The Vulnerability to Methamphetamine Dependence and Genetics: A Case-Control Study Focusing on Genetic Polymorphisms at Chromosomal Region 5q31.3

The RELT Family of Proteins: An Increasing Awareness of Their Importance for Cancer, the Immune System, and Development

This review highlights Receptor Expressed in Lymphoid Tissues (RELT), a Tumor Necrosis Factor Superfamily member, and its two paralogs, RELL1 and RELL2. Collectively, these three proteins are referred to as RELTfms and have gained much interest in recent years due to their association with cancer and other human diseases. A thorough knowledge of their physiological functions, including the ligand for RELT, is lacking, yet emerging evidence implicates RELTfms in a variety of processes including cytokine signaling and pathways that either promote cell death or survival. T cells from mice lacking RELT exhibit increased responses against tumors and increased inflammatory cytokine production, and multiple lines of evidence indicate that RELT may promote an immunosuppressive environment for tumors. The relationship of individual RELTfms in different cancers is not universal however, as evidence indicates that individual RELTfms may be risk factors in certain cancers yet appear to be protective in other cancers. RELTfms are important for a variety of additional processes related to human health including microbial pathogenesis, inflammation, behavior, reproduction, and development. All three proteins have been strongly conserved in all vertebrates, and this review aims to provide a clearer understanding of the current knowledge regarding these interesting proteins.

Common variants in GNL3 gene contributed the susceptibility of hand osteoarthritis in Han Chinese population

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most popular degenerative joint diseases. The nucleolar GTP binding protein 3 (GNL3) gene encodes guanine nucleotide binding protein-like 3, which is related in cell proliferation, differentiation, and cell cycle regulation. Our study aimed to examine the contribution of GNL3 gene polymorphisms to the risk of hand OA and its related clinical features. A total of 3387 study participants including 1160 patients with hand OA and 2227 controls were recruited in this study. Eleven SNPs in GNL3 gene were selected for genotyping. Genetic association signals were examined using Plink. Relationships between significant SNPs and clinical features of hand OA were also explored. SNP rs11177 was found to be strongly associated with susceptibility of hand OA (P = 4.32 × 10^-5). The minor allele of rs11177 was associated with increased susceptibility of hand OA. In addition, significant associations were also identified between genotypes of rs11177 and clinical features of hand OA patients including K-L grade (P < 0.01) and categorized pain scores (P < 0.01). Significant eQTL signals for rs11177 on GNL3 in multiple types of human tissues were also identified in GTEx database. Our results have established the link between GNL3 gene and susceptibility of hand OA.