Dataset Information

Pervasive inflammatory activation in patients with deficiency in very-long-chain acyl-coA dehydrogenase (VLCADD).

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (VLCADD) is a disorder of fatty acid oxidation. Symptoms are managed by dietary supplementation with medium-chain fatty acids that bypass the metabolic block. However, patients remain vulnerable to hospitalisations because of rhabdomyolysis, suggesting pathologic processes other than energy deficit. Since rhabdomyolysis is a self-destructive process that can signal inflammatory/immune cascades, we tested the hypothesis that inflammation is a physiologic dimension of VLCADD.

Methods

All subjects (n = 18) underwent informed consent/assent. Plasma cytokine and cytometry analyses were performed. A prospective case analysis was carried out on a patient with recurrent hospitalisation. Health data were extracted from patient medical records.

Results

Patients showed systemic upregulation of nine inflammatory mediators during symptomatic and asymptomatic periods. There was also overall abundance of immune cells with high intracellular expression of IFNγ, IL-6, MIP-1β (CCL4) and TNFα, and the transcription factors p65-NFκB and STAT1 linked to inflammatory pathways. A case analysis of a patient exhibited already elevated plasma cytokine levels during diagnosis in early infancy, evolving into sustained high systemic levels during recurrent rhabdomyolysis-related hospitalisations. There were corresponding activated leukocytes, with higher intracellular stores of inflammatory molecules in monocytes compared to T cells. Exposure of monocytes to long-chain free fatty acids recapitulated the cytokine signature of patients.

Conclusion

Pervasive plasma cytokine upregulation and pre-activated immune cells indicate chronic inflammatory state in VLCADD. Thus, there is rationale for practical implementation of clinical assessment of inflammation and/or translational testing, or adoption, of anti-inflammatory intervention(s) for personalised disease management.

SUBMITTER: Vallejo AN

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8236555 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundVery-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficiency (VLCADD) is diagnosed in the US through newborn screening (NBS). NBS often unequivocally identifies affected individuals, but a growing number of variant patterns can represent mild disease or heterozygous carriers.AimsTo evaluate the validity of standard diagnostic procedures for VLCADD by using functional in vitro tools.MethodsWe retrospectively investigated 13 patient samples referred to our laboratory because of a suspicion of VLCADD but with some uncertainty to the diagnosis. All 13 patients were suspected of having VLCADD either because of abnormal NBS or suggestive clinical findings. ACADVL genomic DNA sequencing data were available for twelve of them. Ten of the patients had an abnormal NBS suggestive of VLCADD, with three samples showing equivocal results. Three exhibited suggestive clinical findings and blood acylcarnitine profile (two of them had a normal NBS and the third one was unscreened). Assay of VLCAD activity and immunoblotting or immunohistologic staining for VLCAD were performed on fibroblasts. Prokaryotic mutagenesis and expression studies were performed for nine uncharacterized ACADVL missense mutations.ResultsVLCAD activity was abnormal in fibroblast cells from 9 patients (8 identified through abnormal NBS, 1 through clinical symptoms). For these 9 patients, immunoblotting/staining showed the variable presence of VLCAD; all but one had two mutated alleles. Two patients with equivocal NBS results (and a heterozygous genotype) and the two patients with normal NBS exhibited normal VLCAD activity and normal VLCAD protein on immunoblotting/staining thus ruling out VLCAD deficiency. Nine pathogenic missense mutations were characterized with prokaryotic expression studies and showed a decrease in enzyme activity and variable stability of VLCAD antigen.ConclusionsThese results emphasize the importance of functional investigation of abnormal NBS or clinical testing suggestive but not diagnostic of VLCADD. A larger prospective study is necessary to better define the clinical and metabolic ramifications of the defects identified in such patients.