RANTES gene polymorphisms (-403G>A and -28C>G) associated with hepatitis B virus infection in a Saudi population

Assessment of genetic diversity in IL-6 and RANTES promoters and their level in Saudi coronary artery disease patients

BACKGROUND

The present study consisted of a total of 200 subjects (100 confirmed coronary artery disease (CAD) patients), both men and women, and 100 healthy control individuals.

METHODS

Serum concentration of IL-6 and RANTES were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. For SNPs analysis, sanger method of DNA sequencing was followed.

RESULTS

We observed variable numbers of SNP sites at -174 G/C, -572 G/C, and -597 G/A in IL-6 and -28 C/G and -109 C/T in RANTES promoters in CAD patients compared with control individuals. However, the observed changes in the number of SNPs were found to be non-significant compared with control individuals. The IL-6 level was found to be significantly (P<.001) elevated in CAD patients compared with control. Moreover, RANTES serum level did not show any significant change in CAD patients.

CONCLUSION

Based on our result, it is quite clear that inflammation has a role in the pathogenesis of CAD but does not lead to significant changes at the genetic level in our population. As far as our knowledge goes, this is the first report that shows the genetic diversity in IL-6 and RANTES promoters and their respective levels in Saudi CAD patients.

Impact of genetic variations in C-C chemokine receptors and ligands on infectious diseases

Chemokine receptors and ligands are crucial for extensive immune response against infectious diseases such as malaria, leishmaniasis, HIV and tuberculosis and a wide variety of other diseases. Role of chemokines are evidenced in the activation and regulation of immune cell migration which is important for immune response against diseases. Outcome of disease is determined by complex interaction among pathogen, host genetic variability and surrounding milieu. Variation in expression or function of chemokines caused by genetic polymorphisms could be associated with attenuated immune responses. Exploration of chemokine genetic polymorphisms in therapeutic response, gene regulation and disease outcome is important. Infectious agents in human host alter the expression of chemokines via epigenetic alterations and thus contribute to disease pathogenesis. Although some fragmentary data are available on chemokine genetic variations and their contribution in diseases, no unequivocal conclusion has been arrived as yet. We therefore, aim to investigate the association of CCR5-CCL5 and CCR2-CCL2 genetic polymorphisms with different infectious diseases, transcriptional regulation of gene, disease severity and response to therapy. Furthermore, the role of epigenetics in genes related to chemokines and infectious disease are also discussed.

EGCG attenuates pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines production in LPS-stimulated L02 hepatocyte

Endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plays an important role in the acceleration of inflammatory reaction of hepatitis as the second attack. Compounds that can prevent inflammation by targeting LPS have potential therapeutic clinical application. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has potent hepatocyte-protective effect and mild anti-hepatitis virus function. Here, we investigated whether EGCG attenuated the severity of inflammatory response in LPS-stimulated L02 hepatocytes. L02 hepatocytes were pretreated with EGCG for 2 h, then stimulated by LPS at 250 ng/ml. The expression levels of chemokine regulated upon activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted (Rantes) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ, adhesion molecule intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), oxidant stress molecules nitric oxide (NO), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of total extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), phospho-ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2), p-AKT, total p38, phospho-p38 (p-p38), total p65 and phospho-p65 (p-p65), IκBα, phospho-IκBα (p-IκBα) and TNF receptor associated factor 2 were tested by western blot analysis. Our results showed that pre-treatment with EGCG could significantly reduce the production of TNF-α, Rantes, MCP-1, ICAM-1, NO, VEGF, and MMP-2 in LPS-stimulated L02 hepatocytes in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of EGCG may be related to the inhibition of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways by down-regulation of p-IκBα, p65, p-p65, p-p38, p-ERK1/2, and p-AKT. These results indicate that EGCG suppresses LPS-induced inflammatory response and oxidant stress and exerts its hepatocyte-protective activity partially by inhibiting NF-κB and MAPK pathways.

Differential association of RANTES-403 and IL-1B-1464 polymorphisms on histological subtypes in male Korean patients with gastric cancer

The aims of this study were to elucidate the association between RANTES-403 and an increased risk of gastric cancer in Korean males and to investigate the gene-gene interaction between IL-1B and RANTES. In total, 218 male patients with gastric cancer (114 diffuse types, 97 intestinal types, and 7 mixed types) and 377 male controls were included. RANTES-403 was genotyped, and age-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression. A multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) test with three-way split interval validation confirmed by likelihood ratio and permutation analysis was carried out. A significant increase in the risk of gastric cancer for the intestinal-type group was observed for IL-1B-1464G carriers (OR = 2.535; 95% CI = 1.121-5.732; P = 0.02) as well as for those with IL-1B-1464 CG (OR = 2.342; 95% CI = 0.998-5.500; P = 0.05) or IL-1B-1464 GG (OR = 2.819; 95% CI = 1.170-6.793; P = 0.02). For the RANTES-403 genotype, there was no significant difference in the risk of gastric cancer between the overall gastric cancer and the control groups. When further stratified according to histological types, RANTES-403A carriers (OR = 1.743; 95% CI = 1.086-2.798; P = 0.021) or heterozygotes (OR = 1.791; 95% CI = 1.092-2.935; P = 0.021) showed increased risk for developing diffuse-type gastric cancer. MDR revealed a three-way locus-locus interaction between RANTES-403AA, IL-1B-1464GG, and IL-1B-511CT for diffuse-type gastric cancer in Korean males. We demonstrated that RANTES-403 was significantly associated with the risk of developing diffuse-type gastric cancer in men and found a possible gene-gene interaction between RANTES and IL-1B polymorphisms in gastric cancer carcinogenesis.

Unraveling the complexity of hepatitis B virus: from molecular understanding to therapeutic strategy in 50 years

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a well-known hepadnavirus with a double-stranded circular DNA genome. Although HBV was first described approximately 50 years ago, the precise mechanisms of HBV infection and effective therapeutic strategies remain unclear. Here, we focus on summarizing the complicated mechanisms of HBV replication and infection, as well as genomic factors and epigenetic regulation. Additionally, we discuss in vivo models of HBV, as well as diagnosis, prevention and therapeutic drugs for HBV. Together, the data in this 50-year review may provide new clues to elucidate molecular mechanisms of HBV pathogenesis and shed new light on the future HBV therapies.

Role of single nucleotide polymorphisms of KIF1B gene in HBV-associated viral hepatitis

BACKGROUND/AIM

Kinesin family member 1B (KIF1B) gene resides in the chromosomal region 1p36.22 and has been reported to have frequent deletions in a variety of human cancers. A recent genome wide association study (GWAS) study conducted on a Chinese population has reported the involvement of a KIF1B genetic variant in Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aims to investigate the significance of KIF1B genetic variations in HBV-associated hepatitis in patients of Saudi Arabian ethnicity.

METHODS

TaqMan genotyping assay was used to investigate the association of three SNPs (rs17401966, rs12734551, and rs3748578) in 584 normal healthy controls and 660 HBV-infected patients. The patients were categorized into inactive carriers (Case I), active carriers (Case II), Cirrhosis (Case III) and Cirrhosis-HCC (Case IV) sub-groups.

RESULTS

Since SNPs rs12734551 and rs3748578 are in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) with rs17401966, only results for the latter SNP are reported. Therefore, the allele frequency of rs17401966 among HBV-infected patients and healthy controls were comparable and therefore, no significant association was observed (P=0.2811, Odds Ratio (OR) 0.897). A similar analysis was performed among the different sub-groups in order to determine whether KIF1B SNPs were associated with the advancement of the disease. No significant differences were observed in any of the comparisons performed.

CONCLUSION

Polymorphisms at KIF1B gene locus investigated in this study showed no significant association with HBV infection or with HBV-associated diseases such as liver cirrhosis or HCC.