Cytokines and HCV-Related Disorders

Cytokines are intercellular mediators involved in viral control and liver damage being induced by infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The complex cytokine network operating during initial infection allows a coordinated, effective development of both innate and adaptive immune responses. However, HCV interferes with cytokines at various levels and escapes immune response by inducing a T-helper (Th)2/T cytotoxic 2 cytokine profile. Inability to control infection leads to the recruitment of inflammatory infiltrates into the liver parenchyma by interferon (IFN)-gamma-inducible CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL)-9, -10, and -11 chemokines, which results in sustained liver damage and eventually in liver cirrhosis. The most important systemic HCV-related extrahepatic diseases—mixed cryoglobulinemia, lymphoproliferative disorders, thyroid autoimmune disorders, and type 2 diabetes—are associated with a complex dysregulation of the cytokine/chemokine network, involving proinflammatory and Th1 chemokines. The therapeutical administration of cytokines such as IFN-alpha may result in viral clearance during persistent infection and reverts this process

Hepatitis C virus infection and type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and diabetes mellitus are two major public health problems that cause devastating health and financial burdens worldwide. Diabetes can be classified into two major types: type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and T2DM. T2DM is a common endocrine disorder that encompasses multifactorial mechanisms, and T1DM is an immunologically mediated disease. Many epidemiological studies have shown an association between T2DM and chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection. The processes through which CHC is associated with T2DM seem to involve direct viral effects, insulin resistance, proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and other immune-mediated mechanisms. Few data have been reported on the association of CHC and T1DM and reports on the potential association between T1DM and acute HCV infection are even rarer. A small number of studies indicate that interferon-α therapy can stimulate pancreatic autoimmunity and in certain cases lead to the development of T1DM. Diabetes and CHC have important interactions. Diabetic CHC patients have an increased risk of developing cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma compared with non-diabetic CHC subjects. However, clinical trials on HCV-positive patients have reported improvements in glucose metabolism after antiviral treatment. Further studies are needed to improve prevention policies and to foster adequate and cost-effective programmes for the surveillance and treatment of diabetic CHC patients

LDOC1 expression in fibroblasts of patients with Down syndrome

Abstract Down syndrome (DS) is characterised by intellectual disability and is caused by trisomy 21. Apoptosis is a programmed cell death process and is involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer. People with DS can develop some traits of Alzheimer disease at an earlier age than subjects without trisomy 21. The leucine zipper, down regulated in cancer 1 (LDOC1) appears to be involved in the apoptotic pathways. The aim of the present work was to detect the presence of intracellular synthesis of LDOC1 protein and LDOC1 mRNA in fibroblast cultures from DS subjects. The western blot shows the presence of LDOC1 protein in fibroblasts of DS subjects but no evidence of LDOC1 protein in fibroblasts of normal subjects. LDOC1 gene mRNA expression is increased in fibroblasts from DS subjects compared to fibroblasts from normal subjects. The data obtained from this study strengthen the hypothesis that the over-expression of LDOC1 gene could play a role in determining the phenotype of individuals with DS but does not exclude that this results from apoptotic mechanisms

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 expression in fibroblasts of Down syndrome subjects

Abstract Down syndrome (DS) is the most common chromosomal disorder. It is featured by intellectual disability and is caused by trisomy 21. People with DS can develop some traits of Alzheimer disease at an earlier age than subjects without trisomy 21. Apoptosis is a programmed cell death process under both normal physiological and pathological conditions. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 is a mediator of programmed-necrotic cell death and appears to be also involved in the apoptosis. The aim of the present work was to detect the intracellular distribution of PARP-1 protein using immunofluorescence techniques and the expression of PARP-1 mRNA in culture of fibroblasts of DS subjects. The analysis of the intracellular distribution of PARP-1 show a signal at the nuclear level in about 75 % of the cells of DS subjects with a slight uniformly fluorescent cytoplasm. In contrast, in about 65% of the analyzed fibroblasts of the normal subjects only a slight fluorescent was found. These observations have been confirmed by PARP-1 gene mRNA expression evaluation. The data obtained from this study strengthen the hypothesis that the over-expression of PARP-1 gene could have a role in the activation of the apoptotic pathways acting in the neurodegenerative processes in DS

Strategies for single base gene editing in an immortalized human cell line by CRISPR/Cas9 technology

The use of CRISPR/Cas9 system has rapidly grown in the last years. Here, the optimization of gene editing of a single-nucleotide polymorphism in a human non-malignant somatic cell line of thyrocytes (Nthy-Ori) was described highlighting strategies for overcoming the problems concerning the delivery and off-targets. We employed both lentivirus and chemical lipids as delivery agents and two strategies for creating the double-strand breaks (DSB). The former induced a DSB by a classical Cas9 nuclease (standard strategy), while the second one employed a modified Cas9 creating a single-strand break (SSB). The knock-in was carried out using a single-stranded donor oligonucleotide or the HR410-PA donor vector (HR). The desired cells could be obtained by combining the double nickase system with the HR vector transfected chemically. This result could be due to the type of DSB, likely processed mainly by non-homologous end joining when blunt (standard strategy) and by HR when overhanging (double nickase). Our results showed that the double nickase is suitable for knocking-in the immortalized Nthy-Ori cell line, while the standard CRISPR/Cas9 system is suitable for gene knock-out creating in/del mutations

Variation rs2235503 C > A Within the Promoter of MSLN Affects Transcriptional Rate of Mesothelin and Plasmatic Levels of the Soluble Mesothelin-Related Peptide.

Soluble mesothelin-related peptide (SMRP) is a promising biomarker for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), but several confounding factors can reduce SMRP-based test's accuracy. The identification of these confounders could improve the diagnostic performance of SMRP. In this study, we evaluated the sequence of 1,000 base pairs encompassing the minimal promoter region of the MSLN gene to identify expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) that can affect SMRP. We assessed the association between four MSLN promoter variants and SMRP levels in a cohort of 72 MPM and 677 non-MPM subjects, and we carried out in vitro assays to investigate their functional role. Our results show that rs2235503 is an eQTL for MSLN associated with increased levels of SMRP in non-MPM subjects. Furthermore, we show that this polymorphic site affects the accuracy of SMRP, highlighting the importance of evaluating the individual's genetic background and giving novel insights to refine SMRP specificity as a diagnostic biomarker

Mesothelin promoter variants are associated with increased soluble mesothelin-related peptide levels in asbestos-exposed individuals

BACKGROUND: Soluble mesothelin-related peptide (SMRP) is a promising diagnostic biomarker for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), but various confounders hinder its usefulness in surveillance programmes. We previously showed that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within the 3'untranslated region (3'UTR) of the mesothelin (MSLN) gene could affect the levels of SMRP. OBJECTIVES: To focus on SNPs located within MSLN promoter as possible critical genetic variables in determining SMRP levels. METHODS: The association between SMRP and SNPs was tested in 689 non-MPM subjects and 70 patients with MPM. Reporter plasmids carrying the four most common haplotypes were compared in a dual luciferase assay, and in silico analyses were performed to investigate the putative biological role of the SNPs. RESULTS: We found a strong association between serum SMRP and variant alleles of rs3764247, rs3764246 (in strong linkage disequilibrium with rs2235504) and rs2235503 in non-MPM subjects. Inclusion of the genotype information led to an increase in SMRP specificity from 79.9% to 85.5%. Although not statistically significant, the group with MPM showed the same trend of association. According to the in vitro luciferase study, rs3764247 itself had a functional role. In silico approaches showed that the binding sites for transcription factors such as Staf and ZNF143 could be affected by this SNP. The other SNPs were shown to interact with each other in a more complex way. CONCLUSIONS: These data support the suggestion that SMRP performance is affected by individual (ie, genetic) variables and that MSLN expression is influenced by SNPs located within the promoter regulatory region

Polimorfismi nella via di segnale MAP (Mitogen Activated Protein) chinasi e suscettibilità genetica al carcinoma tiroideo differenziato

Il carcinoma della tiroide rappresenta circa l’1% di tutte le neoplasie maligne e l'eziologia sembra essere multifattoriale. Da studi precedenti è emerso che nello sviluppo del DTC (carcinoma tiroideo differenziato) di tipo sporadico sono coinvolti i riarrangiamenti RET/PTC (5-70%), i riarrangiamenti del gene TRK1, le mutazioni attivanti di KRAS (6-45%) e le mutazioni attivanti in BRAF (14-69%). Tutti i geni appartenengono alla stessa via del segnale delle proteine chinasi attivate da mitogeni (Mitogen-activated protein -kinasi, MAPK). Lo scopo della presente tesi e’ stato quello di valutare l’eventuale associazione di polimorfismi genetici nei geni delle cascate delle MAP chinasi e il rischio di sviluppare PTC e/o FTC. Abbiamo selezionato i geni candidati (120) e abbiamo filtrato i polimorfismi a singolo nucleotide (SNPs) sulla base dei seguenti criteri: 1. lo SNP si deve trovare nella regione codificante del gene e il polimorfismo deve conferire al peptide che lo detiene o un cambiamento aminoacidico o la formazione di una proteina tronca, 2. la frequenza dell’allele variante deve essere superiore al 10% nella popolazione Caucasica. Tenendo in considerazione il primo filtro sono stati identificati 32 SNPs per un totale di 26 geni su 120 analizzati, di cui 31 producono un cambiamento aminoacidico e uno codifica per un codone di stop. Il secondo filtro, usato l’algoritmo ALIGN-GVGD, si propone di valutare quanto la proteina è conservata e come la struttura proteica e la funzione proteica cambia in seguito al cambiamento aminoacidico dovuto allo SNP. Con questo filtro, il numero degli SNPs non sinonimi si è ridotto a due entrambi presenti sul gene EGFR aventi rs28384375 e rs28384376. e uno SNP “non-senso” nel gene NIK avente rs1047833. La popolazione di studio è costituita da 2000 individui Caucasici, 1000 casi e 1000 controlli. La genotipizzazione e’ avenuta mediante PCR allele specifica per gli SNPs presenti nel gene EGFR e Real-Time PCR per lo SNP presente nel gene NIK. Per i due SNPs del gene EGFR, l’unico genotipo individuato è stato l’omozigote comune, abbiamo cosi’ genotipizzato 2000 campioni solo per lo SNP non-senso presente nel gene NIK. Dopo accertamento dell’equilibrio di Hardy-Weinberg, è stata valutata l’associazione tra lo SNP e il rischio di insorgenza di tumore tiroideo tramite un’analisi di regressione logistica multivariata. I dati ottenuti non mostrano associazione significativa tra lo SNP e DTC con valori di Odd Ratio e CI al 95% pari rispettivamente, per il genotipo omozigote recessivo, a 1,06 e 0,69-1,61 mentre per il genotipo eterozigote a 1,02 e 0,80-1,30. Tuttavia, per il solo istotipo FTC tali valori risultano positivi solo per il genotipo avente l’allele recessivo (Odd Ratio pari a 3,70 con un intervallo di confidenza compreso tra 1,44 e 9,48). In conclusione, i dati ottenuti suggeriscono che il polimorfismo rs1047833 del gene MAP3K14 potrebbe essere implicato nel determinare un rischio di insorgenza dell’FTC. Secondo un lavoro di Xian e Sun (2000) l’SNP potrebbe alterare la funzione di NIK riducendo l’espressione trascrizionale del pathway NFkB

Cytokines and HCV-Related Disorders

Cytokines are intercellular mediators involved in viral control and liver damage being induced by infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The complex cytokine network operating during initial infection allows a coordinated, effective development of both innate and adaptive immune responses. However, HCV interferes with cytokines at various levels and escapes immune response by inducing a T-helper (Th)2/T cytotoxic 2 cytokine profile. Inability to control infection leads to the recruitment of inflammatory infiltrates into the liver parenchyma by interferon (IFN)-gamma-inducible CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL)-9, -10, and -11 chemokines, which results in sustained liver damage and eventually in liver cirrhosis. The most important systemic HCVrelated extrahepatic diseases-mixed cryoglobulinemia, lymphoproliferative disorders, thyroid autoimmune disorders, and type 2 diabetes-are associated with a complex dysregulation of the cytokine/chemokine network, involving proinflammatory and Th1 chemokines. The therapeutical administration of cytokines such as IFN-alpha may result in viral clearance during persistent infection and reverts this process

Targeting chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 3 in thyroid autoimmunity

The C-X-C chemokine receptor (CXCR)3 and its chemokines (CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11) are involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroiditis (AT), Graves' disease (GD) and Graves' Ophthalmopathy (GO). Under the influence of interferon(IFN)\u3b3, the IFN\u3b3-induced protein 10 (IP-10/CXCL10) is secreted by thyrocytes, orbital fibroblasts and preadipocytes. In tissue, Th1 lymphocytes are recruited; hence IFN\u3b3 is enhanced, which stimulates CXCL10 secretion reiterating the autoimmune process. The presence of elevated levels of CXCL10 in peripheral liquids is considered a marker of Th1 orientated immune response. High levels of circulating CXCL10 (sCXCL10) have been shown in patients with AT, overall with hypothyroidism. In GD and GO patients high sCXCL10 have been shown particularly in the active disease. A modulatory role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)\u3b3 or - \u3b1 agonists on CXCR3 chemokines in AT, GD and GO and the immuno-modulatory effect of methimazole on CXCR3 chemokines in GD have been shown. Further studies are ongoing to explore the use of new molecules that act as antagonists of CXCR3, or block CXCL10, in autoimmune disorders, and many interesting patents have been recently applied