The +190 G/A (rs1799864) polymorphism in the C–C chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) gene is associated with susceptibility to multiple sclerosis in HLA-DRB1*15:01-negative individuals

CCR5Δ32 and HLA allele diversity in bone marrow donors from southern Brazil

Transplantation of stem cells derived from donors with CCR5Δ32 homozygous genotype is a potential strategy to achieve both the control of malignant hematological disease as well as sustained remission of the HIV infection, and researchers in different countries are looking for CCR5Δ32 homozygous donors to replicate such a 'double-target' strategy. We determined the frequency of the CCR5Δ32 variant in a sample of 1,398 bone marrow donors from Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. This study also evaluated whether HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-DRB1 genotypes are homogeneously distributed between CCR5Δ32 carriers and non-carriers in a population characterized by a significant genetic admixture. The CCR5Δ32 allele frequency was 7.4% (CI0.95 6.4-8.4%), and the frequency of the Δ32/Δ32 homozygous genotype was 0.72% (CI0.95 0.34-1.31%). In general, HLA genotypes are homogeneously distributed between CCR5Δ32 carriers and non-carriers. Considering the large number of bone marrow donors in Brazil and the high CCR5Δ32 allele frequency observed in our study, our results clearly indicate the existence of a considerable amount of potential CCR5Δ32 homozygous bone marrow donors in southern Brazil, suggesting that an active search for these donors is not only feasible but an attractive and promising strategy towards effective HIV infection control and treatment.

Polymorphisms and haplotypes of IL2RA, IL10, IFNG, IRF5, and CCR2 are associated with Epstein-Barr virus-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in children

OBJECTIVE

Cytokine storms are central to the development of Epstein-Barr virus-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (EBV-HLH). Previous studies have shown that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of cytokine genes may be associated with the development of EBV-HLH in children. As such, we investigated the association between susceptibility to EBV-HLH in children and SNPs and haplotypes of genes encoding interleukin-2 receptor subunit alpha (IL2RA), interleukin-10 (IL10), interferon gamma (IFNG), interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5), and C-C chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2).

METHODS

Sixty-six children with EBV-HLH and 58 healthy EBV-seropositive controls were enrolled in this study. SNPs of IL2RA rs2104286, rs12722489, and rs11594656; IL10 rs1800896, rs1800871, and rs1800872; IFNG rs2430561, IRF5 rs2004640, and CCR2 rs1799864 were assayed and genotyped using the SNaPshot technique.

RESULTS

Frequencies of the A allele of IL2RA rs2104286 and IL10 rs1800896, and C allele of IL-10 rs1800872 were significantly higher in the EBV-HLH group than in the control group. The AA genotype of IL2RA rs2104286 and IL10 rs1800896, and the CC genotype of IL10 rs1800872 might be associated with a significantly high risk of EBV-HLH. However, the frequencies of genotypes and alleles of IL2RA rs2104286, IL10 rs1800871, IFNG rs2430561, IRF5 rs2004640, and CCR2 rs1799864 were similar in both groups. Additionally, IL2RA AGT (rs2104286-rs12722489-rs11594656) and IL10 ACC (rs1800896-rs1800871-rs1800872) haplotypes were also associated with an increased risk of EBV-HLH.

CONCLUSIONS

SNPs of IL2RA rs2104286, IL10 rs1800896 and rs1800872 and the haplotypes of IL2RA AGT and IL10 ACC were highly associated with susceptibility to EBV-HLH in children.

The transcriptome characteristics of vestibular organs from delayed endolymphatic hydrops patients (Meniere's disease)

OBJECTIVES

To identify genes that are related to delayed endolymphatic hydrops (DEH) in patients by RNA-Seq analysis.

DESIGN

Observational study.

SETTING

Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University (Shanghai, China).

PARTICIPANTS

We collected the entire vestibular system from four patients with DEH who underwent labyrinthectomy. Three control samples were collected from patients with acoustic neuroma or facial neuroma treated via the translabyrinthine approach. High-throughput RNA-Seq analysis was performed to investigate gene expression in the pathological vestibular system.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Our bioinformatic analysis identified 17 genes that were upregulated and eight genes that were downregulated in patients with DEH compared with the controls.

RESULTS

The altered gene expression profile suggested that DEH is closely related to neuropathy and autoimmune disease. In addition, many of the differentially regulated genes were involved in cell adhesion, suggesting a role of cell adhesion in DEH. Immunofluorescence analysis confirmed the expression of PMP2 and CLDN19 in the cytoplasm of hair cells and scattered expression of MPZ at cell junctions. The protein expression levels were higher in specimens from patients with Ménière's disease and DEH compared with controls.

CONCLUSIONS

The protein expression profile of vestibular organs in patients with endolymphatic hydrops exhibited a degree of similarity to that of Ménière's disease. Endolymphatic hydrops is characterised by autoimmune abnormalities. DEH and Ménière's disease are likely to be different manifestations of the same disease, with disparate clinical symptoms. RNA-Seq is a useful analytical tool to characterise the vestibular pathology based on its transcriptome.

The role of chemokines and chemokine receptors in multiple sclerosis

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Summarize the study of the role of chemokines and their receptors in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and MS animal models.

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Discuss their potential significance in inflammatory injury and repair of MS.

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Summarize the progress in the research of MS antagonists in recent years with chemokine receptors as targets.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that is characterized by leukocyte infiltration and subsequent axonal damage, demyelinating inflammation, and formation of sclerosing plaques in brain tissue. The results of various studies in patients indicate that autoimmunity and inflammation make an important impact on the pathogenesis of MS. Chemokines are key mediators of inflammation development and cell migration, mediating various immune cell responses, including chemotaxis and immune activation, and are important in immunity and inflammation, therefore we focus on chemokines and their receptors in multiple sclerosis. In this article, we summarize the study of the role of prominent chemokines and their receptors in MS patients and MS animal modelsand discuss their potential significance in inflammatory injury and repair of MS. We have also summarized the progress in the treatment of multiple sclerosis antagonists in recent years with chemokine receptors as targets.

Analysis of ICAM1 gene polymorphism in Slovak multiple sclerosis patients

Infiltration of immune cells into CNS is one of the essential events in multiple sclerosis (MS) development. Adhesion molecules like the intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) play critical role in this process. Therefore, the ICAM1 gene containing two important single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) belongs to candidate loci with possible involvement in MS susceptibility and/or severity. The objective of our case-control study was to analyze the association of two functional ICAM1 polymorphisms rs1799969 (or G241R) and rs5498 (or K469E) with susceptibility to MS and evaluate their influence on the age at disease onset, severity, neurological disability and progression rate. Two hundred forty-eight MS subjects (mean 39.2 years) and 208 age-matched controls (mean 35.6 years) were involved in the study. Genotyping of ICAM1 rs1799969 and rs5498 SNPs was performed by PCR-RFLP. Presence of the rs3135388 polymorphism tagging the major MS risk allele HLA-DRB1*15:01 allele was determined as well. Our analysis revealed no statistically significant association of ICAM1 polymorphisms with risk of MS development in the Slovak population. Stratification of study cohorts by gender, age at onset and presence of the HLA-DRB1*15:01 risk allele showed only moderate changes. Correlation of clinical findings as age at onset, Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale, Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score and progression index with ICAM1 genotypes in MS patients revealed no significant association; however, patients with earlier onset of MS showed slightly higher frequencies of the homozygous G allele at rs5498 in comparison to other genotypes (P = 0.04), suggesting that GG carriers tend to induce MS at an earlier age.