This finding should be interpreted in light of the limitations of our study, e.g., the inflammatory status of the ApoE−/− model may represent an overwhelming stimulus that abrogates the influence of skin lesions, the immuno-stimulatory effects of TPA are unlikely to reproduce all abnormalities found in psoriasis, and the relatively small area of psoriasis-like skin lesions in the model, where the ears measure approximately 1 cm2 on each side thus representing about 6 % of total mouse body surface area [34]. The gene discussed is APOE; the disease is psoriasis.