer. During the investigation for a KWE candidate gene in this same region, twelve protein transcripts were evaluated between microsatellite markers D8S550 and D8S1759, which is a critical area shown to be the source of KWE pathogenesis. Among the twelve transcripts identified, one corresponded to the BLK gene, which encodes the enzyme B-lymphoid tyrosine kinase. Four other of these transcripts included a myotubularin (MTMR8), a potential human homologue of the mouse Amac1 enzyme, a transcript similar to the mouse L-threonine 3-dehydrogenase gene, and one similar to a human oncogene. The remaining seven transcripts did not resemble any currently known genes. In all, none of the twelve transcripts displayed any evidence of pathogenic involvement with KWE. As a transcriptional map of this critical area is being drawn, based on microsatellite identification, haplotype analysis and other measures; localization of the gene associated with KWE pathogenesis is an ongoing process.
Keratolytic winter erythema
Herpetic whitlow
Papuloerythroderma of Ofuji
Streptococcal intertrigo
Lichenoid eruption
Demodicosis
Cutaneous larva migrans
Granuloma faciale