Bin L, et al. - As recently discovered by researchers, ankyrin repeat domain 1 (ANKRD1) was significantly induced in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) upon herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 stimulation; and its induction in ADEH+ (atopic dermatitis with a history of eczema herpeticum), was significantly reduced as compared to atopic dermatitis (AD) patients without a history of EH (ADEH-). In this current study, the focus was to validate ANKRD1 gene expression in non-atopic (NA), ADEH- and ADEH+ subjects and to delineate the biological function of ANKRD1 and the signaling pathway(s) involved. Involvement of ANKRD1 in IRF3 mediated anti-viral innate immune signaling pathways was seen. Furthermore, in ADEH+ subjects, reduced expression of ANKRD1 was suggested to be a possible contributor to the pathogenesis of ADEH+.