Effects of gentamicin inducing readthrough premature stop Codons: A study of alpha-L-iduronidase nonsense variants in COS-7 Cells.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type I Hurler syndrome (MPS IH) is a severe lysosomal storage disorder caused by alpha-l-iduronidase (IDUA) deficiency. Premature truncation mutations (PTC) are the most common (50%-70%) type of IDUA mutations and correlate with MPS IH. Nonsense suppression therapy is a therapeutic approach that aims to induce stop codon readthrough. The different ability of gentamicin to bind mutant mRNA in readthrough is determined by nucleotide sequence (PTC context: UGA > UAG > UAA) and inserted amino acid including the nucleotide position +4 of the PTC, as well as the mRNA secondary structure. We used COS-7 cells to investigate the functional characteristics of p.Q500X and p.R619X, IDUA variants and the effects of gentamicin in inducing stop codon readthrough of seven IDUA variants including p.Q500X, p.R619X, p.Q70X, p.E299X, p.W312X, p.Q380X, and p.W402X. Moreover, we performed prediction of RNA secondary structure using the online tool RNAfold. We found that cells treated with gentamicin showed significantly enhanced full-length IDUA expression and restored IDUA activity, in a dose-dependent manner, only in cells expressing cDNA with W312X, Q380X, W402X, and R619X. Among the readthrough-responsive variants, we observed UGA PTC in W312X, W402X and R619X; and UAG PTC with C at nucleotide +4 in Q380X. Changes of RNA secondary structure were noted only in mutants with readthrough-responsive variants including W312X, Q380X, W402X, and R619X. Additional preclinical studies of selected PTCs with potential readthrough, using drugs with less oto-nephrotoxicity, in patient's skin fibroblasts and animal model are necessary for the premise of personalized medicine.

Chemoenzymatic and Protecting-Group-Free Synthesis of 1,4-Substituted 1,2,3-Triazole-α-d-glucosides with Potent Inhibitory Activity toward Lysosomal α-Glucosidase.

α-Glucosyl triazoles have rarely been tested as α-glucosidase inhibitors, partly due to inefficient synthesis of their precursor α-d-glucosylazide (αGA1). Glycosynthase enzymes, made by nucleophile mutations of retaining ß-glucosidases, produce αGA1 in chemical rescue experiments. Thermoanaerobacterium xylanolyticus glucosyl hydrolase 116 ß-glucosidase (TxGH116) E441G nucleophile mutant catalyzed synthesis of αGA1 from sodium azide and pNP-ß-d-glucoside (pNPGlc) or cellobiose in aqueous medium at 45 °C. The pNPGlc and azide reaction product was purified by Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography to yield 280 mg of pure αGA1 (68% yield). αGA1 was successfully conjugated with alkynes attached to different functional groups, including aryl, ether, amine, amide, ester, alcohol, and flavone via copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) click chemistry reactions. These reactions afforded the 1,4-substituted 1,2,3-triazole-α-d-glucoside derivatives AGT2-14 without protection and deprotection. Several of these glucosyl triazoles exhibited strong inhibition of human lysosomal α-glucosidase, with IC50 values for AGT4 and AGT14 more than 60-fold lower than that of the commercial α-glucosidase inhibitor acarbose.

Molecular characterization of Thai patients with phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency and in vitro functional study of two novel PAH variants.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive amino acid metabolism disorder caused by variants in the gene encoding phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH; EC1.14.16.1). This study aimed to assess the specific heterogeneity of PAH variants found in Thai population as well as evaluate enzyme activity and expression of novel variants. PAH gene from 13 patients was analyzed by PCR amplification and direct Sanger-sequencing of 13 exons of the coding region. The novel variants were transiently transfected in COS-7 cells for functional verification. Eleven different PAH variants were identified: all pathogenic variants were missense variants, of which the most frequent variant was p.R169L, accounting for 24% (6/25) of all identified alleles. Two novel variants p.R169L and p.Y317N and previously reported variants with mutated residues at the same positions (p.R169H and p.Y317H) were expressed in COS-7 cells. These showed mildly impaired residual activity levels (42.3-63.1% of wild type), while the protein levels were well expressed (82.8-110%), except for p.R169L, which showed decreased protein expression of 55.7% compared to the wild type enzyme. All subjects with p.R169L identified in at least one of pathogenic alleles (one case is homozygous) had a metabolic phenotype of mild hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA). Our data has expanded the information on the genetic heterogeneity of Thai patients with PAH deficiency. This finding emphasizes the importance of genotyping in patients with HPA, and in vitro studies can provide additional information for prediction of phenotype.

Aberrant proteins expressed in skin fibroblasts of Parkinson's disease patients carrying heterozygous variants of glucocerebrosidase and parkin genes.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement, and its development is associated with environmental and genetic factors. Genetic variants in GBA and PARK2 are important risk factors implicated in the development of PD; however, their precise roles have yet to be elucidated. The present study aimed to identify and analyse proteins from the skin fibroblasts of patients with PD carrying heterozygous GBA and PARK2 variants, and from healthy controls. Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry and label-free quantitative proteomics were performed to identify and compare differential protein expression levels. Moreover, protein-protein interaction networks were assessed using Search Tool for Retrieval of Interacting Genes analysis. Using these proteomic approaches, 122 and 119 differentially expressed proteins from skin fibroblasts of patients with PD carrying heterozygous GBA and PARK2 variants, respectively, were identified and compared. According to the results of protein-protein interaction and Gene Ontology analyses, 14 proteins involved in the negative regulation of macromolecules and mRNA metabolic processes, and protein targeting to the membrane exhibited the largest degree of differential expression in the fibroblasts of patients with PD with a GBA variant, whereas 20 proteins involved in the regulation of biological quality, NAD metabolic process and cytoskeletal organization exhibited the largest degree of differential expression in the fibroblasts of patients with PD with a PARK2 variant. Among these, the expression levels of annexin A2 and tubulin ß chain, were most strongly upregulated in the fibroblasts of patients with GBA-PD and PARK2-PD, respectively. Other predominantly expressed proteins were confirmed by western blotting, and the results were consistent with those of the quantitative proteomic analysis. Collectively, the results of the present study demonstrated that the proteomic patterns of fibroblasts of patients with PD carrying heterozygous GBA and PARK2 variants are different and unique. Aberrant expression of the proteins affected by these variants may reflect physiological changes that also occur in neurons, resulting in PD development and progression.

Juberg-Hayward syndrome and Roberts syndrome are allelic, caused by mutations in ESCO2.

OBJECTIVE: Juberg-Hayward syndrome (JHS; MIM 216100) is a rare autosomal recessive malformation syndrome, characterized by cleft lip/palate, microcephaly, ptosis, hypoplasia or aplasia of thumbs, short stature, dislocation of radial head, and fusion of humerus and radius leading to elbow restriction. A homozygous mutation in ESCO2 has recently been reported to cause Juberg-Hayward syndrome. Our objective was to investigate the molecular etiology of Juberg-Hayward syndrome in two affected Lisu tribe brothers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two patients, the unaffected parents, and two unaffected siblings were studied. Clinical and radiographic examination, whole exome sequencing, Sanger sequencing, Western blot analysis, and chromosome testing were performed. RESULTS: Two affected brothers had characteristic features of Juberg-Hayward syndrome, except for the absence of microcephaly. The elder brother had bilateral cleft lip and palate, short stature, humeroradial synostosis, and simple partial seizure with secondary generalization. The younger brother had unilateral cleft lip and palate, short stature, and dislocation of radial heads. The homozygous (c.1654C > T; p.Arg552Ter) mutation in ESCO2 was identified in both patients. The other unaffected members of the family were heterozygous for the mutation. The presence of humeroradial synostosis and radial head dislocation in the same family is consistent with both being in the same spectrum of forearm malformations. Chromosome testing of the affected patients showed premature centromere separation. Western blot analysis showed reduced amount of truncated protein. CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm that a homozygous mutation in ESCO2 is the underlying cause of Juberg-Hayward syndrome. Microcephaly does not appear to be a consistent feature of the syndrome.

Clinical course, mutations and its functional characteristics of infantile-onset Pompe disease in Thailand.

BACKGROUND: Pompe disease is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by the deficiency of acid alpha-glucosidase (EC. 3.2.1.20) due to mutations in human GAA gene. The objective of the present study was to examine clinical and molecular characteristics of infantile-onset Pompe disease (IOPD) in Thailand. METHODS: Twelve patients with infantile-onset Pompe disease (IOPD) including 10 Thai and two other Asian ethnicities were enrolled. To examine the molecular characteristics of Pompe patients, GAA gene was analyzed by PCR amplification and direct Sanger-sequencing of 20 exons coding region. The novel mutations were transiently transfected in COS-7 cells for functional verification. The severity of the mutation was rated by study of the GAA enzyme activity detected in transfected cells and culture media, as well as the quantity and quality of the proper sized GAA protein demonstrated by western blot analysis. The GAA three dimensional structures were visualized by PyMol software tool. RESULTS: All patients had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, generalized muscle weakness, and undetectable or < 1% of GAA normal activity. Three patients received enzyme replacement therapy with variable outcome depending on the age of the start of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). Seventeen pathogenic mutations including four novel variants: c.876C > G (p.Tyr292X), c.1226insG (p.Asp409GlyfsX95), c.1538G > A (p.Asp513Gly), c.1895 T > G (p.Leu632Arg), and a previously reported rare allele of unknown significance: c.781G > A (p.Ala261Thr) were identified. The rating system ranked p.Tyr292X, p. Asp513Gly and p. Leu632Arg as class "B" and p. Ala261Thr as class "D" or "E". These novel mutations were located in the N-terminal beta-sheet domain and the catalytic domain. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides useful information on the mutations of GAA gene in the underrepresented population of Asia which are more diverse than previously described and showing the hotspots in exons 14 and 5, accounting for 62% of mutant alleles. Almost all mutations identified are in class A/B. These data can benefit rapid molecular diagnosis of IOPD and severity rating of the mutations can serve as a partial substitute for cross reactive immunological material (CRIM) study.

p.X654R IDUA variant among Thai individuals with intermediate mucopolysaccharidosis type I and its residual activity as demonstrated in COS-7 cells.

BACKGROUND: Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) is a rare autosomal-recessive disorder caused by defects in alpha-L-iduronidase (IDUA), a lysosomal enzyme encoded by the IDUA gene. Herein, we characterized IDUA mutations underlying mucopolysaccharidosis type I intermediate form (Hurler-Scheie syndrome) and its molecular pathogenic mechanisms. METHODS: Clinical data, activity of the IDUA enzyme in leukocytes, and a mutation of the IDUA gene were analyzed. Pathogenesis associated with an IDUA mutation was further investigated by evaluating the mutant cDNA sequence, protein expression and activity in COS-7 cells. RESULTS: Five unrelated patients were identified to have clinical diagnosis of intermediate form of MPS I (Hurler-Scheie) and exhibited low-to-absent levels of leukocyte IDUA activity. Genetic analysis revealed homozygous c.*1T>C (p.X654R) mutation in two patients and compound heterozygosity between the c.*1T>C and another allele including c.265G>A (p.R89Q), c.935G>A (p.W312X), or c.1138 C>T (p.Q380X), each in a single patient. Sequencing the 3'RACE product of the c.*1T>C (p.X654R) allele indicated a 38-amino acids elongation of the mutant protein. COS-7 cells expressing IDUA with the mutations exhibited extremely low levels or complete absence of enzyme activity compared to wild-type IDUA. Western blot analysis detected no protein in p.W312X and p.Q380X samples, while an elevated molecular mass and a different pattern of protein bands were found in p.X654R specimen compared with the wild type IDUA. CONCLUSIONS: Mutational spectrum underlying intermediate MPS I is expanded. Our data suggest that the p.X654R is an intermediate IDUA mutant allele with residual enzyme activity. It can lead to intermediate or milder form of MPS I depending on another associated allele.

Molecular analysis of the novel IDS allele in a Thai family with mucopolysaccharidosis type II: The c.928C>T (p.Gln310*) transcript is sensitive to nonsense-mediated mRNA decay.

Hunter syndrome (or mucopolysaccharidosis type II, MPS II) is an X-linked recessive disorder induced by a deficiency of the iduronate 2-sulfatase (IDS) enzyme, resulting in the accumulation of glycosaminoglycan substrates, heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate, in the lysosomes. The progressive accumulation of undegraded metabolites induces cell and tissue dysfunction, leading to multi-systemic pathology. The heterogeneity of clinical phenotypes, ranging from mild to severe forms, results from different mutations in the IDS gene. To date, >550 MPS II causal mutations have been reported in the IDS gene, of which ~10% are nonsense mutations that lead to premature protein termination. In the present study, the IDS mutation causing MPS II in an extended Thai family was identified using IDS enzyme assay and IDS gene exon sequencing. Three family members were enzymatically confirmed to have MPS II and to carry the novel IDS nonsense allele c.928C>T (p.Gln310*). The IDS mRNA levels were evaluated by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, which demonstrated that all patients exhibited a reduction of IDS mRNA, suggesting its degradation by nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. Expression of wild type and mutant IDS in COS-7 cells revealed that the IDS p.Gln310* mutant lacked IDS activity, consistent with production of a nonfunctional, prematurely truncated protein. Taken together, these results indicate that the IDS c.928C>T (p.Gln310*) mutation is a severe disease-causing mutation for MPS II.

Isolated methylmalonic acidemia with unusual presentation mimicking diabetic ketoacidosis.

BACKGROUND: Hyperglycemic ketoacidosis is an acute, life threatening condition requiring early etiologic recognition and management to prevent serious morbidity/mortality. The most common cause is diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Organic acidemias (OAs) are inheritable disorders caused by defects in protein metabolism resulting in acid accumulation. Patients with metabolic decompensation usually present with acidosis, with/without hypoglycemia. Hyperglycemia is a very rare manifestation. At least 16 cases of OAs presenting with hyperglycemia have been reported. Six of the 16 were diagnosed with isolated methylmalonic academia (MMA) and three of the six passed away from late diagnosis. CASE DESCRIPTION: We describe a 2-year-old Thai girl who presented with hyperglycemia, acidosis and ketosis. She has underlying delayed development, seizures, optic atrophy and poor growth. An initial diagnosis of DKA was made and standard treatment was started. After 4 h of treatment, the patient partially responded to treatment; blood sugar decreased but acidosis and ketonemia persisted. HbA1c was normal. Investigations to rule out OAs were performed. Markedly elevated urinary methylmalonic acid consistent with MMA was observed. Molecular and enzyme analyses confirmed the diagnosis with isolated MMA. Specific treatment for MMA including protein restriction, high caloric fluid, carnitine and vitamin B12 was promptly started. Clinical improvement was seen 4 days after initiating specific treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Inherited metabolic disorders should be included in differential diagnosis in hyperglycemia ketoacidosis patients who respond poorly to standard DKA treatment. Unusual findings, e.g. hyperammonemia, lactic acidosis, pancytopenia, abnormal basal ganglia in MRI or underlying delayed development may indicate underlying OAs. Determining the etiology of hyperglycemic ketoacidosis is important and can lead to good outcomes.

ß-Elimination coupled with strong cation-exchange chromatography for phosphopeptide analysis.

RATIONALE: Since the last decade, mass spectrometry (MS) has become an essential technique for phosphoprotein analysis. Formidable analytical challenges of MS for phosphoprotein study are both the low abundance of phosphopeptides and the lack of an unambiguous diagnostic fragment ion for identification of phospho residues. These challenges can be met by a charge-based isolation of ß-elimination products after tryptic digestion using diagonal strong cation-exchange chromatography. METHODS: ß-Elimination combined with diagonal strong cation-exchange chromatography (BE/2SCX) was used for the enrichment of phosphorylated peptides prior to a mass spectrometric analysis by liquid chromatography/ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Bovine α-casein (≥70% purity) was used as a model protein. RESULTS: Conditions for ß-elimination were optimized to maximize the efficiency of the reaction. With a ß-elimination, all four model phosphopeptides from enolase (yeast) were correctly identified. The application of the BE/2SCX enrichment strategy for the analysis of ß-elimination products of α-casein (bovine) allowed the identification of 11 phosphorylated products. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of a BE/2SCX-based enrichment step prior to LC/MS/MS analysis of ß-elimination products facilitates the identification of phosphopeptides. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Analysis of Novel Mutations and Methylmalonyl-CoA Mutase Levels in Thai Patients with Isolated Methylmalonic Acidemia.

Isolated methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) is an autosomal recessive, inherited disorder that results from either a mut defect of the methylmalonyl-CoA mutase apoenzyme (MCM, the product of the MUT gene) or a cbl defect in the synthesis of its cofactor, adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl). In this study, biochemical and mutational analyses of three patients clinically diagnosed with MMA were performed. No MCM activity was detected in leukocyte extracts of two patients, while high MCM activity was found in the other, suggesting mut (0) and cbl defects, respectively. A novel (c.IVS6 -3 to -8delCTTTTT, p.K444_L445insFC*) and two known mutations in the MUT gene and one novel (c.227_36delGACCCAAAGA, p.R76Mfs*14) mutation in the MMAB gene were identified. In addition, MCM immunoblot analysis of leukocyte extract samples of these three patients and eight patients previously reported by our group, as well as their parents, showed a good correlation between the MCM protein and activity levels. Patients with mut (0) defective subtypes lacked MCM activity and had no MCM band, while patients carrying the cbl defects had high MCM activity levels and an intense MCM band at about 83 kDa, in comparison to those in their parents. These data expand the mutation spectrum of MMA deficiency. In addition, the examination of MCM protein level may be used as an alternative technique to determine the mut (0) and cbl defective subgroups.

Comparative secretome analysis of cholangiocarcinoma cell line in three-dimensional culture.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a lethal malignancy which occurs with relatively high incidence in Thailand. This cancer is often difficult to diagnose and associated with high mortality. The secretome, containing the secreted proteins from cells, are potentially useful as biomarkers of cancers. Since three-dimensional (3D) cell culture may mimic growth characteristics and microenvironment of solid tumors in vivo better than monolayer culture, we have developed culture of CCA in natural collagen-based scaffold, to enable analysis of the secretome by 2DE. Our results indicated that CCA growth in 3D environment alters cell shape significantly and enhances extracellular matrix deposition. Interestingly, more secreted proteins were detected from 3D culture compared to monolayer culture. Secretome analysis using 2DE coupled with LC-MS/MS demonstrated 10 secreted proteins uniquely found in 3D culture. Moreover, 25 proteins were enriched in 3D culture compared to monolayer culture, including 14-3-3 σ, triosephosphate isomerase, phosphoglycerate mutase 1, α-enolase, and L-plastin. Immunoblotting was used to confirm the presence of L-plastin in conditioned media of CCA and of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines. The results revealed that L-plastin, an actin bundling protein, was uniquely expressed only in the CCA cell line and could be a promising biomarker for differential diagnosis of CCA compared to HCC.

Clinical and molecular findings in Thai patients with isolated methylmalonic acidemia.

Isolated methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) is a genetically heterogeneous organic acid disorder caused by either deficiency of the enzyme methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MCM), or a defect in the biosynthesis of its cofactor, adenosyl-cobalamin (AdoCbl). Herein, we report and review the genotypes and phenotypes of 14 Thai patients with isolated MMA. Between 1997 and 2011, we identified 6 mut patients, 2 cblA patients, and 6 cblB patients. The mut and cblB patients had relatively severe phenotypes compared to relatively mild phenotypes of the cblA patients. The MUT and MMAB genotypes were also correlated to the severity of the phenotypes. Three mutations in the MUT gene: c.788G>T (p.G263V), c.809_812dupGGGC (p.D272Gfs*2), and c.1426C>T (p.Q476*); one mutation in the MMAA gene: c.292A>G (p.R98G); and three mutations in the MMAB gene: c.682delG (p.A228Pfs*2), c.435delC (p.F145Lfs*69), and c.585-1G>A, have not been previously reported. RT-PCR analysis of a common intron 6 polymorphism (c.520-159C>T) of the MMAB gene revealed that it correlates to deep intronic exonization leading to premature termination of the open reading frame. This could decrease the ATP:cobalamin adenosyltransferase (ATR) activity resulting in abnormal phenotypes if found in a compound heterozygous state with a null mutation. We confirm the genotype-phenotype correlation of isolated MMA in the study population, and identified a new molecular basis of the cblB disorder.

Proteomic studies of cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma cell secretomes.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occur with relatively high incidence in Thailand. The secretome, proteins secreted from cancer cells, are potentially useful as biomarkers of the diseases. Proteomic analysis was performed on the secreted proteins of cholangiocarcinoma (HuCCA-1) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC-S102, HepG2, SK-Hep-1, and Alexander) cell lines. The secretomes of the five cancer cell lines were analyzed by SDS-PAGE combined with LC/MS/MS. Sixty-eight proteins were found to be expressed only in HuCCA-1. Examples include neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (lipocalin 2), laminin 5 beta 3, cathepsin D precursor, desmoplakin, annexin IV variant, and annexin A5. Immunoblotting was used to confirm the presence of lipocalin 2 in conditioned media and cell lysate of 5 cell lines. The results showed that lipocalin 2 was a secreted protein which is expressed only in the conditioned media of the cholangiocarcinoma cell line. Study of lipocalin 2 expression in different types of cancer and normal tissues from cholangiocarcinoma patients showed that lipocalin 2 was expressed only in the cancer tissues. We suggest that lipocalin 2 may be a potential biomarker for cholangiocarcinoma.

Galectin-3 expression in human papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Previous studies have suggested that galectin-3 expression was markedly elevated in papillary thyroid carcinoma compared to other thyroid diseases. In order to better understand this protein, galectin-3 from papillary thyroid carcinoma was partially purified by affinity chromatography on lactose-agarose. Proteins eluted from the column were separated by SDS-PAGE, and galectin-3 was detected with antibodies against the N-terminus and C-terminus of galectin-3. Some protein bands from the lactose binding fraction were also selected for identification by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Seven protein bands, with molecular weights ranging from 16 kDa to 31 kDa, were identified as galectin-3. The antibody raised against the C-terminus of galectin-3 gave a strong band for one of the bands detected by the N-terminal antibody and weak bands for the other three. One additional dark immunoreactive band with an approximate molecular weight of 20 kDa, was also detected by the C-terminal galectin-3 antibody. To determine the structural differences of each protein band, N-terminal amino acid sequencing of the seven protein bands was conducted. The three upper bands were N-terminally blocked, while the other bands had N-terminal amino acid sequences starting at positions Gly35, Gly65 (2 bands) and Ala100, respectively. Further studies are necessary to determine whether these are due to nonspecific proteolysis or post-translation modification.

Novel mutations found in two genes of thai patients with isolated methylmalonic acidemia.

Molecular genetic analysis of three patients diagnosed with isolated methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) revealed that one was mut (0) MMA, with a mutation in the MUT gene encoding the L: -methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MCM), and two were cblB MMA, with mutations in the MMAB gene required for synthesizing the deoxyadenosylcobalamin cofactor of MCM. The mut (0) patient was homozygous for a novel nonsense mutation in MUT, p.R31X (c.167C --> T), and heterozygous for three previously described polymorphisms, p.K212K (c.712A --> G), p.H532R (c.1671A --> G), and p.V671I (c.2087G --> A). The new MMAB mutation, p.E152X (c.454G --> T), was found to be homozygous in one cblB patient and heterozygous in the other patient, who also had four intron polymorphisms in this gene.

Comparison of membrane-associated proteins in human cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occur with relatively high incidence in Thailand. Cell line models, originating from Thai patients, are available for both diseases, including the human bile duct epithelial carcinoma cell line (HuCCA-1) and the HCC cell line HCC-S102. Here, we have prepared subproteomes enriched in membrane proteins or in cytosolic proteins from the HuCCA-1 and the HCC-S102 cell lines. Study of differential protein expression by 2-DE and LC/MS/MS showed 195 proteins expressed in the two cell lines, including both membrane-associated and cytosolic proteins. Eighteen proteins were found in both membrane and cytosolic fractions of HuCCA-1, but not in HCC-S102, while nine proteins were found in both membrane and cytosolic fractions of HCC-S102, but not in HuCCA-1. Ten membrane proteins were found in HuCCA-1 but not in HCC-S102, including integrin alpha-6 precursor, ezrin, hippocalcin-like protein 1, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 2 (MAPK/ERK kinase kinase 2), and calgizzarin. Proteins showing increased expression in the membrane fraction of HuCCA-1 were mainly cytoskeletal proteins (40.9%), while proteins showing increased expression in the membrane fraction of HCC-S102 were mainly metabolic proteins (39.4%). The subproteomic approach used here facilitates detection of potential biomarkers undetected by regular proteomic methods.

Retrospective study of patients with suspected inborn errors of metabolism at Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand (1997-2001).

INTRODUCTION: This retrospective clinical study was carried out on patients with suspected inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) at Siriraj Hospital during 1997-2001. The authors investigated 114 patients by quantitative plasma amino acid analysis. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to collect and analyze epidemiologic and specific clinical data of IEM, especially in small-molecule diseases. MATERIAL AND METHOD: All patients were categorized into 2 major groups. 1) positive diagnoses for IEM 2) negative diagnoses for IEM. The two groups were investigated, studied including statistical analysis. RESULTS: The authors found that most IEM ascertained through plasma amino acid analysis were small-molecule diseases (74.3%) and amino acid disorders consisted of the most frequent disorders. The presented data demonstrated that the ratio of positive diagnoses to all patients studied was 1:8. Epidemiological data showed there were more male than female patients. Onset of diseases occurred predominantly during the first month of age, and was rarely found after 3 years of age. There were histories of consanguinity in half of the IEM patients. The most common presenting symptom was acute metabolic encephalopathy and specific signs for small-molecule disorders included hepatomegaly, unusual urine odor, acidosis, hyperammonemia, alteration of consciousness, and ketosis/ketonuria. These signs or symptoms indicated further metabolic investigations. CONCLUSION: Comparison of the data from Thailand with other countries showed both similarities and differences to the Caucasian population. Thus, further studies in IEM are much needed for the Thai population.

Proteomic analysis of cholangiocarcinoma cell line.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a malignant tumor derived from bile duct epithelium, occurs with a higher incidence in tropical countries, such as Thailand. Distinguishing CCA from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of the liver often requires the use of histochemistry, so molecular markers for diagnosis and prognosis are still required. In this study, the two-dimensional (2-D) protein map of a Thai human bile duct epithelial carcinoma cell line (HuCCA-1) has been compared to human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (HepG2 and HCC-S102) and a human breast epithelial cancer cell line (MCF-7). Our results show that HuCCA-1 expressed a unique pattern of proteins. Forty-three major proteins were identified by matching to the map of MCF-7, and by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and electrospray ionization-tandem MS (ESI-MS/MS). Cytokeratins CK8 and CK18 were overexpressed in both HuCCA-1 and HCC, while CK7 and CK19 were only expressed in HuCCA-1. Four specific proteins with MW/pI 57.2/5.21 (U1, vimentin), 42.2/6.20 (U2), 43.2/6.20 (U3, EF-TU), and 42.2/6.40 (U4, unidentified) were absent from HepG2. U2 showed high expression in HuCCA-1, while U1 and U4 showed high expression in HCC-S102. U2 could be separated in 2 proteins, U2/1 (alpha-enolase) and U2/2 (not identified) by using IPG pH 4-7. Galectin-3 showed high expression level in HuCCA-1 by 1-DE immunodetection, and gave only one spot with MW 32.9 kDa and pI 8.29 on 2-DE immunoblotting, Thus, certain proteins, namely CK7, CK19, U2/2 and galectin-3, may be good markers useful for differential diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma compared to hepatocellular carcinoma.