Genes Encoding GABA-β and HT1D Receptors in Bipolar I (Manic Phase) Patients

Introduction: According to the cumulative evidence, genes encoding GABA receptors inhibit neurotransmitters in CNS and are intricately involved in the pathogenesis of mood disorders. Based on this hypothesis, these genes may be expressed in bipolar patients. As a result, we evaluated the gene expressions of GABA-β3 and HT1D receptors to assess their associations with bipolar mood disorder. Methods: In this study, 22 patients with bipolar I disorder (single manic episode) and 22 healthy individuals were enrolled. All participants were older than 15 years and had referred to Farshchian Hospital, Hamadan, Iran. They were diagnosed based on DSM IV–TR criteria and young mania rating scale in order to determine the severity of mania by a psychiatrist as bipolar Type 1 disorder in manic episode. We evaluated the expression of GABA–β3 and HT1D receptor genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, using. real-time RT-PCR analysis. Results: In our study, a reduction in the gene expression of GABA–β3 and HT1D receptors was observed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the patients with bipolar disorders compared to the healthy controls. Conclusion: The results of this study supports the hypothesis that the gene expression for serotonin and GABA receptors can be employed. in elucidating the pathogenesis of bipolar disorders

Evaluation of zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 and transforming growth factor-beta2 expression in bladder cancer tissue in comparison with healthy adjacent tissue

Purpose: The fifth most common cancer is allocated to bladder cancer (BC) worldwide. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of BC invasion and metastasis to identify target therapeutic strategies will improve disease survival. So the aim of this study was to measure expression rate of zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) and transforming growth factor-beta2 (TGF-β2) mRNA in tissue samples of patients with BC and its healthy adjacent tissue samples and their association with muscle invasion, size and grade of the tumor. Materials and Methods: Tissue samples were collected from 35 newly diagnosed untreated patients with BC from 2013 to 2014. Total RNA was extracted from about 50-mg tissue samples using TRIzol reagent. TAKARA SYBR Premix EX Tag II was applied to determine the rate of mRNA expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). To obtain final validation, PCR product of ZEB1 and TGF-β2 were sequenced. STATA 11 software was used to analyze the data. Results: The expression level of ZEB1 in tumor samples was significantly more than of in healthy adjacent tissue samples. Up-regulation of TGF-β2 showed a strong association with muscle invasion (p=0.017). There was also demonstrated a relationship between over expression of ZEB1 with the tumor size (p=0.050). Conclusions: It looks ZEB1 and TGF-β2 had a role in BC patients. In this study ZEB1 expression was higher in BC tissues than that of in healthy control tissues. There was demonstrated a markedly association between overexpression of TGF-β2 and muscle invasion. Therefore, they are supposed to be candidate as potential biomarkers for early detection and progression of BC

Cholesterol Transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1 Gene Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome

ABCA1 and ABCG1 genes encode the cholesterol transporter proteins that play a key role in cholesterol and phospholipids homeostasis. This study was aimed at evaluating and comparing ABCA1 and ABCG1 genes expression in metabolic syndrome patients and healthy individuals. This case-control study was performed on 36 patients with metabolic syndrome and the same number of healthy individuals in Hamadan (west of Iran) during 2013-2014. Total RNA was extracted from mononuclear cells and purified using RNeasy Mini Kit column. The expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1 genes was performed by qRT-PCR. Lipid profile and fasting blood glucose were measured using colorimetric procedures. ABCG1 expression in metabolic syndrome patients was significantly lower (about 75%) compared to that of control group, while for ABCA1 expression, there was no significant difference between the two studied groups. Comparison of other parameters such as HDL-C, FBS, BMI, waist circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure between metabolic syndrome patients and healthy individuals showed significant differences (P<0.05). Decrease in ABCG1 expression in metabolic syndrome patients compared to healthy individuals suggests that hyperglycemia, related metabolites, and hyperlipidemia over the transporter capacity resulted in decreased expression of ABCG1. Absence of a significant change in ABCA1 gene expression between two groups can indicate a different regulation mechanism for ABCA1 expression