Vitamin B Mitigates Thoracic Aortic Dilation in Marfan Syndrome Mice by Restoring the Canonical TGF-β Pathway

Thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) formation is a multifactorial process that results in diverse clinical manifestations and drug responses. Identifying the critical factors and their functions in Marfan syndrome (MFS) pathogenesis is important for exploring personalized medicine for MFS. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), methionine synthase (MTR), and methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) polymorphisms have been correlated with TAA severity in MFS patients. However, the detailed relationship between the folate-methionine cycle and MFS pathogenesis remains unclear. Fbn1C1039G/+ mice were reported to be a disease model of MFS. To study the role of the folate-methionine cycle in MFS, Fbn1C1039G/+ mice were treated orally with methionine or vitamin B mixture (VITB), including vitamins B6, B9, and B12, for 20 weeks. VITB reduced the heart rate and circumference of the ascending aorta in Fbn1C1039G/+ mice. Our data showed that the Mtr and Smad4 genes were suppressed in Fbn1C1039G/+ mice, while VITB treatment restored the expression of these genes to normal levels. Additionally, VITB restored canonical transforming-growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling and promoted Loxl1-mediated collagen maturation in aortic media. This study provides a potential method to attenuate the pathogenesis of MFS that may have a synergistic effect with drug treatments for MFS patients.

Breed differences in the expression levels of gga-miR-222a in laying hens influenced H2S production by regulating methionine synthase genes in gut bacteria

Background The microbiota in the cecum of laying hens is crucial for host digestion, metabolism, and odor gas production. The results of recent studies have suggested that host microRNAs (miRNAs) can regulate gene expression of the gut microbiota. In the present study, the expression profiles of host-derived miRNAs in the cecal content of two laying hen breeds; Hy-line Gray and Lohmann Pink, which have dissimilar H2S production, were characterized; and their effects on H2S production by regulating the expression of gut microbiota-associated genes were demonstrated. Results The differential expression of microbial serine O-acetyltransferase, methionine synthase, aspartate aminotransferase, methionine-gamma-lyase, and adenylylsulfate kinase between the two hen breeds resulted in lower H2S production in the Hy-line hens. The results also revealed the presence of miRNA exosomes in the cecal content of laying hens, and an analysis of potential miRNA-target relationships between 9 differentially expressed miRNAs and 9 differentially expressed microbial genes related to H2S production identified two methionine synthase genes, Odosp_3416 and BF9343_2953, that are targeted by gga-miR-222a. Interestingly, in vitro fermentation results showed that gga-miR-222a upregulates the expression of these genes, which increased methionine concentrations but decreased H2S production and soluble sulfide concentrations, indicating the potential of host-derived gga-miR-222a to reduce H2S emission in laying hens. Conclusion The findings of the present study reveal both a physiological role by which miRNAs shape the cecal microbiota of laying hens and a strategy to use host miRNAs to manipulate the microbiome and actively express key microbial genes to reduce H2S emissions and breed environmentally friendly laying hens.

Methionine synthase reductase A66G polymorphism and ischemic stroke in younger patients

In the past decade, stroke incidence in younger adults increased. Methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) A66G polymorphism is one of the risk factors for ischemic stroke (IS). However, clinical features of IS in MTRR A66G polymorphism are not yet studied.Objective: to investigate clinical features of IS in MTRR A66G polymorphism.Patients and methods. One hundred forty-one younger patients with IS, hospitalized in the neurological department of Sverdlovsk Regional Clinical Hospital №1, were included in the study. MTRR A66G polymorphism was detected by the real-time polymerase chain reaction in all participants.Results and discussion. MTRR A66G polymorphism was present in 83.7% of younger patients with IS. Participants with MTRR A66G polymorphism had a significantly higher prevalence of arterial hypertension (р=0.029). In addition, protein C level was significantly lower in patients with MTRR A66G mutation (р=0.001).Conclusion. The majority of younger patients with IS have MTRR A66G polymorphism. Therefore, the inclusion of MTRR A66G polymorphism screening in the diagnostic algorithm of stroke in young adults seems necessary.

Factors associated with rs1801394 of the methionine synthase reductase gene polymorphism in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Clinical response to methotrexate (MT) therapy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can be predicted on the basis of some single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of genes, involved in folate metabolism. One of these SNPs is the rs1801394 (A66G) polymorphism of the methionine synthase reductase gene (MTRR). We investigated the association of this polymorphism with the clinical characteristics of RA patients after 6 months of MT therapy. Studies of the relationship between the response to MT therapy and the rs1801394 polymorphism have not been carried out in Russia previously.Objective: to study the possible association of the rs1801394 polymorphism with the clinical characteristics of patients with RA after 6 months of MT therapy.Patients and methods. The study included 60 patients with RA who met the ACR / EULAR criteria (2010) and received≥20 mg MT per week continuously. Based on the EULAR criteria, patients were divided into two groups: group 1 (n=30) with a good (DAS28>1.2) and group 2 (n=30) with an unsatisfactory (DAS28 <1.2) response to MT therapy. Genotyping of the rs1801394 polymorphism was performed by allelic discrimination using real-time polymerase chain reaction.Results and discussion. The frequency distribution of the A66G polymorphism genotypes in both groups was similar, however, in the 2nd group with an unsatisfactory response, there was a tendency towards a higher frequency of the mutant GG genotype (p=0.067). An association of the A66G polymorphism with gender and disease duration was found. In group 1, the AG genotype was more often detected in men than in women (p=0.017). In group 2, the AG genotype was also more common in men (p=0.075). In addition, in this group, carriers of the G allele (genotypes AG and GG) had a longer duration of the disease than carriers of the AA genotype (p=0.003 and p=0.005, respectively).Conclusion. In the present study, the relationship of the studied polymorphism rs1801394 of the MTRR gene with gender and duration of RA disease was established.

Reduced Methionine Synthase (Mtr) Expression, a Model of Vitamin B12 Deficiency, Leads to Uracil Accumulation in Mitochondrial and Nuclear DNA

Objectives Integrity of both nuclear DNA (nDNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is affected by nutritional and environmental factors. Folate and B12 are water-soluble B-vitamins that act as cofactors in folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism (FOCM), a series of one-carbon transfer reactions that support several essential cell processes including nucleotide biosynthesis. Impairments in FOCM, such as folate or vitamin B12 deficiency, can disturb thymidylate (dTMP, the “T” base in DNA) synthesis and lead to uracil misincorporation to DNA. Both folate and B12 deficiency as well as genetic polymorphisms affecting FOCM function are associated with increased uracil accumulation and DNA damage in nDNA. However, dTMP synthesis occurs in multiple cellular compartments (cytosol, nucleus, and mitochondria), and it is not well defined how FOCM impairments affects mtDNA integrity and nucleotide pool balance between compartments. Methods Currently, we are using in vivo and in vitro experiments to assess nucleotide synthesis and uracil accumulation in a functional model of vitamin B-12 deficiency with decreased expression of methionine synthase (Mtr), one of two B12-requiring enzymes. Tissues from Mtr+/+,+/− mice and Mtr+/+,+/- mouse-derived cells were exposed to either folate-replete or folate-deplete conditions to explore the combined effects of folate and B12 deficiency on nucleotide synthesis capacity and integrity of both nDNA and mtDNA. Results We have developed and validated a novel real-time PCR-based assay to quantify uracil misincorporation into mtDNA. In mouse liver, we observed a significant increase of uracil in mtDNA with decreased Mtr expression as well as an interaction between Mtr genotype and folate status. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) demonstrated perturbed dTMP synthesis and increased uracil accumulation in nDNA with decreased Mtr expression. Conclusions These data suggest that functional B12 deficiency, as modeled by decreased Mtr expression, disrupts nucleotide synthesis in more than one cellular compartment and increases uracil accumulation not only in nDNA, but also in mtDNA. Reduced Mtr expression may cause a redistribution of folates in the cytoplasm which impacts mitochondrial folate levels, and subsequently mitochondrial dTMP synthesis. Funding Sources N/A.