Flat Pattern Peaks of Tacrolimus Absorption and Associated Pharmacogenomic Variants in Kidney Transplantation Recipients

Background@#Tacrolimus is the most commonly used immunosuppressive drug in solid organ transplantation. After administering a conventional twice-daily dose of tacrolimus, peak levels were achieved within the first 1.5 to 2 hours. A group of patients showed different early absorption phase of tacrolimus after kidney transplantation. @*Methods@#Trough(C0 ) and 1.5-hour blood levels (C1.5 ) of tacrolimus were measured in 95 kidney transplantation recipients. Patients with a C1.5 /C0 1.5 were defined as those having flat pattern peaks and as controls, respectively. Transplantation outcomes were compared between the groups. Whole exome sequencing was performed to investigate the genetic susceptibility to flat pattern peaks. @*Results@#Twenty-eight patients showed flat pattern peaks. The mean C1.5 /C0 values were 1.13 ± 0.22 and 3.78 ± 1.25 in the flat pattern peak and control groups, respectively. In multivariate analysis, flat pattern peak was an independent risk factor for biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR) and/or borderline change (P = 0.014). Patients having flat pattern peaks showed significantly lower post-transplant 36-month estimated glomerular filtration rate (P = 0.001). Two single nucleotide variants in ABCB1 genes, rs1922242 and rs2235035, were associated with flat pattern peaks (P = 0.019 and P = 0.027, respectively). @*Conclusion@#Both of C1.5 and C0should be measured to distinguish the patients showing unique initial absorption. A C1.5 /C0 ratio lower than 1.5 was associated with an increased risk of BPAR and/or borderline change. Single nucleotide variants s in ABCB1 gene might influence the flat pattern peaks of tacrolimus absorption.

APEX1 Polymorphism and Mercaptopurine-Related Early Onset Neutropenia in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: Mercaptopurine (MP) is one of the main chemotherapeutics for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). To improve treatment outcomes, constant MP dose titration is essential to maintain steady drug exposure, while minimizing myelosuppression. We performed two-stage analyses to identify genetic determinants of MP-related neutropenia in Korean pediatric ALL patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Targeted sequencing of 40 patients who exhibited definite MP intolerance was conducted using a novel panel of 211 pharmacogenetic-related genes, and subsequent analysis was performed with 185 patients. RESULTS: Using bioinformatics tools and genetic data, four functionally interesting variants were selected (ABCC4, APEX1, CYP1A1, and CYP4F2). Including four variants, 23 variants in 12 genes potentially linked to MP adverse reactions were selected as final candidates for subsequent analysis in 185 patients. Ultimately, a variant allele in APEX1 rs2307486was found to be strongly associated with MP-induced neutropenia that occurred within 28 days of initiating MP (odds ratio, 3.44; p=0.02). Moreover, the cumulative incidence of MP-related neutropenia was significantly higher in patients with APEX1 rs2307486 variants, as GG genotypes were associated with the highest cumulative incidence (p < 0.01). NUDT15 rs116855232 variants were strongly associated with a higher cumulative incidence of neutropenia (p < 0.01), and a lower median dose of tolerated MP throughout maintenance treatment (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: We have identified that APEX1 rs2307486 variants conferred an increased risk of MP-related early onset neutropenia. APEX1 and NUDT15 both contribute to cell protection from DNA damage or misincorporation, so alleles that impair the function of either gene may affect MP sensitivities, thereby inducing MP-related neutropenia.

A case of isodicentric chromosome 15 presented with epilepsy and developmental delay / 소아과

We report a case of isodicentric chromosome 15 (idic(15) chromosome), the presence of which resulted in uncontrolled seizures, including epileptic spasms, tonic seizures, and global developmental delay. A 10-month-old female infant was referred to our pediatric neurology clinic because of uncontrolled seizures and global developmental delay. She had generalized tonic-clonic seizures since 7 months of age. At referral, she could not control her head and presented with generalized hypotonia. Her brain magnetic resonance imaging scans and metabolic evaluation results were normal. Routine karyotyping indicated the presence of a supernumerary marker chromosome of unknown origin (47, XX +mar). An array-comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) analysis revealed amplification from 15q11.1 to 15q13.1. Subsequent fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis confirmed a idic(15) chromosome. Array-CGH analysis has the advantage in determining the unknown origin of a supernumerary marker chromosome, and could be a useful method for the genetic diagnosis of epilepsy syndromes associated with various chromosomal aberrations.