[Mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy of the m.3243A>G mutation in maternally inherited diabetes and deafness]

Maternally Inherited Diabetes and Deafness (MIDD) is caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), mainly m.3243A>G. Severity, onset and clinical phenotype of MIDD patients are partially determined by the proportion of mutant mitochondrial DNA copies in each cell and tissue (heteroplasmy). The identification of MIDD allows a corred treatment with insulin avoiding drugs that may interfere with mitochondrial electrón chain transpon. We estimated the degree of heteroplasmy of the mutation m.3243A>G from blood, saliva, hair root and a muscle biopsy using quantitative PCR (qPCR) in a femóle adult patient. For this purpose, PCR producís were inserted in a vector creating plasmids with 3243A or G. Mutant and wild-type vectors were mixed in different proportions to créate a calibration curve used to interpólate heteroplasmy percentages with qPCR threshold cycles. The proportions of m.3243A>G heteroplasmy were 62% (muscle), 14% (saliva), 6% (blood leukocytes) and 3% in hair root. Quantitative analysis of heteroplasmy showed marked variations in different tissues (highest in muscle and lowest in blood). Given the relatively high heteroplasmy found in saliva, this type of biológical sample may represent an adequate non-invasive way for assessing the presence of m.3243A>G mutations in epidemiologic studies.

Copy number polymorphism of the salivary amylase gene: implications in human nutrition research

The salivary α-amylase is a calcium-binding enzyme that initiates starch digestion in the oral cavity. The α-amylase genes are located in a cluster on the chromosome that includes salivary amylase genes (AMY1), two pancreatic α-amylase genes (AMY2A and AMY2B) and a related pseudogene. The AMY1 genes show extensive copy number variation which is directly proportional to the salivary α-amylase content in saliva. The α-amylase amount in saliva is also influenced by other factors, such as hydration status, psychosocial stress level, and short-term dietary habits. It has been shown that the average copy number of AMY1 gene is higher in populations that evolved under high-starch diets versus low-starch diets, reflecting an intense positive selection imposed by diet on amylase copy number during evolution. In this context, a number of different aspects can be considered in evaluating the possible impact of copy number variation of the AMY1 gene on nutrition research, such as issues related to human diet gene evolution, action on starch digestion, effect on glycemic response after starch consumption, modulation of the action of α-amylases inhibitors, effect on taste perception and satiety, influence on psychosocial stress and relation to oral health.