Immediate non-traumatic postmortem computed tomographic demonstration of myocardial intravascular gas of the left ventricle: effects from cardiopulmonary resuscitation

An 87-year-old man was found in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. Despite cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for over 1 hour by emergency technicians and physicians, the patient died. Immediate postmortem computed tomography showed cardiovascular gas in the right atrium, right ventricle, and left ventricle. Cardiovascular gas in the left ventricle was located in the myocardium and appeared as linear or branch-shaped suggesting the presence of myocardial intravascular gas. This is the first report describing the appearance and significance of myocardial intravascular gas of the left ventricle as a CPR-related change.

Longitudinal distortions and transversal fluctuations of an actin filament sliding on Myosin molecules

An actin filament sliding on myosin moleculesdemonstrates both longitudinal distortions and transversal fluctuationswith the linear dimension far exceeding the diameter of an actinmonomer. Local swaying of a single actin filament was identified byreading speckled fluorescent markers attached on the filament. Theaccuracy of reading each speckled marker was about 10.4 nm (r.m.s.).Longitudinal distortions of an actin filament at a low ATP concentrationof 20 μM were as much as 0.5 μm for the average filament lengthof 5.4 μm. The magnitude of transversal fluctuations was as much as60 nm, that was independent of the filament length. Both longitudinaldistortions and transversal fluctuations are suggested to play a pivotalrole for facilitating a smooth sliding movement of an actin filament.

299 A FEATURE OF SELF-RENEWAL PORCINE EMBRYONIC STEM CELL-LIKE CELL LINES ESTABLISHED BY INHIBITORS

Despite meticulous attempts for more than two decades, establishment of authentic porcine embryonic stem cell (ESC) from pig has never been successful. Although putative porcine ESC-like cells have been reported, such cell lines easily lose the ability of self-renewal, becoming extinct or differentiating after only a limited number of passages in culture. Porcine ESC-like cells exhibiting the property of self-renewal rather than pluripotency are considered a valuable resource in applications such as drug screening and toxicology testing in humans and livestock, and in veterinary medicine. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) inhibitor CHIR99021 and Erk signalling inhibitor PD184352 for use in establishing ESC-like cell lines derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of porcine blastocysts produced in vitro. These ICM-derived cell lines were initially cultured and passaged in conventional human ES medium. They displayed so-called ESC-like morphology; for example, the isolated colonies began to grow as a monolayer with coarse cell–cell boundaries, in which the cells exhibited polygonal boundaries, high nuclear/cytoplasmic ratios, abundant lipid-like inclusions, alkaline phosphatase activity, and expression of markers of undifferentiated cells such as OCT4 and NANOG. After transfer to culture in ES medium containing the inhibitors, the morphology of the colony was dramatically changed, displaying a closely packed and smooth-edged colony with tight cell–cell boundaries. Remarkably, growth of the established cell lines is leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF)-dependent. The inclusion of inhibitors supports self-renewal, thus enabling continuous culture for over 100 passages while maintaining an undifferentiated state. High-passage-number cells continued to express undifferentiated marker genes and showed alkaline phosphatase activity and telomerase activity with an X chromosome status of XaXi. We further investigated the potential for differentiation of the established cell lines. The cells could easily form embryoid body-like spheres in suspension culture. When either the spheres or ESC-like cells were inoculated under the kidney or testis capsules of nude mice, classical teratoma formation was not observed after 2 to 3 months. However, histological analyses revealed apparent invasive proliferation derived from porcine cells. Although further analyses are required to characterise the property of the porcine ESC-like cells, we have recently succeeded in establishment of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing stable cells lines, which will be useful for further investigation.

79 A COMBINATION OF ETHYLENE GLYCOL AND PROPYLENE GLYCOL IS SUPERIOR TO INDIVIDUAL CRYOPROTECTANTS FOR THE VITRIFICATION OF IMMATURE PORCINE OOCYTES

We compared the feasibility of ethylene glycol (EG) and propylene glycol (PG) for the vitrification of immature porcine cumulus–oocyte complexes (COC). Porcine COC collected from 3- to 6-mm follicles of slaughterhouse-derived ovaries were subjected to solid-surface vitrification (Somfai et al. 2010 Theriogenology 73, 147–156) either in 35% (v/v) EG or 35% (v/v) PG or in the mixture of 17.5% (v/v) EG and 17.5% (v/v) PG. After warming, the COC were subjected to in vitro maturation, IVF, and embryo culture according to Kikuchi et al. (2002 Biol. Reprod. 66, 1033–1041). Oocyte survival and maturation rates were assessed after in vitro maturation by evaluating membrane integrity and the extrusion of the first polar body. All live oocytes were subjected to IVF and in vitro culture. Cleavage and blastocyst rates were calculated from the total number of oocytes subjected to IVF on Day 2 (Day 0 = IVF) and Day 7, respectively. Total-cell (blastomeres) numbers in blastocysts were recorded on Day 7 after staining with Hoechst 33342. In Experiment 1, competence parameters of oocytes vitrified either in EG-based (EG group; n = 310) or a PG-based (PG group; n = 265) vitrification media were compared with those in the nonvitrified control (n = 160). The experiment was replicated 4 times. In Experiment 2, the competence parameters of oocytes vitrified with the combination of 17.5% EG and 17.5% PG (EG+PG group; n = 397) were compared with those in nonvitrified control (n = 245) and toxicity control (TC, exposed to cryoprotectants without cooling; n = 245) groups. Five replications were performed. Results were analyzed by ANOVA. Differences with P < 0.05 were considered significant. In Experiment 1, the mean survival rate of vitrified oocytes was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in 35% PG compared with that in 35% EG (73.3 and 25.9%, respectively). Maturation rates of surviving oocytes did not differ among vitrified (PG and EG) and nonvitrified control groups (71.1, 62.4, and 64.0%, respectively). After IVF of surviving oocytes, blastocyst formation rate in the group vitrified in EG was higher (P < 0.05) compared with that vitrified in PG but was lower (P < 0.05) compared with control (10.8, 2.0, and 25.0%, respectively). Mean cell numbers in blastocysts did not differ among EG, PG, and control groups (50.5, 47.7, and 48.7, respectively). In Experiment 2, survival of immature oocytes in the EG+PG group was 42.6%. After IVF, 10.7% of oocytes developed to the blastocyst stage in the EG+PG group, which was lower (P < 0.05) than those of the control (18.1%) and TC (23.3%) groups. Blastocyst rates in the control and TC groups were not statistically different. Mean cell numbers in blastocysts did not differ significantly among the EG+PG, control, and TC groups (61.6, 59.3, and 53.3, respectively). In conclusion, 35% PG provided a higher oocyte survival rate after vitrification compared with 35% EG. However, presumably due to toxic effects, 35% PG greatly reduced the development competence of oocytes. The combination of 17.5% EG and 17.5% PG yielded higher survival rates than did 35% EG, without any toxic effect on oocytes.

144 EFFECTS OF CO-CULTURE WITH FIBROBLASTS AND OVIDUCT CELLS ON IN VITRO PRODUCTION OF PORCINE EMBRYOS

Cell co-culture during in vitro maturation or embryo culture has been reported as a method to improve the efficiency of maturation or embryo development (Kidson et al. 2003 Theriogenology 59, 1889; Romar et al. 2005 Anim. Reprod. Sci. 85, 287). Here, we present the impact of different methods of co-culture with mouse embryonic fibroblasts or oviduct epithelial cells on in vitro embryo production in pigs. Cumulus–oocyte complexes (COC) were collected from follicles with diameter larger than 3 mm and used for in vitro embryo production based on the method of Kikuchi et al. 2002 (Biol. Reprod. 66, 1033) with minor modifications. There were 8 groups; group 1: maturation and embryo culture without cell co-culture (control group); group 2: maturation in the presence of fibroblasts; group 3: embryo culture in the presence of fibroblasts; group 4: both maturation and embryo culture in the presence of fibroblasts; group 5: maturation in the presence of oviduct cells; group 6: embryo culture in the presence of oviduct cells; group 7: both maturation and embryo culture in the presence of oviduct cells; group 8: both maturation and embryo culture in the presence of both fibroblast and oviduct cells. In vitro maturation (IVM) was carried out at 39oC under 5% CO2 in air for 44 h using NCSU-37 as basic medium. Matured oocytes were inseminated using epididymal frozen semen in IVF medium modified Pig-FM supplemented with 2 mM caffeine and 5 mg mL–1 bovine serum albumin (Kikuchi et al. 2002). The percentage of cleaved embryos and percentage of cleaved embryos which developed to the compact morula and early blastocyst stage were recorded. Results were analysed by one-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett’s test. To investigate the effects of co-culture with mouse embryonic fibroblasts and oviduct epithelial cells on oocyte maturation, some COCs cultured in groups 1, 2, 5, and 8 were fixed to assess their nuclear maturation to the metaphase II stage. The rate of matured oocytes in the groups 2, 5, and 8 was 76.85 ± 3.39% (n = 102), 79.11 ± 3.75% (n = 64), and 81.84 ± 3.93% (n = 66), respectively; these rates were increased significantly compared to the group 1 (55.87 ± 1.88%, n = 94; P < 0.05). The effect of co-culture on the fertilization and embryo development is shown in Table 1. Our results indicate that co-culture increases the rates of embryonic cleavage in all groups by comparison with the control group. However, a significant increase in the rate of morula-blastocyst was only observed when embryos were co-cultured with fibroblasts or when both maturation and culture were performed in co-culture with either fibroblasts or oviduct cells (groups 3, 4, 7, and 8). The most important increase in morula-blastocyst rate was recorded for the group of embryos co-cultured with fibroblasts (group 3). In conclusion, the co-culture with fibroblast or oviduct cells during maturation can improve oocyte maturation and cleavage rate, while co-culturing the embryos with fibroblasts seems sufficient to improve both the cleavage and the morula-blastocyst rates. Table 1.Effect of co-culture on the fertilization and embryo development in pig Supported by a grant from the NAFOSTED VN.

36 RESTORATION OF TELOMERE LENGTH IN CLONED PIG EMBRYOS DURING EARLY EMBRYOGENESIS IS NOT DEPENDENT ON TELOMERE LENGTH AND TYPE OF DONOR CELLS

Analyses on telomere length in cloned animals have revealed diverse results depending on the donor cell types. In mice and cattle, telomere length is reset during morula-blastocyst transition and the restoration is thought to be a telomerase-dependent process. However, it is still unknown whether the pattern of telomere elongation during this transition is dependent on donor cell types. In the present study, we examined the changes of telomere length during morula-blastocyst transition in cloned porcine embryos using different types of donor cell. Embryonic stem-like cells (ES), cumulus cells (C), fibroblasts at passages 7 and 10 (F7 and F10, respectively) were used as donor cells to produce NT embryos (ES, C, F7, and F10 groups, respectively). Telomere lengths of ES (35.8 ± 1.5 kb), C (24.4 ± 0.5 kb), P7 (18.7 ± 0.6 kb), and P10 (17.2 ± 0.1 kb) cells were significantly different. In contrast, cloned morulae in ES, C, F7, and F10 groups did not have any significant differences in telomere length (18.2 ± 0.3, 17.8 ± 0.7, 18.5 ± 0.3, and 18.4 ± 0.4 kb, respectively). Likewise, cloned blastocysts in ES, C, F7, and F10 groups had similar telomere length (22.3 ± 1.5, 23.5 ± 2.6, 20.2 ± 1.0, and 20.9 ± 1.0 kb, respectively). However, the telomere of the blastocyst was significantly longer (P < 0.05) compared with the morula in the respective group. Furthermore, relative telomerase activities of cloned morulae in ES, C, F7, and F10 groups (4.2 ± 0.4, 4.0 ± 0.5, 5.1 ± 0.4, and 4.9 ± 0.4, respectively) were significantly lower (P < 0.01) than those of cloned blastocysts in the same groups (8.2 ± 1.1, 8.6 ± 0.6, 12.5 ± 2.9, and 8.3 ± 1.1, respectively). The proportions of blastocysts in cloned embryos for ES, C, F7, and F10 groups (10.0 ± 5.2, 17.3 ± 2.9, 13.5 ± 2.9, and 13.1 ± 3.6%, respectively) did not significantly differ. Total cell numbers in blastocysts for ES, C, F7, and F10 groups (28.3 ± 2.9, 32.6 ± 3.6, 30.4 ± 3.1, and 27.4 ± 2.2, respectively) were not significantly different as well. In the present study, we found that the telomere elongation in cloned pig embryos occurs during morula-blastocyst transition. This is consistent with the previous findings in in vivo and in vitro fertilization and cloned embryos in cattle and mice. We also revealed that although different types of cells (ES, C, and F) or the same type of cells with different telomere length (F7 and F10) were used for NT, their resultant morulae and blastocysts had similar telomere length. This suggests that the telomere restoration during morula-blastocyst transition is independent of telomere length and type of donor cells. An increase in telomerase activity during morula-blastocyst transition indicates that the elongation of telomere length was likely a telomerase-dependent process. In conclusion, restoration of telomere length in cloned porcine embryos during morula-blastocyst transition was independent of telomere length and type of donor cells, and likely a telomerase-dependent process.

IFPA Meeting 2012 Workshop Report II: epigenetics and imprinting in the placenta, growth factors and villous trophoblast differentiation, role of the placenta in regulating fetal exposure to xenobiotics during pregnancy, infection and the placenta

Workshops are an important part of the IFPA annual meeting as they allow for discussion of specialized topics. At IFPA meeting 2012 there were twelve themed workshops, four of which are summarized in this report. These workshops related to various aspects of placental biology: 1) epigenetics and imprinting in the placenta; 2) growth factors and villous trophoblast differentiation; 3) role of the placenta in regulating fetal exposure to xenobiotics during pregnancy; 4) infection and the placenta.

Selective high expression of protein phosphatase pp1-alpha messenger-RNA in rat poorly differentiated ascites hepatomas

We have examined the mRNA levels for the catalytic subunits of three phosphoseryl/phosphothreonyl protein phosphatases PP1alpha, PP2Aalpha and PP2C by Northern blot analysis in the three primary hepatomas and the three poorly differentiated ascites hepatomas. The mRNA levels were compared with those in regenerating rat livers. In regenerating rat livers, the mRNA levels of PP1alpha, PP2Aalpha and PP2C at 24 h after partial hepatectomy were elevated 5, 14 and 10 times as compared to those of the control livers. But in the three primary hepatomas induced by 3'-methyl-4-dimethyl-aminoazobenzene(3'-Me-DAB), 2-acetylaminofluorene(2-AAF), and induced by the Solt-Farber model, the mRNA levels of PP1alpha, PP2Aalpha and PP2C were almost the same as those of the control livers. On the other hand, in the three poorly differentiated ascites hepatomas, AH13, AH66F and AH130, PP1alpha mRNA levels were 10 times higher than that of the control livers. In these ascites hepatomas, PP2Aalpha mRNA levels were distinctively lower than that of the control livers. PP2C mRNA levels were the same in AH13 and lower in AH66F and AH130 compared to the controls. From these results, it was demonstrated that PP1alpha mRNA levels were selectively increased in poorly differentiated ascites hepatoma cells.

The role of natural killer (NK) and NK T cells in the loss of tolerance in murine primary biliary cirrhosis

One of the major obstacles in dissecting the mechanism of pathology in human primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) has been the absence of animal models. Our laboratory has focused on a model in which mice, following immunization with a xenobiotic chemical mimic of the immunodominant autoepitope of the E2 component of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC-E2), develop autoimmune cholangitis. In particular, following immunization with 2-octynoic acid (a synthetic chemical mimic of lipoic acid-lysine located within the inner domain of PDC-E2) coupled to bovine serum albumin (BSA), several strains of mice develop typical anti-mitochondrial autoantibodies and portal inflammation. The role of innate immune effector cells, such as natural killer (NK) cells and that NK T cells, was studied in this model based on the hypothesis that early events during immunization play an important role in the breakdown of tolerance. We report herein that, following in-vivo depletion of NK and NK T cells, there is a marked suppression of anti-mitochondrial autoantibodies and cytokine production from autoreactive T cells. However, there was no change in the clinical pathology of portal inflammation compared to controls. These data support the hypothesis that there are probably multiple steps in the natural history of PBC, including a role of NK and NK T cells in initiating the breakdown of tolerance. However, the data suggest that adaptive autoimmune effector mechanisms are required for the progression of clinical disease.

The role of natural killer (NK) and NK T cells in the loss of tolerance in murine primary biliary cirrhosis

One of the major obstacles in dissecting the mechanism of pathology in human primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) has been the absence of animal models. Our laboratory has focused on a model in which mice, following immunization with a xenobiotic chemical mimic of the immunodominant autoepitope of the E2 component of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC-E2), develop autoimmune cholangitis. In particular, following immunization with 2-octynoic acid (a synthetic chemical mimic of lipoic acid-lysine located within the inner domain of PDC-E2) coupled to bovine serum albumin (BSA), several strains of mice develop typical anti-mitochondrial autoantibodies and portal inflammation. The role of innate immune effector cells, such as natural killer (NK) cells and that NK T cells, was studied in this model based on the hypothesis that early events during immunization play an important role in the breakdown of tolerance. We report herein that, following in-vivo depletion of NK and NK T cells, there is a marked suppression of anti-mitochondrial autoantibodies and cytokine production from autoreactive T cells. However, there was no change in the clinical pathology of portal inflammation compared to controls. These data support the hypothesis that there are probably multiple steps in the natural history of PBC, including a role of NK and NK T cells in initiating the breakdown of tolerance. However, the data suggest that adaptive autoimmune effector mechanisms are required for the progression of clinical disease.

A case of fatal cervical discoligamentous hyperextension injury without fracture: correlation of postmortem imaging and autopsy findings

We present a case of fatal cervical discoligamentous hyperextension injury without fracture. Postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) and postmortem magnetic resonance imaging (PMMRI) disclosed cervical instability and spinal cord injury in the absence of fracture, which was confirmed by autopsy. Cervical discoligamentous injury without fracture may be unnoticeable on PMCT because signs of cervical misalignment change depending on the posture of the neck at the time of postmortem imaging. Because of its greater sensitivity for soft tissue injury, PMMRI is especially useful for detecting pathological changes in cases of death due to cervical discoligamentous injury. In this paper, findings on postmortem imaging for this injury are described in detail and correlated with findings on autopsy.

Protein kinase C iota as a therapeutic target in alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma

Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma is an aggressive pediatric cancer exhibiting skeletal muscle differentiation. New therapeutic targets are required to improve the dismal prognosis for invasive or metastatic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. Protein kinase C iota (PKCι) has been shown to play an important role in tumorigenesis of many cancers but little is known about its role in rhabdomyosarcoma. Our gene expression studies in human tumor samples revealed overexpression of PRKCI. We confirmed overexpression of PKCι at the mRNA and protein level using our conditional mouse model that authentically recapitulates the progression of rhabdomyosarcoma in humans. Inhibition of Prkci by RNA interference resulted in a dramatic decrease in anchorage-independent colony formation. Interestingly, treatment of primary cell cultures using aurothiomalate (ATM), which is a gold-containing classical anti-rheumatic agent and a PKCι-specific inhibitor, resulted in decreased interaction between PKCι and Par6, decreased Rac1 activity and reduced cell viability at clinically relevant concentrations. Moreover, co-treatment with ATM and vincristine, a microtubule inhibitor currently used in rhabdomyosarcoma treatment regimens, resulted in a combination index (C. I.) of 0.470–0.793 through cooperative accumulation of non-proliferative multinuclear cells in the G2/M phase, indicating that these two drugs synergize. For in vivo tumor growth inhibition studies, ATM demonstrated a trend towards enhanced vincristine sensitivity. Overall, these results suggest that PKCι is functionally important in alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma anchorage-independent growth and tumor cell proliferation and that combination therapy with ATM and microtubule inhibitors holds promise for the treatment of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.

Compact terahertz passive spectrometer with wideband superconductor-insulator-superconductor mixer

We developed a compact terahertz (THz) spectrometer with a superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixer, aiming to realize a portable and highly sensitive spectrometer to detect dangerous gases at disaster sites. The receiver cryostat which incorporates the SIS mixer and a small cryocooler except for a helium compressor has a weight of 27 kg and dimensions of 200 mm × 270 mm × 690 mm. In spite of the small cooling capacity of the cryocooler, the SIS mixer is successfully cooled lower than 4 K, and the temperature variation is suppressed for the sensitive measurement. By adopting a frequency sweeping system using photonic local oscillator, we demonstrated a spectroscopic measurement of CH(3)CN gas in 0.2-0.5 THz range.

The biomechanical assessment of gap formation after flexor tendon repair using partial interlocking cross-stitch peripheral sutures

The gap formation of five core plus peripheral suture techniques for flexor tendon repair was evaluated by cyclic load testing. Fifty pairs of dental roll tendon models were sutured using six-strand Pennington modified Kessler core suture with 4-0 Polypropylene. One-half or three-fourths circumferential interlocking cross-stitch, or three complete circumferential peripheral suture techniques were performed using 6-0 Polypropylene. An initial cyclic load of 10 N for 500 cycles was applied and increased by 5 N for an additional 500 cycles at each new load until rupture. The complete circumferential interlocking cross-stitch had the greatest fatigue strength. The partial circumferential cross-stitches resulted in significantly larger gap formations at both the repaired and unrepaired sides than the complete circumferential sutures, and were also associated with early rupture. The full circumference of the cut tendon must be sutured using an interlocking cross-stitch peripheral suture to improve strength and avoid gap formation.

Relationship between altered expression levels of MIR21, MIR143, MIR145, and MIR205 and clinicopathologic features of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

In spite of the undisputed importance of altered expression patterns of microRNAs (miRNAs) in various cancers, there is little information on the clinicopathologic significance of cancer-related miRNAs (MIR21, MIR143, MIR144, MIR145, and MIR205) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We examined the expression levels of the precursor and mature miRNA genes in ESCC using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We also investigated the mRNA expression levels of processing elements (RNASEN, DGCR8, and DICER1) that participate in miRNA-biogenesis pathway. Furthermore, we analyzed the relationships between the expression levels of these five miRNAs and the clinicopathologic parameters of ESCC patients. The expression levels of mature MIR21 and mature MIR145 were higher in ESCC than those in normal epithelium (P < 0.05). The mature/pre ratio of MIR21 in ESCC was higher than that in normal epithelium (P < 0.05). With regard to miRNA-processing elements, the expression level of RNASEN was higher in ESCC than in normal epithelium (P < 0.05). Furthermore, altered expression of these miRNAs was related to the clinicopathologic features of ESCC patients. The high expression of mature MIR21 and mature MIR205 was associated with lymph node positivity in ESCC patients (P < 0.05). The high levels of expression of mature MIR143 and mature MIR145 were associated with recurrence of metastasis in ESCC patients (P < 0.05). The findings may imply that miRNA biogenesis is aberrantly accelerated in ESCC. Analysis of the expression levels of miRNAs should provide useful information for evaluation of the staging, prognosis, and treatment of ESCC patients.

[Newly developed method of computed tomography scanning to obtain three-dimensional graphics for supporting pulmonary resection]

To acquire the pulmonary artery (PA) and pulmonary vein (PV) image separately, we scanned PA phase while X-ray source moved caudal direction, followed by continuous scan of PV phase by moving back reverse direction. We assessed some scanning conditions to shorten scanning time and determined the starting time for scanning to obtain the maximum intensity difference of radio-opaque contrast between PA and PV phase. Additional infusion of normal saline was followed after contrast medium administration. Finally, scanning could be finished almost 10 seconds with only 20 ml contrast medium for establish three-dimensional (3D) images of pulmonary vessels, and the residual contrast medium could be used for consecutive usual preoperative computed tomography (CT). Twenty-three patients who underwent lung resection were assessed their preoperative 3D-CT images using 5-point scale; 5 and 4 as good, 3 as fair, 2 and 1 as poor. As a result, 18 (78.3%) and 1 (4.3%) were categorized as good and poor, respectively. We successfully decreased the frequency of CT and contrast agent dose for 3D-CT in patients being scheduled for lung resection by the new methods reported herein. Additionally, the workload of building up 3D-CT images by medical workers was also reduced.

Genetic association of Fc receptor-like 3 polymorphisms with susceptibility to primary biliary cirrhosis: ethnic comparative study in Japanese and Italian patients

A functional variant in the Fc receptor-like 3 (FCRL3) gene is associated with the susceptibility to several autoimmune diseases. In this study, we examined whether the FCRL3 is associated with susceptibility to primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) by comparing the two different ethnic groups, Japanese and Italians. We enrolled 232 patients with PBC and 230 controls in Japanese, and 216 PBC and 180 controls in Italians. Minor allele frequency of fcrl3_3 (-169 T>C) in the patients with PBC and controls was 0.20 and 0.09 in Japanese and 0.24 and 0.21 in Italians, respectively. We found a significant association of fcrl3_3 with PBC only in Japanese (P = 9.64 × 10(-7) ). These findings support the presence of common FCRL3-related pathological pathways in several autoimmune diseases, especially in Asians.