Missense polymorphisms potentially involved in mandibular prognathism

Genetic Insights into Skeletal Malocclusion: The Role of the FBN3 rs7351083 SNP in the Romanian Population

Background and Objectives: irregularities in the growth and development of the jawbones can lead to misalignments of maxillary and mandibular structures, a complex condition known as skeletal malocclusion, one of the most common oral health problems. Skeletal malocclusions, particularly Class II and Class III, can significantly affect facial appearance, chewing efficiency, speech, and overall oral health, often requiring orthodontic treatment or surgery to correct. These dentofacial anomalies are influenced by genetic and environmental factors and exhibit diverse phenotypic expressions. Materials and Methods: in this study, we investigated the correlation between the rs7351083 SNP of the FBN3 gene that encodes a member of the fibrillin protein family and malocclusion risk in a group of 57 patients from Romania. Results: the results shed light on the relationship between the selected genetic marker and the investigated dentofacial disorder, revealing a positive association between the reference allele (A) and Class II and that the alternate allele (G) is associated with Class III. Conclusions: cephalometric analysis revealed no significant differences among genotypes, suggesting that while genetic factors are implicated in malocclusion, they may not directly affect cephalometric parameters or that the sample size was too small to detect these differences. The discovery of an A > T transversion in one individual with a Class II deformity underscores the genetic diversity within the population and the necessity of comprehensive genotyping to uncover rare genetic variants that might influence craniofacial development and the risk of malocclusion. This study highlights the need for larger studies to confirm these preliminary associations.

Novel polymorphisms and genetic studies of the shadow of prion protein gene (SPRN) in pheasants

Background

Prion diseases in mammals are caused by the structural conversion of the natural prion protein (PrPC) to a pathogenic isoform, the "scrapie form of prion protein (PrPSc)." Several studies reported that the shadow of prion protein (Sho), encoded by the shadow of prion protein gene (SPRN), is involved in prion disease development by accelerating the conformational conversion of PrPC to PrPSc. Until now, genetic polymorphisms of the SPRN gene and the protein structure of Sho related to fragility to prion disease have not been investigated in pheasants, which are a species of poultry.

Methods

Here, we identified the SPRN gene sequence by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and compared the SPRN gene and Sho protein sequences among various prion disease-susceptible and -resistant species to identify the distinctive genetic features of pheasant Sho using Clustal Omega. In addition, we investigated genetic polymorphisms of the SPRN gene in pheasants and analyzed genotype, allele, and haplotype frequencies, as well as linkage disequilibrium among the genetic polymorphisms. Furthermore, we used in silico programs, namely Mutpred2, MUpro and AMYCO, to investigate the effect of non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Finally, the predicted secondary and tertiary structures of Sho proteins from various species were analyzed by Alphafold2.

Results

In the present study, we reported pheasant SPRN gene sequences for the first time and identified a total of 14 novel SNPs, including 7 non-synonymous and 4 synonymous SNPs. In addition, the pheasant Sho protein sequence showed 100% identity with the chicken Sho protein sequence. Furthermore, amino acid substitutions were predicted to affect the hydrogen bond distribution in the 3D structure of the pheasant Sho protein.

Conclusion

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the genetic and structural features of the pheasant SPRN gene.

Presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms in transforming growth factor β and insulin-like growth factor 1 in class II malocclusions due to retrognathic mandible

AIM

The aim of this study was to evaluate specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) (rs1800469) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) (rs17032362) genes in Class II individuals with a normal maxilla and retrognathic (short) mandible.

In silico analysis of missense SNPs in TNFR1a and their possible therapeutic or pathogenic role in immune diseases

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFa) is an inflammatory cytokine that is involved in the pathogenesis of various inflammatory disorders including rheumatoid arthritis. TNF-alpha receptor I (TNFR1a) is one of the receptors TNFa binds with for its activation. Any variation in this receptor might affect the role of TNFa in successive events. Amino acid residue substitutions might happen in TNFR1a through non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) which may alter the functioning of TNFa, hence, identifying any such substitutions is of paramount significance. In this study, six nsSNPs at five different evolutionary conserved regions are predicted to be detrimental to the structure and/or function of TNFR1a by using numerous computational tools. Their 3D models are also proposed in this study. Besides, they were found to reduce the stability and affect the molecular mechanisms of this protein. Two contrasting possibilities might happen because of these substitutions. One, they might reduce the production of TNFa which is overexpressed in inflammatory diseases, hence can play therapeutic role in such diseases. Second, they might possibly hinder the apoptosis to occur which can effectuate the uncontrolled division of cells, hence can be pathogenic in diseases like cancer. Further investigations on these nsSNPs using animal models and at cellular level will open doors to understand the underlying mechanisms behind various diseases.