Project description:We knocked down the Mediterranean fever (MEFV) gene by RNA interference (siRNA) in human myelomonocytic cells that express endogenous pyrin, aiming to identify microRNAs (miRNAs) that are differentially expressed in siMEFV treated cells. The purpose of this study was to better understand the pathophysiology of FMF, through the identification of novel miRNAs involved in the regulation of MEFV.
Project description:ObjectivesAlthough Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is categorized as autosomal recessive, frequent exceptions to this model exist and therefore we aimed to search epigenetic modifications in this disease.MethodsTen M694V homozygous FMF patients (the most severe phenotype) were recruited for this study. Patients with inflammatory flare were excluded. Total RNA was extracted from peripheral blood, and microRNA expression profiled using NanoString nCounter technology. These patients were compared to 10 healthy age- and sex-matched controls.ResultsSeven hundred nighty-eight mature human miRNAs were probed, 103 of which had expression levels above the negative control probes. Seven miRNAs showed significant differences in expression in samples from FMF patients compared to healthy controls: four miRNAs were upregulated (miR-144-3p, miR-21-5p, miR-4454, and miR-451a), and three were downregulated (miR-107, let-7d-5p, and miR-148b-3p).ConclusionIn this pilot study, we identified epigenetic modifications in clinically quiescent FMF patients. More studies are required for exploration of their contribution to FMF pathogenesis and their potential role as clinical biomarkers.
Project description:The host response within the eschar of inoculation during Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) has been poorly studied. Our objective was to evaluate the host response by comparing transcriptional profiles of eschars to controls using a whole-genome microarray. Hierarchical clustering revealed a signature of eschars consisting of 698 genes. The genes included in this signature were mainly up-regulated and were predominantly associated with immune response and signalling. New molecules involved notably in microbicidal and innate immunity response have also been found up-regulated in eschars such as MMP1, Defensin β4, the proinflammatory S100A9, and the T cell attracting CCL-18. Genes down-regulated were mainly associated with biological regulation. We also observed that eschars from severe cases of MSF displayed a specific signature with notably difference in degree of modulation compared to eschars from non severe MSF cases. Some parameters identified in this work should be tested as biomarkers for prognostic assessment in future studies. To evaluate the host response by comparing transcriptional profiles of eschars to controls
Project description:Objective. Colchicine is an alkaloid that is used to alleviate acute gout and to prevent acute attacks of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). However, it is not beneficial when given during the occurrence of an acute episode of FMF. It is believed that colchicine exerts its anti-inflammatory effect through direct interaction with microtubules. We aim to study the molecular basis of colchicine action by analysing the effect of this drug on global gene expression of HUVEC (human umbilical vein endothelial cell line) cells. Methods. HUVEC cells were exposed to various concentrations of colchicine and were harvested at different time points. Ribonucleic acid was extracted, amplified, reverse transcribed and hybridized to complementary deoxyribonucleic acid microarrrays containing more than 40,000 probes to human expressed sequence tags. This approach enabled us to have a global look at the transcriptional response induced by colchicine treatment. Results. Colchicine changed the expression of many genes in HUVEC cells following exposure to a concentration of 100 ng/ml or higher. Following short exposure (30 or 120 min), colchicine affected genes known to be involved in the cell cycle and its regulation. However, change in expression of genes involved in neutrophil migration or other inflammatory processes were observed mainly after 12 to 24 h. Conclusions. The anti-inflammatory effect of colchicine may be mediated not only through direct interaction with microtubules but also through changes at the transcriptional level. This latter effect apparently requires a higher concentration and a longer time to occur. This can explain the observation that colchicine does not have an immediate effect when given during an acute attack of FMF.
Project description:The host response within the eschar of inoculation during Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) has been poorly studied. Our objective was to evaluate the host response by comparing transcriptional profiles of eschars to controls using a whole-genome microarray. Hierarchical clustering revealed a signature of eschars consisting of 698 genes. The genes included in this signature were mainly up-regulated and were predominantly associated with immune response and signalling. New molecules involved notably in microbicidal and innate immunity response have also been found up-regulated in eschars such as MMP1, Defensin β4, the proinflammatory S100A9, and the T cell attracting CCL-18. Genes down-regulated were mainly associated with biological regulation. We also observed that eschars from severe cases of MSF displayed a specific signature with notably difference in degree of modulation compared to eschars from non severe MSF cases. Some parameters identified in this work should be tested as biomarkers for prognostic assessment in future studies.
Project description:Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an inflammatory genetic disease characterized by elevated systemic reactivity against commensal gut microbiota and high levels of gut Candida albicans. The current study investigated the effects of Lactobacillus acidophillus INMIA 9602 Er 317/402 strain (probiotic “Narine”) on the relative abundance of gut enteric bacteria, lactobacilli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enteroccocus faecalis in Candida albicans-carrier and non-carrier FMF patients in remission with the main MEFV mutation patterns M694V/V726A- the prevalent MEFV gene mutation within FMF patients in the Armenian cohort. Our data revealed that M694V/V726A mutations in PURIN inflammasome leading to FMF disease brought to gender specific differences in microbial community structure in FMF patients. Possibly, long-term colchicine use suppresses the PURIN inflammasome/inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent IL-1β release influencing on overgrowth of C. albicans in gut microbiota of FMF patients. The comparison of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) of enteric bacteria in C. albicans-carrier and non-carrier female patients revealed the statistically significant increase in OTUs of enterobacteria in C. albicans-carriers. In contrast to this, there were no differences in abundance of Enteroccocus faecalis between female FMF C. albicans-carriers compared with non-carriers, while male FMF C. albicans-carriers have increased abundance of E. faecalis in their gut microbiota compared with that of male patients with none carriers. The gut microbiota of FMF patients (both male and female) with C. albicans below baseline level contains high abundance of lactobacilli compared with C. albicans-carriers. The adoption of Lactobacillus acidophilus INMIA 9602 Er 317/402 leads to changes in gut microbiota composition of FMF patients. It reduces, in particularly, the abundance of enterobacteria in females, and Enteroccocus faecalis in men parallel with reducing the numbers of yeast in gut microbiota of FMF patients. We hypothesize that colchicine treatment changes the already-altered gut microbiota of FMF patients, thereby affecting the regulation of immune system by inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome. Colchicine could lead to overgrowth of C. albicans in gut microbiota of FMF patients, whereas the Lactobacillus acidophilus INMIA 9602 Er 317/402 works on activation of inflammasome by new changes in gut microbiota of patients.
Project description:Diet can regulate gene and microRNA (miRNA) expression and various biological processes in the gut. Dietary interventions have been proposed as therapeutic approaches for several diseases, including cancer. In a pilot study, we showed that a low-inflammatory Mediterranean diet reduced markers of local and systemic inflammation in patients with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP). We evaluated the changes induced by a low-inflammatory Mediterranean dietary intervention on fecal miRNome and intestinal tissue transcriptome in FAP subjects and assessed whether these changes could be associated with the beneficial effects observed in the pilot study. The diet modulated 41 fecal miRNAs, and this modulation remained for three months after the intervention. miR-5092-5p, miR-4527, and miR-3612-3p were positively correlated with adherence to the Mediterranean diet, while miR-6867-5p and miR-760-5p were negatively correlated with serum calprotectin levels. The altered miRNAs target genes mainly related to inflammatory pathways, DNA repair, metabolism, and cytoskeleton organization. Seventy genes were differentially expressed between adenoma and normal tissue. Most were different before the dietary intervention, but reached similar levels after the diet. Functional enrichment analysis identified the proinflammatory ERK1/2, cell cycle regulation and nutrient response pathways as commonly regulated by differentially expressed miRNAs and genes. These findings suggest that fecal miRNAs modulated by the diet reflect an epigenetic regulation occurring in tissues that seems to influence inflammatory pathways. miRNAs and genes with oncogenic and tumor suppressor functions are also regulated, highlighting the potential cancer-preventive effect of the low-inflammatory Mediterranean diet.
Project description:Diet can regulate gene and microRNA (miRNA) expression and various biological processes in the gut. Dietary interventions have been proposed as therapeutic approaches for several diseases, including cancer. In a pilot study, we showed that a low-inflammatory Mediterranean diet reduced markers of local and systemic inflammation in 27 patients with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP). We evaluated the changes induced by a low-inflammatory Mediterranean dietary intervention on fecal miRNome and intestinal tissue transcriptome in FAP subjects and assessed whether these changes could be associated with the beneficial effects observed in the pilot study. The diet modulated 41 fecal miRNAs, and this modulation remained for three months after the intervention. miR-5092-5p, miR-4527, and miR-3612-3p were positively correlated with adherence to the Mediterranean diet, while miR-6867-5p and miR-760-5p were negatively correlated with serum calprotectin levels. The altered miRNAs target genes mainly related to inflammatory pathways, DNA repair, metabolism, and cytoskeleton organization. Seventy genes were differentially expressed between adenoma and normal tissue. Most were different before the dietary intervention, but reached similar levels after the diet. Functional enrichment analysis identified the proinflammatory ERK1/2, cell cycle regulation and nutrient response pathways as commonly regulated by differentially expressed miRNAs and genes. These findings suggest that fecal miRNAs modulated by the diet reflect an epigenetic regulation occurring in tissues that seems to influence inflammatory pathways. miRNAs and genes with oncogenic and tumor suppressor functions are also regulated, highlighting the potential cancer-preventive effect of the low-inflammatory Mediterranean diet.
Project description:PFAPA, the syndrome of periodic fever associated with aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and/or cervical adenitis, is the most common periodic fever disease in children. Cases are mostly sporadic; the etiopathogenesis is unknown. In order to shed more insights into pathogenesis, we performed microarray expression analysis on samples from patients with PFAPA during and between flares, healthy controls and patients with hereditary autoinflammatory diseases during flares. RNA was extracted from whole peripheral blood from six patients with PFAPA syndrome during flares and asymptomatic intervals, six healthy controls and six patients with hereditary autoinflammatory diseases (2 familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), 1 TNF-receptor-asociated periodic fever syndrome (TRAPS) and 3 cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS)).