Selected molecular events in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis — recent advances

Sarcoidosis is an orphan inflammatory disorder that can virtually affect any organ or system in the body, although the lungs and lymph nodes are most frequently involved. Sarcoidosis is believed to derive from an interaction between environmental and genetic agents. Many studies emphasize a strong association between certain human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles and sarcoidosis susceptibility. Several new insights have allowed the further evaluation of other candidate genes with a potential function in the immunopathogenesis of sarcoidosis. This review summarizes recent advances in the identification of novel molecular markers that may play a role in different stages of disease, such as the acute phase of inflammation, granuloma formation and fibrosis. Furthermore, this article elucidates the role of both TGF-b/Smad and (HIF)-1a-VEGF-ING-4 signaling pathways in the development of sarcoidosis. The potential epigenetic regulation of the processes occurring in sarcoidosis by miRNA is also discussed.Sarcoidosis is an orphan inflammatory disorder that can virtually affect any organ or system in the body, although the lungs and lymph nodes are most frequently involved. Sarcoidosis is believed to derive from an interaction between environmental and genetic agents. Many studies emphasize a strong association between certain human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles and sarcoidosis susceptibility. Several new insights have allowed the further evaluation of other candidate genes with a potential function in the immunopathogenesis of sarcoidosis. This review summarizes recent advances in the identification of novel molecular markers that may play a role in different stages of disease, such as the acute phase of inflammation, granuloma formation and fibrosis. Furthermore, this article elucidates the role of both TGF-b/Smad and (HIF)-1a-VEGF-ING-4 signaling pathways in the development of sarcoidosis. The potential epigenetic regulation of the processes occurring in sarcoidosis by miRNA is also discussed

Analysis of the PPARD gene expression level changes in football players in response to the training cycle

The PPARD gene codes protein that belongs to the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) family engaged in a variety of biological processes, including lipid metabolism in muscle cells. In this study, we assess the relationship between PPARD gene expression lipid metabolism parameters and the variation of the PPARD gene expression before (T1) and after 12 hours of training (T2) sessions in a group of football players. Peripheral blood lymphocytes were obtained from 22 football players (17.5±0.7 years, 178±0.7 cm, 68.05±9.18 kg). The PPARD gene expression, analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), was significantly higher after T2 (p = 0.0006). Moreover, at the end of the training cycle, there was a significant decrease in relative fat tissue (FAT) (%) (p = 0.01) and absolute FAT (kg) (p = 0.01). A negative correlation was observed between absolute FAT (kg) and PPARD gene expression level in T2 (p = 0.03). The levels of cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) fractions were not significantly different (p >0.05) before and after training. No significant relationship between PPARD expression and cholesterol or TG levels was found. We found that physical training affects PPARD expression. Moreover, the negative correlation between PPARD expression and absolute FAT (kg) level may be indicative of the contribution of PPARD in metabolic adaptation to increased lipid uptake that can be used to control the body composition of athletes