Molecular evolution and expression profile of the chemerine encoding gene RARRES2 in baboon and chimpanzee

BACKGROUND: Chemerin, encoded by the retinoic acid receptor responder 2 (RARRES2) gene is an adipocytesecreted protein with autocrine/paracrine functions in adipose tissue, metabolism and inflammation with a recently described function in vascular tone regulation, liver, steatosis, etc. This molecule is believed to represent a critical endocrine signal linking obesity to diabetes. There are no data available regarding evolution of RARRES2 in non-human primates and great apes. Expression profile and orthology in RARRES2 genes are unknown aspects in the biology of this multigene family in primates. Thus; we attempt to describe expression profile and phylogenetic relationship as complementary knowledge in the function of this gene in primates. To do that, we performed A RT-PCR from different tissues obtained during necropsies. Also we tested the hypotheses of positive evolution, purifying selection, and neutrality. And finally a phylogenetic analysis was made between primates RARRES2 protein. RESULTS: RARRES2 transcripts were present in liver, lung, adipose tissue, ovary, pancreas, heart, hypothalamus and pituitary tissues. Expression in kidney and leukocytes were not detectable in either species. It was determined that the studied genes are orthologous. CONCLUSIONS: RARRES2 evolution fits the hypothesis of purifying selection. Expression profiles of the RARRES2 gene are similar in baboons and chimpanzees and are also phylogenetically related.

Social network of family caregivers of disabled and dependent patients / Red social de cuidadores familiares de pacientes con discapacidad y dependencia / Rede social de cuidadores familiares de pacientes com incapacidades e dependência

Cross-sectional study that used the Social Network Index and the genogram to assess the social network of 110 family caregivers of dependent patients attended by a Home Care Service in São Paulo, Brazil. Data were analyzed using the test U of Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman correlation. Results were considered statistically significant when p<0,05. Few caregivers participated in activities outside the home and the average number of people they had a bond was 4,4 relatives and 3,6 friends. Caregivers who reported pain and those who had a partner had higher average number of relatives who to trust. The average number of friends was higher in the group that reported use of medication for depression. Total and per capita incomes correlated with the social network. It was found that family members are the primary caregiver’s social network.



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Estudio transversal que utiliza el Índice de la Red Social y el genograma para evaluar la red social de los 110 cuidadores familiares de enfermos dependientes atendidos por un servicio de cuidados en el hogar, en São Paulo. Los datos fueron analizados por las pruebas de Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis y la correlación de Spearman. Los resultados se consideraron estadísticamente significativos cuando p<0,05. Pocos cuidadores participaban en actividades fuera del hogar y el número promedio de personas con las cuales tenían vínculo fueran 4,4 personas de la familia y 3,6 amigos. Los que informaron dolor en el cuerpo y los que tenían una pareja tenían mayor número medio de familiares en que confiar. El número medio de amigos fue mayor en el grupo que informó el uso de medicación para la depresión. Los ingresos totales y per cápita se correlacionaron con la red social. Se encontró que los miembros de la familia son la principal red social del cuidador.

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Objetivo Avaliar a rede social de 110 cuidadores familiares de pacientes dependentes atendidos por um Serviço de Assistência Domiciliária no município de São Paulo. Método Estudo transversal, que utilizou o Social Network Index e o genograma. Os dados foram analisados pelos testes U de Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis e correlação de Spearman. Foram considerados estatisticamente significantes quando p <0,05. Resultados Poucos cuidadores participavam de atividades extradomiciliares e o número médio de pessoas com quem mantinham vínculo era de 4,4 familiares e 3,6 amigos. Cuidadores que referiram dor no corpo e aqueles que possuíam companheiro apresentaram maior número médio de parentes em quem confiar. A média de amigos foi superior no grupo que referiu uso de medicamentos para depressão. As rendas total e per capita mostraram correlação com a rede social. Conclusão Verificou-se que os familiares são a principal rede social do cuidador. .

Impact of FLT-3 mutations on clinical features and response to the therapy in acute promyelocytic leukemia patients

FLT3 mutations are associated with poor outcome in acute myeloblastic leukemia [AML] patients. Only limited information is available about effects of FLT3 mutation on Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia [APL]. We investigated the prevalence and impact of FLT3 mutations on the clinical characteristics and the response to treatment in APL patients treated with arsenic trioxide [As[2]O[3]]. Blood samples were collected from 115 untreated APL patients and genomic DNA was extracted by the salting-out method. FLT3-ITD and FLT3-D835 mutations were investigated by PCR-RFLP. Mann-Whitney U test and Chi-square were used for data analysis. FLT3-ITD and FLT3-D835 mutations were detected in 16 [14%] and 13 [11%] of the patients, respectively. Both mutations were identified in two patients, so overall frequency of FLT3 mutations was estimated to be 23.5%. Patients positive for FLT3-ITD mutation had a higher rate of white cell counts [p= 0.005] and more frequent bcr3 type of PML/RARA fusion [p=0.04]. We have not found any significant association between FLT3-D835 mutation and the clinical characteristics of patients. Between the group with FLT3 Mutations and the group without, there was no significant difference in response to therapy. Complete remission induction with As[2]O[3] may be independent of FLT3 mutation status, so As[2]O[3] may be the first choice of APL especially in patients with FLT3 mutations. However, further studies on a large group of patients are necessary to confirm our findings

Kidney Transplantation in a Patient with End Stage Renal Disease after Complete Remission of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

In general, a 2-yr disease-free duration is recommended before kidney transplantation (KT) in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients who also have acute leukemia. However, the optimal disease-free interval has not been specified for all subtypes of acute leukemia. Among these subtypes, acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) shows a favorable prognosis and low relapse rate compared to other types of leukemia. We here report KT after complete remission (CR) of APL in an ESRD patient. Irreversible kidney injury developed in a 23-yr-old man with APL. First, we induced CR and subsequently performed KT 7 months after the achievement of CR. The patient's clinical course after KT was favorable, without allograft rejection or relapse of APL up to1 yr after KT. On the basis of our clinical experience, it is suggested that a long wait may not be necessary before KT in patients with ESRD and APL.

Characterization of cryptic rearrangements, deletion, complex variants of PML, RARA in acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is characterized by a reciprocal translocation t(15;17)(q22;q21) leading to the disruption of Promyelocytic leukemia (PML) and Retionic Acid Receptor Alpha (RARA) followed by reciprocal PML–RARA fusion in 90% of the cases. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has overcome the hurdles of unavailability of abnormal and/or lack of metaphase cells, and detection of cryptic, submicroscopic rearrangements. In the present study, besides diagnostic approach we sought to analyze these cases for identification and characterization of cryptic rearrangements, deletion variants and unknown RARA translocation variants by application of D-FISH and RARA break-apart probe strategy on interphase and metaphase cells in a large series of 200 cases of APL. Forty cases (20%) had atypical PML–RARA and/or RARA variants. D-FISH with PML/RARA probe helped identification of RARA insertion to PML. By application of D-FISH on metaphase cells, we documented that translocation of 15 to 17 leads to 17q deletion which results in loss of reciprocal fusion and/or residual RARA on der(17). Among the complex variants of t(15;17), PML–RARA fusion followed by residual RARA insertion closed to PML–RARA on der(15) was unique and unusual. FISH with break-apart RARA probe on metaphase cells was found to be a very efficient strategy to detect unknown RARA variant translocations like t(11;17)(q23;q21), t(11;17)(q13;q21) and t(2;17)(p21;q21). These findings proved that D-FISH and break-apart probe strategy has potential to detect primary as well as secondary additional aberrations of PML, RARA and other additional loci. The long-term clinical follow-up is essential to evaluate the clinical importance of these findings.

A novel mutation in DAX1 gene causing different phenotypes in three siblings with adrenal hypoplasia congenita

Adrenal hypoplasia congenita (AHC) is a rare disease that can be caused by many abnormalities, including an X-linked form. Mutations in the DAX1 gene have been assigned as the genetic cause of AHC. We describe here three siblings with AHC, clinically presented at different ages, two in the neonatal period and one oligosymptomatic during infancy. Molecular analysis was able to detect a novel mutation in exon 1 of the DAX1 gene, consisting of a transition of C to T at position 359, determining a stop codon at position 359 (Q359X). The mutated gene encodes a truncated protein missing a large portion of the ligand-binding domain (C-terminal domain). The recognition of the disease in the index case suggested the diagnosis in the other siblings. Interestingly, the same mutation is presented with different phenotypes, suggesting that first-degree family members of patients with DAX1 mutations should be carefully evaluated routinely.

Combinational Treatment with Retinoic Acid Derivatives in Non-small Cell Lung Carcinoma In Vitro

The growth inhibitory effects of four retinoic acid (RA) derivatives, 9-cis RA, 13-cis RA, N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) retinamide (4-HPR), and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) were compared. In addition, the effects of various combinations of these four agents were examined on non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cell-lines, and on the expressions of retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs) on these cells. At the clinically achievable concentration of 1 micrometer, only 4-HPR inhibited the growths of H1299 and H460 cells-lines. However, retinoic acid receptor beta(RAR beta) expression was up-regulated on H460 and H1299 cells treated with 1 micrometer of ATRA, 13-cis RA, or 9-cis RA. All NSCLC cell lines showed growth inhibition when exposed sequentially to 1 micrometer ATRA and 0.1 micrometer 4-HPR. In particular, sequential treatment with 1 micrometer ATRA or 13-cis RA and 4-HPR markedly inhibited H1703 cell growth; these cells exhibited no basal RAR beta expression and were refractory to 4-HPR. However, in NSCLC cell lines that expressed RAR beta, the expressional levels of RAR beta were up-regulated by ATRA alone and by sequential treatment with ATRA and 4-HPR. 4-HPR was found to be the most active of the four agents in terms of NSCLC growth-inhibition. Moreover, sequential treatments with ATRA or 13-cis RA followed by 4-HPR were found to have synergistic growth-inhibitory effects and to regulate RAR expression.

Estudio de asociación por desequilibrio de ligamiento entre los genes TGFA, RARA, y BCL3 y fisura labiopalatina no sindrómica (FLPNS) en la población chilena / Possible association due to linkage disequilibrium of TGFA, RARA and BCL3 with nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate in the Chilean population

Background: Nonsyndromic cleft lip/palate (NSCLP) is a congenital malformation with the characteristics of a complex genetic trait. Based on experimental evidences as well as on association and linkage studies candidate genes TGFA, RARA and BCL3 have been postulated as being involved in the genetic etiology of this pathology. Aim: To test the possible association due to linkage disequilibrium between microsatellite markers located at less than 1cM from the three candidate genes and nonsyndromic cleft lip/palate using the case-parents trio design. Patients and Methods: The sample consisted of 58 case-parents trios. Two microsatellite markers, flanking each one of the candidate genes were analyzed by means of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with fluorescent labeled microsatellite markers. Electrophoresis of the PCR products was performed on a laser-fluorescent automatic DNA sequencer. Nonparametric ETDT was used to analyze the genotype data. Results: Significant linkage disequilibrium was detected between D2S443 (TGFA) and NSCLP. Significance was almost reached between D17S800 (RARA) and NSCLP. Alleles 239bp (D2S443) and 172bp (D17S800) showed significant preferential transmission from heterozygous parents to affected offspring. In the case of BCL3 both markers showed no significant results. Conclusions: The results of the present study do not show clear evidence that TGFA or RARA could be involved in the genetic etiology of NSCLP. Even though the importance of retinoic acid in the development of the embryo is well documented the results obtained for RARA are difficult to analyze. In relation to the possible role of BCL3 in NSCLP, recent information postulates that other genes located in the same chromosome region could be involved in NSCLP.

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase beta expression mediated by MyoD and muscle regulatory factor 4 is differentially affected by retinoic acid receptor and retinoid X receptor

Mammals have two major isoforms of acetyl-CoA carboxyase (ACC). The 275 kDa beta-form (ACC beta) is predominantly in heart and skeletal muscle while the 265 kDa alpha-form (ACC alpha) is the major isoform in lipogenic tissues such as liver and adipose tissue. ACC alpha is thought to control fatty acid oxidation by means of the ability of malonyl-CoA to inhibit carnitine palmitoyl-CoA transferase-1 (CPT-1), which is a rate-limiting enzyme of fatty acid oxidation in mitochondria. Previously, it was reported that MyoD and other muscle regulating factors (MRFs) up-regulate the expression of ACC beta by interactions between these factors and several cis-elements of ACC beta promoter. We described here that ACC beta expression mediated by MRFs is regulated by retinoic acids. Endogenous expression of ACCb in differentiated H9C2 myotube was significantly increased by retinoic acid treatment. However, on transient transfection assay in H9C2 myoblast, ACC beta promoter activity was suppressed by RXRa and more severely by RAR alpha. These effects on ACCb expression in myoblasts and myotubes by RXR alpha and RAR alpha seem to be mediated by their interactions with MRFs because no consensus sequence for RXR alpha and RAR alpha has been found in ACC beta promoter and retinoic acid receptors did not affect this promoter activities by itself. In transient transfection in NIH3T3 fibroblast, the activation of ACC beta promoter by MyoD, main MRF in myoblast, was significantly suppressed by RAR alpha and to a less extent by RXR alpha while the RXR alpha drastically augmented the activation by MRF4, major MRF in myotube. These results explained that retinoic acids differentially affected the action of MRFs according to their types and RXR alpha specially elevates the expression of muscle specific genes by stimulating the action of MRF4.

Cell-type specific regulation of thrombospondin-1 expression and its promoter activity by regulatory agents

Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), a multifunctional protein that is able to function as a negative regulator of solid tumor progression and angiogenesis, is normally present at a very low level but rapidly elevated in pathological tissues. To understand the cellular regulation of TSP-1 expression, the mode of it's expression in Hep3B, SK-HEP-1, and porcine aortic endothelial (PAE) cells was examined in the presence of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). ATRA or IL-6 induced a dose-dependent increase of TSP-1 protein and mRNA levels in PAE cells, while they negatively regulated TSP-1 expression in the Hep3B and SK-HEP-1 cells. In contrast, PMA showed just the opposite effects on the TSP-1 expression in the same cells. IFN-gamma had little effect on TSP-1 level in Hep3B and PAE cells. The TSP-1 expression in SK-HEP-1 cells by these agents showed a close resemblance to that of liver cells rather than that of the endothelial cell line. Possible TSP-1 promoter-mediated responses by ATRA, IL-6, IFN-gamma, or PMA in Hep3B and PAE cells examined with luciferase activity of TSP-LUC reporter plasmid showed that levels of TSP-1 promoter activity were lower than that of the expressed TSP-1 protein and mRNA levels. Transfection of c-Jun and/or RARalpha expression vectors into Hep3B and PAE cells resulted in the enhanced TSP-1 promoter activity as well as the increments of of its protein and mRNA level. These results suggest that regulatory agents-induced TSP-1 expression may be attributed to mRNA stability and/or translational activation in concert with transcriptional activation and TSP-1 expression may be independently controlled via each signal pathway stimulated by PMA or ATRA.