Molecular composition and quality/taste of olive oil: monoterpenes and natural phenols

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Comparision of different cell cultures for replication of infectious laryngotracheitis virus from chickens

The propagation of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) has been described using primary cell cultures derived from chicken embryo liver and kidney or embryonated eggs, but these cultures use Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) eggs that are time and cost expensive. Since cell line cultures are easier to maintain in laboratory conditions, the growth of ILTV was evaluated in five different cell cultures: chicken embryo related cells (CER), a cell hybrid derived from chicken embryo fibroblasts cells and BHK-21; Vero, from African green monkey kidney cells; HD11, a chicken macrophage cell line; CEC-32, an avian fibroblast cell line and a primary cell culture of chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF). Cytophatic effect was observed until 96 hours following inoculation and the detection of the viral DNA was performed by PCR. The HD11 and CEC-32 cell lines did not support the virus growth but CEF and Vero, as already described were permissive cultures for propagation of ILTV.The results also showed that the CER cell line can be used for primary isolation and replication of ILTV

Acid sphingomyelinase activity triggers microparticle release from glial cells

We have earlier shown that microglia, the immune cells of the CNS, release microparticles from cell plasma membrane after ATP stimulation. These vesicles contain and release IL-1β, a crucial cytokine in CNS inflammatory events. In this study, we show that microparticles are also released by astrocytes and we get insights into the mechanism of their shedding. We show that, on activation of the ATP receptor P2X7, microparticle shedding is associated with rapid activation of acid sphingomyelinase, which moves to plasma membrane outer leaflet. ATP-induced shedding and IL-1β release are markedly reduced by the inhibition of acid sphingomyelinase, and completely blocked in glial cultures from acid sphingomyelinase knockout mice. We also show that p38 MAPK cascade is relevant for the whole process, as specific kinase inhibitors strongly reduce acid sphingomyelinase activation, microparticle shedding and IL-1β release. Our results represent the first demonstration that activation of acid sphingomyelinase is necessary and sufficient for microparticle release from glial cells and define key molecular effectors of microparticle formation and IL-1β release, thus, opening new strategies for the treatment of neuroinflammatory diseases

Estabelecimento de uma linhagem celular para cultivo e isolamento do vírus da laringotraqueíte infecciosa

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BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in central and southern Italian patients

INTRODUCTION: Germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations account for most hereditary breast/ovarian cancers and are associated with male breast cancer. Furthermore, constitutional mutations in these genes may occur in breast/ovarian cancer patients that do not meet stringent criteria of autosomal-dominant predisposition. The relevance of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in such patients is still debated. OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the impact of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in a population of patients from central and southern Italy. We analyzed the BRCA1 and BRCA2 coding regions in 136 unrelated probands: 117 females with breast/ovarian cancer and 19 males with breast cancer. This population of patients was mostly representative of cases who are at risk for hereditary susceptibility, but who do not meet stringent criteria of autosomal-dominant predisposition. METHODS: Probands, subclassified as follows, were consecutively recruited depending on informed consent from patients attending breast cancer clinics in Rome and Naples. Selection criteria for females were as follows: breast cancer with breast cancer family history [one to two first-/second-degree relative(s), n = 55]; breast cancer diagnosed before age 40 years (no breast/ovarian cancer family history, n = 28); bilateral breast cancer (regardless of age and family history, n =10); breast cancer associated with gastrointestinal, pancreatic or uterine cancers [synchronous/metachronous or in first-degree relative(s), n = 9]; breast or ovarian cancer with family history of breast-ovarian/ovarian cancer (at least 1 first-/ second-degree relative, n = 10); and ovarian cancer with no breast/ovarian cancer family history (n = 5). Males with breast cancer were recruited regardless of age and family history. BRCA1 exon 11 and BRCA2 exons 10 and 11 were screened by PTT. Coding BRCA1 exons 2, 3, 5-10 and 12-24 and BRCA2 exons 2-9 and 12-27 were screened by SSCP. Primers are listed in Table 1. In 27 cases, analyzed by PTT along the entire BRCA1 coding sequence, BRCA1 SSCP analysis was limited to exons 2, 5, 20 and 24. Mutations were verified by sequence analysis on two independent blood samples. RESULTS: Deleterious germline BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations were detected in 11 out of 136 cases (8%). Only three BRCA2 mutations were novel. One BRCA2 mutation recurred in two unrelated probands. Table 2 shows the mutations and data concerning carriers and their families. Table 3 shows correlations between BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations and sex, age at disease diagnosis and familial clustering of breast/ovarian cancer in the total patient population. Table 4 shows the proportions of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in females with site-specific breast and breast-ovarian/ovarian cancer. Table 5 shows the frequency of BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations in males. BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, respectively, accounted for four out of 68 (6%) and one out of 68 (1%) cases diagnosed before age 50 years, and for one out of 68 (1%) and five out of 68 (7%) cases diagnosed after age 50 years. BRCA1 mutations were found in five out of 117 females (4%) and in none of 19 males (0%), and BRCA2 mutations were found in four out of 117 females (3%) and in two out of 19 males (10%). The proportions of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations coincided in site-specific female breast cancers (four out of 102; ie 4% each). BRCA1 and BRCA2 equally contributed to female breast cancers, with no familial clustering in those diagnosed before age 40 years (one out of 28; 4% each), and to female breast cancers, all ages, with familial clustering in one to two relatives (three out of 55; ie 5% each). In the latter subset of cases, BRCA1 mostly accounted for tumours diagnosed before age 40 years (two out of eight; 25%), and BRCA2 for tumours diagnosed after age 50 years (three out of 34; 9%). Regardless of family history, the respective contributions of BRCA1 and BRCA2 to site-specific female breast cancers diagnosed before age 40 years were 8% (three out of 36) and 3% (one out of 36). One BRCA1 mutation was detected among the 15 female probands from breast-ovarian/ovarian cancer families (7%). Among male breast cancers, BRCA2 mutations were identified in one out of five (20%) cases with family history and in one out of 14 (7%) apparently sporadic cases. No BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations were found in female probands with nonfamilial bilateral breast cancer (10 cases) or in those with breast cancer associated with gastrointestinal, pancreatic or uterine cancers, synchronous/metachronous or in first-degree relative(s) (nine cases). These cases were all diagnosed after age 40 years. DISCUSSION: Our results indicate a lack of relevant founder effects for BRCA1- and BRCA2-related disease in the sample of patients studied, which is consistent with other Italian studies and with ethnical and historical data. Overall, the contribution of BRCA1 and BRCA2 to breast/ovarian cancer in Italian patients appears to be less significant than in patients from communities with founder mutations. The present study is in agreement with direct estimates on other outbred populations, indicating that 7-10% of all female breast cancers that occur in patients aged under 40 years are due to BRCA1/BRCA2. We found that BRCA1 and BRCA2 equally contributed to site-specific breast cancers who had one/two breast cancer-affected first-/second-degree relative(s) or who were diagnosed within age 40 years in the absence of family history. This is consistent with recent data that indicated that the respective frequencies of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations are comparable in early onset breast cancer. Considering the total population of patients analyzed here, however, BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations were mostly found in cases with disease diagnosis before and after age 50 years, respectively. Moreover, in cases with familial clustering of site-specific breast cancer, BRCA1 mostly accounted for tumours diagnosed before age 40 years, and BRCA2 for tumours diagnosed after age 50 years. This is in agreement with a trend, which has been observed in other populations, for the proportion of cases with BRCA2 mutations to increase, and the proportion with mutations in BRCA1 to decrease, as the age at cancer onset increases. As in other studies, the frequency of BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations taken together was lower than the estimated frequencies at comparable ages for all susceptibility alleles derived from the Contraceptive and Steroid Hormones (CASH) study. The discrepancy between direct data deriving from BRCA1/BRCA2 mutational analysis and CASH estimates could be due to several factors, including contribution of gene(s) other than BRCA1/BRCA2, differences between populations and relative insensitivity of mutational screening. Only BRCA1 mutations were found in breast/ovarian and site-specific ovarian cancer families. BRCA2, but not BRCA1 mutations were found in the male breast cancers. The overall proportion of males with BRCA2 mutations was high when compared with data from other studies on outbred populations, but was low compared with data from populations with founder effects. The present results should be regarded as an approximation, because the following types of mutation are predicted to escape detection by the screening strategy used: mutations in noncoding regions; missense mutations within BRCA1 exon 11 and BRCA2 exons 10 and 11; large gene deletions; and mutations within the first and last 180 nucleotides of the amplicons analyzed by PTT

Validation of a targeted gene panel sequencing for the diagnosis of hereditary chronic liver diseases

Background: The cause of chronic liver diseases (CLD) remains undiagnosed in up to 30% of adult patients. Whole-Exome Sequencing (WES) can improve the diagnostic rate of genetic conditions, but it is not yet widely available, due to the costs and the difficulties in results interpretation. Targeted panel sequencing (TS) represents an alternative more focused diagnostic approach.Aims: To validate a customized TS for hereditary CLD diagnosis.Methods: We designed a customized panel including 82 CLD-associated genes (iron overload, lipid metabolism, cholestatic diseases, storage diseases, specific hereditary CLD and susceptibility to liver diseases). DNA samples from 19 unrelated adult patients with undiagnosed CLD were analyzed by both TS (HaloPlex) and WES (SureSelect Human All Exon kit v5) and the diagnostic performances were compared.Results: The mean depth of coverage of TS-targeted regions was higher with TS than WES (300x vs. 102x; p < 0.0001). Moreover, TS yielded a higher average coverage per gene and lower fraction of exons with low coverage (p < 0.0001). Overall, 374 unique variants were identified across all samples, 98 of which were classified as “Pathogenic” or “Likely Pathogenic” with a high functional impact (HFI). The majority of HFI variants (91%) were detected by both methods; 6 were uniquely identified by TS and 3 by WES. Discrepancies in variant calling were mainly due to variability in read depth and insufficient coverage in the corresponding target regions. All variants were confirmed by Sanger sequencing except two uniquely detected by TS. Detection rate and specificity for variants in TS-targeted regions of TS were 96.9% and 97.9% respectively, whereas those of WES were 95.8% and 100%, respectively.Conclusion: TS was confirmed to be a valid first-tier genetic test, with an average mean depth per gene higher than WES and a comparable detection rate and specificity

A PDCD1 Role in the Genetic Predisposition to NAFLD-HCC?

Obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are contributing to the global rise in deaths from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The pathogenesis of NAFLD-HCC is not well understood. The severity of hepatic steatosis, steatohepatitis and fibrosis are key pathogenic mechanisms, but animal studies suggest altered immune responses are also involved. Genetic studies have so far highlighted a major role of gene variants promoting fat deposition in the liver (PNPLA3 rs738409; TM6SF2 rs58542926). Here, we have considered single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in candidate immunoregulatory genes (MICA rs2596542; CD44 rs187115; PDCD1 rs7421861 and rs10204525), in 594 patients with NAFLD and 391 with NAFLD-HCC, from three European centres. Associations between age, body mass index, diabetes, cirrhosis and SNPs with HCC development were explored. PNPLA3 and TM6SF2 SNPs were associated with both progression to cirrhosis and NAFLD-HCC development, while PDCD1 SNPs were specifically associated with NAFLD-HCC risk, regardless of cirrhosis. PDCD1 rs7421861 was independently associated with NAFLD-HCC development, while PDCD1 rs10204525 acquired significance after adjusting for other risks, being most notable in the smaller numbers of women with NAFLD-HCC. The study highlights the potential impact of inter individual variation in immune tolerance induction in patients with NAFLD, both in the presence and absence of cirrhosis

Rare ATG7 genetic variants predispose patients to severe fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the leading cause of liver disorders and has a strong heritable component. The aim of this study was to identify new loci that contribute to severe NAFLD by examining rare variants