Heat shock protein 70 gene polymorphism in Japanese patients with multiple sclerosis

Could the Heat Shock Proteins 70 Family Members Exacerbate the Immune Response in Multiple Sclerosis? An in Silico Study

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. It represents one of the main causes of neurological disability in young people. In MS, the autoimmune response is directed against myelin antigens but other possible bio-molecular markers are investigated. The aim of this work was, through an in silico study, the evaluation of the transcriptional modifications between healthy subjects and MS patients in six brain areas (corpus callosum, hippocampus, internal capsule, optic chiasm, frontal and parietal cortex) in order to identify genes representative of the disease. Our results show the upregulation of the Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs) HSPA1A, HSPA1B, HSPA7, HSPA6, HSPH1 and HSPA4L of the HSP70 family, among which HSPA1A and HSPA1B are upregulated in all the brain areas. HSP70s are molecular chaperones indispensable for protein folding, recently associated with immune system maintenance. The little overexpression of the HSPs protects the cells from stress but extreme upregulation can contribute to the MS pathogenesis. We also investigated the genes involved in the immune system that result in overall upregulation in the corpus callosum, hippocampus, internal capsule, optic chiasm and are absent in the cortex. Interestingly, the genes of the immune system and the HSP70s have comparable levels of expression.

Heat Shock Protein 70 and The Risk of Multiple Sclerosis in The Iranian Population

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease of the central nervous system and one of the most common causes of neurological disability among those aged 20-40 years, particularly in women. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class II genes are known to be involved in the development of MS. One of the important groups of this complex is the HSP gene family, especially HSP70, which is induced under stress conditions. The aim of the present case-control study was to determine the association between the heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and risk of MS in Iranian patients by genotyping the rs1061581 gene polymorphism. A total of 50 relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients and 50 healthy control subjects were considered for this study. Genotyping was performed by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR- RFLP) method. PCR-RFLP results of twenty-five randomly selected samples were confirmed by DNA sequencing. Genotypic and allelic distributions were compared between the case and control groups. We observed no significant difference in the distribution of rs1061581 genotype and allele frequencies between RRMS patients and controls. In addition, there was no association between the HSP70 gene polymorphism and the clinical variables in the case group. Our data indicate that HSP70, in particular rs1061581, is unlikely to be involved in the susceptibility to or the severity of RRMS in Iranian patients. Further large prospective studies are required to confirm these findings.

Heat Shock Proteins in Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated and neurodegenerative central nervous system disease, mostly affect myelin sheaths. The MS pathogenesis is still under debate. It is influenced by genetic, environment factors. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are highly conserved proteins seen in all organisms. Not only heat stress but also under many stress conditions they are overexpressed. Their roles in MS pathogenesis are highly correlated with their location (intracellular or extracellular). In this chapter, we will discuss the role of HSP in MS pathogenesis.

Are Hsp70 protein expression and genetic polymorphism implicated in multiple sclerosis inflammation?

Genetic and environmental factors contribute to disease Multiple Sclerosis (MS) susceptibility, the most prevalent neurological pathology affecting young individuals in Western countries. We focused our attention on HSP70-2, an inducible chaperon induced under stress conditions. Genotype analysis of HSP70-2 (+1267 A/G) polymorphism revealed a significant association between the minor allele G and presence of MS (OR:1.31, 95% CI: 1.02-1.69, P = 0.039). In addition, Hsp70-2 protein content in vitro from PBMC was significantly lower in MS patients with GG genotype compared to AA genotype, indicating an implication of the G allele of HSP70-2 gene polymorphism in the development of MS.

Heat shock protein 70: roles in multiple sclerosis

Heat shock proteins (HSP) have long been considered intracellular chaperones that possess housekeeping and cytoprotective functions. Consequently, HSP overexpression was proposed as a potential therapy for neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the accumulation or aggregation of abnormal proteins. Recently, the discovery that cells release HSP with the capacity to trigger proinflammatory as well as immunoregulatory responses has focused attention on investigating the role of HSP in chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). To date, the most relevant HSP is the inducible Hsp70, which exhibits both cytoprotectant and immunoregulatory functions. Several studies have presented contradictory evidence concerning the involvement of Hsp70 in MS or experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the MS animal model. In this review, we dissect the functions of Hsp70 and discuss the controversial data concerning the role of Hsp70 in MS and EAE.

The effect of the CCR5-delta32 deletion on global gene expression considering immune response and inflammation

Background

The natural function of the C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5) is poorly understood. A 32 base pair deletion in the CCR5 gene (CCR5-delta32) located on chromosome 3 results in a non-functional protein. It is supposed that this deletion causes an alteration in T-cell response to inflammation. For example, the presence of the CCR5-delta32 allele in recipients of allografts constitutes as an independent and protective factor associated with a decreased risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and graft rejection. However, the mechanism of this beneficial effect of the deletion regarding GVHD is unknown. In this survey we searched for a CCR5-delta32 associated regulation of critical genes involved in the immune response and the development of GVHD.

Methods

We examined CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells derived from bone marrow samples from 19 healthy volunteers for the CCR5-delta32 deletion with a genomic PCR using primers flanking the site of the deletion.

Results

12 individuals were found to be homozygous for CCR5 WT and 7 carried the CCR5-delta32 deletion heterozygously. Global gene expression analysis led to the identification of 11 differentially regulated genes. Six of them are connected with mechanisms of immune response and control: LRG1, CXCR2, CCRL2, CD6, CD7, WD repeat domain, and CD30L.

Conclusions

Our data indicate that the CCR5-delta32 mutation may be associated with differential gene expression. Some of these genes are critical for immune response, in the case of CD30L probably protective in terms of GVHD.

Aberrant stress-induced Hsp70 expression in immune cells in multiple sclerosis

Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), a prominent member of the heat shock protein family, is a stress-induced chaperone, contributing to the "protein triage" mechanism. However, we and others have previously shown that chaperonin activity of Hsp70 also promotes immune recognition of protein/peptide antigens, including myelin autoantigens. Hsp70 has been strikingly elevated in multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions. In a search for the mechanism of Hsp70 up-regulation in MS, we analyzed Hsp70 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from MS patients (n = 49), healthy controls (n = 40), and patients with rheumatoid arthritis, (RA; n = 13). Hsp70 was detected by Western blot, and Hsp70 levels were quantified by ELISA. We found that Hsp70 was expressed at low levels in ex vivo PBMCs. However, after heat shock, Hsp70 was up-regulated significantly more (up to sixfold) in MS patients compared with healthy controls. This significant overproduction of Hsp70 was also seen following another stress condition, LPS stimulation. Hsp70 is a product of several independent genes, and we found the HSPA1B gene product to be the major form responsible for Hsp70 protein overexpression in PBMCs. Hsp70 overexpression was preceded by increased nuclear presence of heat shock factor 1 (HSF1). HSF1 activation depends on phosphorylation, and we found that inhibition of the A group of protein kinase C isoenzymes significantly reduced inducible Hsp70 production. These results indicate that immune cells from MS patients are more prone to Hsp70 induction under stress conditions, suggesting a possible link between Hsp70 overexpression and development of autoimmunity.

The relationship between three heat shock protein 70 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) has been shown to act as a chaperone and be associated with a variety of tumors. We investigated HSP70-1 G+190C, HSP70-2 A+1267G, and HSP70-hom T+2437C polymorphisms to assess whether genetic variation in HSP70 plays a role in the occurrence and development of lung cancer.

METHODS

A case-control study was conducted using 159 patients with lung cancer and 202 control subjects. Genomic DNA was typed for HSP70 polymorphisms using polymerase chain reactions with restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate the relative risks of lung cancer.

RESULTS

There were significant differences in genotype and allele distributions between patients and controls for the HSP70-1 G+190C polymorphisms with and without adjustment for age, gender, smoking history, drinking history and family history of cancer (p<0.05). No significant differences were found in the polymorphisms of HSP70-2 A+1267G and HSP70-hom T+2437C. The haplotype analysis showed that the G/A/C and C/G/T haplotypes were associated with a significantly increased risk of lung cancer compared to the G/G/T haplotype. After adjustments for other risk factors, such as age, gender, drinking history and family history of cancer, the interactions between the HSP70-1 and HSP70-hom genotypes and smoking were confirmed [I(AB), 2.56 and 5.12, respectively].

CONCLUSIONS

HSP70-1 G+190C may be a functional polymorphism and affect susceptibility to lung cancer, and homozygous C/C genotype may enhance the risk of lung cancer. In addition, smoking along with HSP70-1 G+190C and HSP70-hom T+2437C, may increase the risk of lung cancer.

Serious carbamazepine-induced hypersensitivity reactions associated with the HSP70 gene cluster

OBJECTIVES

The use of carbamazepine (CBZ), the most commonly prescribed antiepileptic drug, is hampered by the occurrence of severe, potentially lethal hypersensitivity reactions. The pathogenesis of hypersensitivity is not yet known, but immune mechanisms are involved. Predisposition to CBZ hypersensitivity is likely to be genetically determined, and genes within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) have been implicated. The heat shock protein (HSP70) gene cluster is located in the MHC class III region.

METHODS

Using a case-control study design, we compared 61 patients with CBZ hypersensitivity (22 with a severe reaction) to 44 patients on CBZ with no signs of hypersensitivity and 172 healthy controls. The genotyping strategy involved identification of common and rare single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the HSP70 gene cluster by sequencing, estimation of linkage disequilibrium (LD) and haplotype structure, and thereafter, analysis of SNP/haplotype frequencies in the cases and controls. Population substructure was evaluated by genotyping of 34 microsatellites.

RESULTS

Twenty-five SNPs were detected across the three HSP70 genes. Analyses revealed that alleles G, T and C at the SNPs HSPA1A +1911 C/G, HSPA1A +438 C/T and HSPA1L +2437 T/C, respectively, were associated with protection from serious hypersensitivity reactions to CBZ, with the associated alleles falling on a common haplotype. We were unable to detect the presence of population stratification in our patients and controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data show that HSP70 gene variants are associated with serious CBZ hypersensitivity reactions, but whether this is causal or reflects LD with another gene within the MHC requires further study.

C–C chemokine receptor 2 gene polymorphism in Japanese patients with multiple sclerosis

C-C chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) is a receptor for chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and associated with infiltrating lymphocytes in chronic active multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions. To study the role of CCR2 gene in the development of MS, we investigated the CCR2-64I polymorphism in 122 MS patients and 112 healthy controls in a Japanese population. We also analysed the influence of CCR2-64I polymorphism on the clinical course, age at disease onset, and severity. The distribution of the CCR2-64I allele was significantly different between patients and controls (p=0.0187), and the 64I/64I homozygote was significantly less common in MS than in control. Logistic analysis, adjusted for HLA-DRB1*1501-positivity, revealed negative association between the CCR2-64I and MS (p=0.0204). There were no significant associations between CCR2 polymorphism and the clinical features of MS. Our results indicate that the presence of CCR2-64I allele seems to provide protection against the development of MS.

Genetic polymorphisms of osteopontin in association with multiple sclerosis in Japanese patients

Osteopontin (OPN) exhibits pleiotropic functions and abundant transcripts for OPN are present in brains of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of OPN genes in the pathogenesis of MS. Polymorphisms at the 8090th, 9250th and 9583rd positions in OPN were detected by PCR-RFLP from DNAs of 116 MS Japanese patients and 124 healthy controls. The C/C genotype at the 8090th position in exon 6 was more prevalent in MS than in control (p<0.0001), and C allele was more prevalent in MS than in control (p<0.0001, OR=2.57, 95% CI=1.65-4.00). For the 9583rd position polymorphism in exon 7, patients with G/G genotype (age; 32.1+/-12.5 years, mean+/-S.D.) showed a later disease onset than G/A (age; 25.9+/-7.8 years, p=0.01) and A/A (age; 25.2+/-8.9 years, p=0.01) genotypes. There were no significant correlations between OPN gene polymorphisms and disease progression. Our results suggest that the 8090th polymorphism might be associated with susceptibility to MS, while the 9583rd polymorphism might be associated with age of onset of MS.

Multiple sclerosis in the Japanese population

Multiple sclerosis (MS) in Asian populations is characterised by the selective and severe involvement of the optic nerve and spinal cord as well as low prevalence rates. 15-40% of cases of MS in Japan are of this "opticospinal" type. This form of MS generally has a higher age at onset and a higher female to male ratio than conventional MS. Opticospinal MS is also characterised by frequent relapses, severe disability, few brain lesions visible on MRI, long lesions extending over many vertebral segments visible on spinal-cord MRI, pleocytosis and an absence of oligoclonal bands in the CSF, and a pronounced shift in the responses of T-helper-1 and T-cytotoxic-1 cells throughout relapse and remission phases. Conventional MS in Japanese people is, like MS in white people, associated with HLA-DRB1*1501, whereas opticospinal MS is associated with HLA-DPB1*0501. In Japanese people born after modernisation in the 1960s, the ratio of conventional to opticospinal MS has increased rapidly. Opticospinal MS is likely to have a distinct immune-mediated mechanism, which is not operative in conventional MS.

An examination of the association between beta2 adrenergic receptor polymorphisms and multiple sclerosis

In multiple sclerosis (MS), beta-adrenergic receptor densities on peripheral blood mononuclear cells are enhanced, while the astrocytes present in plaques lack beta2 adrenergic receptor (beta2AR) expression. This differentially altered expression suggests that beta2ARs may influence the pathogenesis of MS. In the present study, we investigated the association of polymorphisms of the beta2AR gene with the occurrence of MS. Our results showed no significant differences in the distribution of the polymorphisms between MS patients overall and control subjects. Furthermore, no association was observed between the presence of beta2AR gene polymorphisms and clinical characteristics, such as age at disease onset and disease severity. While a trend towards an increase of the Gly allele frequency in codon 16 was observed in the secondary-progressive MS, this result was not significantly different from that observed in relapsing-remitting MS patients or control subjects. Together, our findings suggest that the presence of beta2AR gene polymorphisms may be inconclusive in the susceptibility to MS or in the clinical characteristics of Japanese patients with MS and, therefore, need further studies.