Genética molecular y biomarcadores de la enfermedad de Wilson

[ES] La enfermedad de Wilson (EW) es un trastorno hereditario del metabolismo del cobre causado por mutaciones en ATP7B, que codifica una proteína transportadora de cobre en el hígado. Su mal funcionamiento provoca un fallo en la excreción biliar de cobre y una acumulación progresiva de este metal en el organismo, especialmente en hígado y cerebro. En este trabajo, se explora la posible utilidad de miRNAs circulantes en plasma para identificar biomarcadores que sirvan para controlar la progresión de la enfermedad en pacientes con EW bajo tratamiento. Los modelos desarrollados para cada miRNA mostraron un buen rendimiento al clasificar a los pacientes con factores de evolución desfavorable, por lo que estos tres miRNAs se proponen como candidatos para mejorar el seguimiento clínico o para respaldar la eficacia de nuevas terapias en la EW.[CA] La malaltia de Wilson és un trastorn hereditari del metabolisme del coure causat per mutacions en ATP7B, que codifica per a una proteïna transportadora del coure al fetge. El seu mal funcionament produeix alteracions en l'excreció biliar i l'acumulació progressiva de coure, especialment en fetge i cervell. Es va explorar la possible utilitat del perfil de miRNAs circulants com biomarcadors de progressió de la patologia hepàtica. L'avaluació dels models obtinguts per a cadascun dels tres miRNAs va mostrar un bon rendiment per a classificar al grup de pacients amb factors d’evolució desfavorable, en conseqüència, es proposen com a candidats per tal de millorar el seguiment clínic o comprovar l’efectivitat de noves teràpies en la malaltia de Wilson.[EN] Wilson disease (WD) is an inherited disorder of copper metabolism caused by mutations in ATP7B, which encodes for a liver copper-transporting protein. Its dysfunction causes a deficit in biliary copper excretion and a progressive accumulation of this metal in the organism, mainly in liver and brain. In this work, circulating miRNAs profiling in plasma has been accomplished to identify biomarkers that could serve to monitor disease progression in WD patients under chelation therapy. Developed models for each miRNA exhibited good performance classifying patients with poor outcome factors, consequently, these three miRNAs are proposed as candidates to improve clinical follow-up or to support efficacy of novel therapies in WD.Esta Tesis Doctoral ha sido financiada por los siguientes proyectos de investigación: “Avanzar en el diagnóstico y la prognosis de la enfermedad de Wilson” Duración: 2016-2019, Fundació Per Amor a l’Art (FPAA) IP: C. Espinós; “Bases genéticas y biomarcadores pronóstico de la enfermedad de Wilson y Wilson-like” 2020-2022, Fundació Per Amor a l’Art (FPAA) IP: C. Espinós; “Estudios clínicos, bases genéticas y biomarcadores pronóstico en enfermedades raras neurodegenerativas” 2019-2021, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Expediente: PI18/00147) IP: C. Espinós; “De genes a terapia en enfermedades neurodegenerativas y neuromusculares” 2018-2021, Generalitat Valenciana, Programa Prometeo para grupos de investigación de excelencia (Expediente: PROMETEO/2018/135) Consorcio de investigadores formado por F. V. Pallardó (coordinador), J.M. Millán, I. Galindo, P. Sanz, T. Sevilla y C. Espinós.Sánchez Monteagudo, A. (2021). Genética molecular y biomarcadores de la enfermedad de Wilson [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/171454TESI

Endocrine Disruptors in Food: Impact on Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Diseases

The results presented in this article constitute part of Yolanda Gálvez-Ontiveros doctoral thesis, performed in the Nutrition and Food Sciences Doctorate Program of the University of Granada.Endocrine disruptors (EDCs) have been associated with the increased incidence of metabolic disorders. In this work, we conducted a systematic review of the literature in order to identify the current knowledge of the interactions between EDCs in food, the gut microbiota, and metabolic disorders in order to shed light on this complex triad. Exposure to EDCs induces a series of changes including microbial dysbiosis and the induction of xenobiotic pathways and associated genes, enzymes, and metabolites involved in EDC metabolism. The products and by-products released following the microbial metabolism of EDCs can be taken up by the host; therefore, changes in the composition of the microbiota and in the production of microbial metabolites could have a major impact on host metabolism and the development of diseases. The remediation of EDC-induced changes in the gut microbiota might represent an alternative course for the treatment and prevention of metabolic diseases.This work was carried out within the frame of GP/EFSA/ENCO/380 2018/03/G04: OBEMIRISK: Knowledge platform for assessing the risk of Bisphenols on gut microbiota and its role in obesogenic phenotype: looking for biomarkers. This research was also funded by Plan Estatal de I+D+I 2013-2016, Proyecto cofinanciado FEDER-ISCIII PI17/01758, Proyecto cofinanciado FEDER-Consejería de Salud y Familias, Junta de Andalucía PE-0250-2019 and by Fundación Mapfre MAPFRE2018

Intra-Species Diversity and Panmictic Structure of Cryptosporidium parvum Populations in Cattle Farms in Northern Spain

The intra-herd and intra-host genetic variability of 123 Cryptosporidium parvum isolates was investigated using a multilocus fragment typing approach with eleven variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) loci and the GP60 gene. Isolates were collected from intensively farmed diarrheic pre-weaned calves originating from 31 dairy farms in three adjoining regions in northern Spain (País Vasco, Cantabria and Asturias). The multilocus tool demonstrated an acceptable typeability, with 104/123 samples amplifying at all twelve loci. The ML2, TP14, GP60 and the previously un-described minisatellite at locus cgd2_3850 were the most discriminatory markers, while others may be dismissed as monomorphic (MSB) or less informative (CP47, ML1 and the novel minisatellites at loci Cgd1_3670 and Cgd6_3940). The 12-satellite typing tool provided a Hunter-Gaston index (HGDI) of 0.987 (95% CI, 0.982–0.992), and differentiated a total of 70 multilocus subtypes (MLTs). The inclusion of only the four most discriminatory markers dramatically reduced the number of MLTs (n: 44) but hardly reduced the HGDI value. A total of 54 MLTs were distinctive for individual farms, indicating that cryptosporidiosis is an endemic condition on most cattle farms. However, a high rate of mixed infections was detected, suggesting frequent meiotic recombination. Namely, multiple MLTs were seen in most farms where several specimens were analyzed (90.5%), with up to 9 MLTs being found on one farm, and individual specimens with mixed populations being reported on 11/29 farms. Bayesian Structure analysis showed that over 35% of isolates had mixed ancestry and analysis of evolutionary descent using the eBURST algorithm detected a high rate (21.4%) of MLTs appearing as singletons, indicating a high degree of genetic divergence. Linkage analysis found evidence of linkage equilibrium and an overall panmictic structure within the C. parvum population in this discrete geographical area

NR4A2 Mutations Can Cause Intellectual Disability and Language Impairment With Persistent Dystonia-Parkinsonism

Dystonia; Parkinson's disease/Parkinsonism; Genetic linkageMalaltia de Parkinson/Parkinsonisme; Vinculació genètica; DistoniaEnfermedad de Parkinson/Parkinsonismo; Enlace genético; DistoníaThis work was supported by the Health Institute Carlos III—General Subdirectorate for Research Evaluation and Promotion (PI16/01575, PI18/01898, PI18/00147, PI19/01576), the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SAF2007-60700), the Ministry of Economy, Innovation, Science and Business of the Government of Andalucía (CVI-02526, CTS-7685), the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of the Government of Andalucía (PI-0459-2018, PE-0210-2018, PE-0186-2019) and by the Valencian Government (PROMETEO/2018/135), within the framework of the National Research and Development Plan co-funded with European Regional Development Funds. Part of the equipment employed in this study was funded by the Valencian Government and co-financed with European Regional Development Funds (OP ERDF of Valencian Community 2014-2020). I. Hinarejos has a PFIS-PhD fellowship (FI19/00072), S. Jesús has a contract “Acción B Clínicos-Investigadores” (Action B Clinicians-Researchers) contract (B-0007-2019) funded by the Ministry of Health and Family of the Government of Andalucía, and D. Macías-García has a Río Hortega contract (CM18/00142) funded by the Health Institute Carlos III

Feline osteochondromatosis in a 12-year-old feline leukaemia virus-negative cat

Feline osteochondromatosis is a spontaneous osteocartilaginous exostosis associated with feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) infection or due to a frameshift variant in the exostosin glycosyltransferase 1 (EXT1) gene. Osteochondromatosis was diagnosed in an indoor-only, 12-year-old, neutered female, Russian Blue cat. Radiographs revealed bilateral calcified proliferations in the elbow, costochondral and sternochondral joints, which distorted the normal skeletal structure. Grossly, the proliferated joints presented with consistent, rounded masses, causing complete ankylosis. The main histopathological finding was an osteocartilaginous proliferation composed of multiple irregular islands of well-differentiated hyaline cartilage surrounded and delimited by osteoid tissue. Immunohistochemistry of the osteochondromas, bone marrow and mediastinal lymph nodes, using a primary anti-FeLV gp70 antibody, and FeLV proviral DNA real-time polymerase chain reaction on bone marrow were negative. Sequencing of exon 6 of the EXT1 gene was performed and nucleotide BLAST analysis demonstrated the absence of a frameshift variant. This study reports the only case of spontaneous feline osteochondromatosis in an animal more than 10 years old

Dietary exposure to parabens and body mass index in an adolescent Spanish population

This work was carried out in line with 'GP/EFSA/ENCO/380 2018/03/G04: OBEMIRISK: Knowledge platform for assessing the risk of Bisphenols on gut microbiota and its role in obesogenic phenotype: looking for biomarkers'. This research was also funded by Plan Estatal de I + D + I 2013-2016 and co-funded by FEDER-ISCIII PI17/01758, FEDER-Consejeria de Salud y Familias, Junta de Andalucia PE-0250-2019, FEDER/Junta de Andalucia-Consejeria de Transformacion Economica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades/Proyecto P18-RT-4247. All individuals participating in this research signed an informed consent form and the study protocol was approved by the Ethics Com-mittee of the University of Granada.Parabens are alkyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid which are extensively used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and foodstuffs due to their antimicrobial properties. The most commonly used parabens are methyl-(MeP), ethyl- (EtP), propyl-(PrP) and butyl-(BuP) paraben. Most human exposure to parabens is achieved through the consumption of food or pharmaceutical products and the use of personal care products. However, studies on dietary parabens exposure and the associated factors are very scarce. The main aim of the present study was to explore factors associated with dietary exposure to parabens in Spanish adolescents according to gender. Dietary data and anthropometric measures were collected from 585 adolescents (53.4% boys) aged 12–16 years. Parabens exposure through diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire with food products providing more than 95% of energy and macronutrient intake being included in analysis. Stepwise regression was used to identify the foods that most contributed to parabens intake. Logistic regression was used to evaluate factors predicting higher dietary exposure to parabens. The main contributors to dietary MeP, EtP, PrP and BuP exposure in adolescent boys were eggs (41.9%), canned tuna (46.4%), bakery and baked goods products (57.3%) and pineapple (61.1%). In adolescent girls, the main contributors were apples and pears (35.3%), canned tuna (42.1%), bakery and baked goods products (55.1%) and olives (62.1%). Overweight/obese girls were more likely to belong to the highest tertile of overall parabens intake (odds ratio [OR]: 3.32; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.21–9.15) and MeP (OR: 3.05; 95% CI: 1.14–8.12) than those with a body mass index lower than 25 kg/m2. These findings suggest a positive association between dietary exposure to parabens and overweight/obesity in adolescent girls.Plan Estatal de I + D + I 2013-2016FEDER-ISCIII PI17/01758FEDER-Consejeria de Salud y FamiliasJunta de Andalucia PE-0250-2019FEDER/Junta de Andalucia-Consejeria de Transformacion Economica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades/Proyecto P18-RT-424

Bisphenol A Analogues in Food and Their Hormonal and Obesogenic Effects: A Review

Bisphenol A (BPA) is the most well-known compound from the bisphenol family. As BPA has recently come under pressure, it is being replaced by compounds very similar in structure, but data on the occurrence of these BPA analogues in food and human matrices are limited. The main objective of this work was to investigate human exposure to BPA and analogues and the associated health effects. We performed a literature review of the available research made in humans, in in vivo and in vitro tests. The findings support the idea that exposure to BPA analogues may have an impact on human health, especially in terms of obesity and other adverse health effects in children.This research was funded by Plan Estatal de I+D+I 2013-2016 Proyecto cofinanciado FEDER-ISCIII PI17/01758 and by Fundación Mapfre MAPFRE2018

Factors Associated with Exposure to Dietary Bisphenols in Adolescents

Obesogenic endocrine-disrupting chemicals, such as bisphenol A (BPA) and its analogue bisphenol S (BPS), seem to play an important role in the development of obesity, although contradictory results have been reported. The aim of the present study was to conduct a gender analysis of the factors associated with exposure to dietary bisphenols in 585 Spanish adolescents. Dietary BPA and BPS exposure was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Foods and macronutrients accounting for more than 95% of energy intake were selected for analysis. Stepwise regression was used to estimate the foods that most contributed to dietary bisphenol exposure in the sample. Gender-related factors associated with greater dietary bisphenol exposure were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression models. Canned tuna was the main dietary source of BPA and BPS in both adolescent boys and girls. Overweight/obese girls showed a higher risk of high dietary exposure to BPA (odds ratio (OR): 3.38, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.25–9.07) and total bisphenols (OR: 2.81, 95% CI: 1.03–7.67) in comparison with girls with a BMI lower than 25 kg/m2 . Present results indicate a positive association of dietary exposure to both total bisphenols and BPA with being overweight/obese in adolescent girls.GP/EFSA/ENCO/380 2018/03/G04: OBEMIRISK: Knowledge platform for assessing the risk of bisphenol on gut microbiota and its role in obesogenic phenotypes: looking for biomarkers’ frameworkPlan Estatal de I + D + I 2013–2016FEDER-ISCIII PI17/01758FEDER-Consejería de Salud y FamiliasJunta de Andalucía PE-0250–2019FEDER-Junta de Andalucía-Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades/ Proyecto P18-RT-4247Fundación Mapfre MAPFRE201

NR4A2 Mutations Can Cause Intellectual Disability and Language Impairment With Persistent Dystonia-Parkinsonism

TheNR4A2/NURR1gene (MIM*601828) has recently been associated with autosomal-dominantearly-onset dystonia-parkinsonism with intellectual disability.1NR4A2codifies for a nuclear tran-scription factor and is expressed mainly in the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, and limbicareas.2To date, 14 different alterations inNR4A2have been described associated with variousclinical phenotypes, mainly with neurodevelopment disorders (table e-1, links.lww.com/NXG/A371). We describe here an interesting case suffering a persistent dystonia-parkinsonism syndrome(DPS) with motor tics, which expands the clinical phenotype ofNR4A2-associated DPS

Human Oocyte-derived Methylation Differences Persist In The Placenta Revealing Widespread Transient Imprinting

Thousands of regions in gametes have opposing methylation profiles that are largely resolved during the post-fertilization epigenetic reprogramming. However some specific sequences associated with imprinted loci survive this demethylation process. Here we present the data describing the fate of germline-derived methylation in humans. With the exception of a few known paternally methylated germline differentially methylated regions (DMRs) associated with known imprinted domains, we demonstrate that sperm-derived methylation is reprogrammed by the blastocyst stage of development. In contrast a large number of oocyte-derived methylation differences survive to the blastocyst stage and uniquely persist as transiently methylated DMRs only in the placenta. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this phenomenon is exclusive to primates, since no placenta-specific maternal methylation was observed in mouse. Utilizing single cell RNA-seq datasets from human preimplantation embryos we show that following embryonic genome activation the maternally methylated transient DMRs can orchestrate imprinted expression. However despite showing widespread imprinted expression of genes in placenta, allele-specific transcriptional profiling revealed that not all placenta-specific DMRs coordinate imprinted expression and that this maternal methylation may be absent in a minority of samples, suggestive of polymorphic imprinted methylation