Functional analysis of PCSK9 3′UTR variants and mRNA–miRNA interactions in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia

Epigenomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruna Los ◽  
Jéssica B Borges ◽  
Victor F Oliveira ◽  
Renata CC Freitas ◽  
Carolina Dagli-Hernandez ◽  
...  

Aim: Functional analysis of PCSK9 3′UTR variants and mRNA–miRNA interactions were explored in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). Materials & methods: PCSK9 3′UTR variants were identified by exon-targeted gene sequencing. Functional effects of 3′UTR variants and mRNA–miRNA interactions were analyzed using in silico and in vitro studies in HEK293FT and HepG2 cells. Results: Twelve PCSK9 3′UTR variants were detected in 88 FH patients. c.*75C >T and c.*345C >T disrupted interactions with miR-6875, miR-4721 and miR-564. Transient transfection of the c.*345C >T decreased luciferase activity in HEK293FT cells. miR-4721 and miR-564 mimics reduced PCSK9 expression in HepG2 cells. Conclusion: PCSK9 c.*345C >T has a possible role as loss-of-function variant. miR-4721 and miR-564 downregulate PCSK9 and may be useful to improve lipid profile in FH patients.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahra Beyzaei ◽  
Fatih Ezgu ◽  
Bita Geramizadeh ◽  
Mohammad Hadi Imanieh ◽  
Mahmood Haghighat ◽  
...  

AbstractGlycogen storage diseases (GSDs) are known as complex disorders with overlapping manifestations. These features also preclude a specific clinical diagnosis, requiring more accurate paraclinical tests. To evaluate the patients with particular diagnosis features characterizing GSD, an observational retrospective case study was designed by performing a targeted gene sequencing (TGS) for accurate subtyping. A total of the 15 pediatric patients were admitted to our hospital and referred for molecular genetic testing using TGS. Eight genes namely SLC37A4, AGL, GBE1, PYGL, PHKB, PGAM2, and PRKAG2 were detected to be responsible for the onset of the clinical symptoms. A total number of 15 variants were identified i.e. mostly loss-of-function (LoF) variants, of which 10 variants were novel. Finally, diagnosis of GSD types Ib, III, IV, VI, IXb, IXc, X, and GSD of the heart, lethal congenital was made in 13 out of the 14 patients. Notably, GSD-IX and GSD of the heart-lethal congenital (i.e. PRKAG2 deficiency) patients have been reported in Iran for the first time which shown the development of liver cirrhosis with novel variants. These results showed that TGS, in combination with clinical, biochemical, and pathological hallmarks, could provide accurate and high-throughput results for diagnosing and sub-typing GSD and related diseases.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle Wheway ◽  
Liliya Nazlamova ◽  
Nervine Meshad ◽  
Samantha Hunt ◽  
Nicola Jackson ◽  
...  

AbstractAt least six different proteins of the spliceosome, including PRPF3, PRPF4, PRPF6, PRPF8, PRPF31 and SNRNP200, are mutated in autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP). These proteins have recently been shown to localise to the base of the connecting cilium of the retinal photoreceptor cells, elucidating this form of RP as a retinal ciliopathy. In the case of loss-of-function variants in these genes, pathogenicity can easily be ascribed. In the case of missense variants, this is more challenging. Furthermore, the exact molecular mechanism of disease in this form of RP remains poorly understood.In this paper we take advantage of the recently published cryo EM-resolved structure of the entire human spliceosome, to predict the effect of a novel missense variant in one component of the spliceosome; PRPF31, found in a patient attending the genetics eye clinic at Bristol Eye Hospital. Monoallelic variants in PRPF31 are a common cause of autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP) with incomplete penetrance. We use in vitro studies to confirm pathogenicity of this novel variant PRPF31 c.341T>A, p.Ile114Asn.This work demonstrates how in silico modelling of structural effects of missense variants on cryo-EM resolved protein complexes can contribute to predicting pathogenicity of novel variants, in combination with in vitro and clinical studies. It is currently a considerable challenge to assign pathogenic status to missense variants in these proteins.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 146-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muthulakshmi Chellamuthu ◽  
Kanimozhi Kumaresan ◽  
Selvi Subramanian ◽  
Hemashree Muthumanickam

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 83
Author(s):  
Mohamed S. Nafie ◽  
Ahmed I. Khodair ◽  
Hebat Allah Y. Hassan ◽  
Noha M. Abd El-Fadeal ◽  
Hanin A. Bogari ◽  
...  

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most widespread malignancies and is reported as the fourth most prevalent cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the probable mechanistic cytotoxic effect of the promising 2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-one derivative on liver cancer cells using in vitro and in vivo approaches. The compounds were tested for the in vitro cytotoxic activity using MTT assay, and the promising compound was tested in colony forming unit assay, flow cytometric analysis, RT-PCR, Western blotting, in vivo using SEC-carcinoma and in silico to highlight the virtual mechanism of action. Both compounds 4 and 2 performed cytotoxic effects against HepG2 cells with IC50 values of 0.017 and 0.18 μM, respectively, compared to Staurosporine and 5-Fu as reference drugs with IC50 values of 5.07 and 5.18 µM, respectively. Compound 4 treatment revealed apoptosis induction by 19.35-fold (11.42% compared to 0.59% in control), arresting the cell cycle at G2/M phase. Moreover, studying gene expression that plays critical roles in cell cycle and apoptosis by RT-PCR demonstrated that compound 4 enhances the expression of the pro-apoptotic genes p53, PUMA, and Caspase 3, 8, and 9, and impedes the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 gene in the HepG2 cells. It can also inhibit the PI3K/AKT pathway at both gene and protein levels, which was reinforced by the in silico predictions of the molecular docking simulations towards the PI3K/AKT proteins. Finally, in vivo study verified that compound 4 has a promising anti-cancer activity through activating antioxidant levels (CAT, SOD and GSH) and ameliorating hematological, biochemical, and histopathological findings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 3583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelangelo Paci ◽  
Simona Casini ◽  
Milena Bellin ◽  
Jari Hyttinen ◽  
Stefano Severi

Loss-of-function long QT (LQT) mutations inducing LQT1 and LQT2 syndromes have been successfully translated to human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) used as disease-specific models. However, their in vitro investigation mainly relies on experiments using small numbers of cells. This is especially critical when working with cells as heterogeneous as hiPSC-CMs. We aim (i) to investigate in silico the ionic mechanisms underlying LQT1 and LQT2 hiPSC-CM phenotypic variability, and (ii) to enable massive in silico drug tests on mutant hiPSC-CMs. We combined (i) data of control and mutant slow and rapid delayed rectifying K+ currents, IKr and IKs respectively, (ii) a recent in silico hiPSC-CM model, and (iii) the population of models paradigm to generate control and mutant populations for LQT1 and LQT2 cardiomyocytes. Our four populations contain from 1008 to 3584 models. In line with the experimental in vitro data, mutant in silico hiPSC-CMs showed prolonged action potential (AP) duration (LQT1: +14%, LQT2: +39%) and large electrophysiological variability. Finally, the mutant populations were split into normal-like hiPSC-CMs (with action potential duration similar to control) and at risk hiPSC-CMs (with clearly prolonged action potential duration). At risk mutant hiPSC-CMs carried higher expression of L-type Ca2+, lower expression of IKr and increased sensitivity to quinidine as compared to mutant normal-like hiPSC-CMs, resulting in AP abnormalities. In conclusion, we were able to reproduce the two most common LQT syndromes with large-scale simulations, which enable investigating biophysical mechanisms difficult to assess in vitro, e.g., how variations of ion current expressions in a physiological range can impact on AP properties of mutant hiPSC-CMs.


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