The genetics of the amyloidoses: interactions with immunity and inflammation

Allelic Diversity in the Serum Amyloid A2 Gene and Amyloid A Amyloidosis in a Breeding Colony of Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata)

A high incidence of amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis was observed in the research breeding colony of zebra finches at our institution. Some birds with hepatic AA amyloidosis were asymptomatic for comorbid conditions frequently associated with the development of AA amyloidosis, whereas other birds with comorbid conditions failed to develop AA amyloidosis, suggesting a potential genetic component to the disease. Sequencing the SAA2 gene from 20 birds yielded 18 distinct sequences that coded for 5 isoforms of the protein. Most of the amino acid substitutions are unlikely to affect the protein's structure or function, but 2 changes-R52L and V84M-were predicted to be disruptive. In particular, R52 is highly conserved across vertebrates, with only arginine or lysine found at this position in reported sequences to date. The atypical R52L substitution occurred in 2 otherwise healthy birds with hepatic AA amyloidosis, supporting the idea that this change is pathogenic.

Proteomic Characterization of a New asymmetric Cellulose Triacetate Membrane for Hemodialysis

PURPOSE

The artificial membrane inside the haemodialyzer is the main determinant of the quality and success of haemodialysis therapy. The performances of haemodialysis membranes are highly influenced by the interactions with plasma proteins, which in turn are related to the physical and chemical characteristics of the membrane material. The present cross-over study is aimed to analyse the haemodialysis performance of a newly developed asymmetric cellulose triacetate membrane (ATA) in comparison to the conventional parent symmetric polymer (CTA).

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

In four chronic non diabetic haemodialysis patients, the protein constituents of the adsorbed material from the filters after the haemodialysis session, and the proteins recovered in the ultrafiltrate during the session, are identified using a bottom-up shotgun proteomics approach.

RESULTS

The ATA membrane shows a lower protein adsorption rate and a lower mass distribution pattern of the proteinaceous material.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

By highlighting the differences between the two haemodialysis filters in terms of adsorbed proteins and flow through, it is demonstrated the higher biocompatibility of the novel ATA membrane, that fulfils the indications for the development of more performant membranes and may represent a step forward for the treatment of patients on chronic haemodialysis.

Serum amyloid A1 isoforms display different efficacy at Toll-like receptor 2 and formyl peptide receptor 2

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a major acute-phase protein and a precursor of amyloid A, the deposit of which leads to amyloidosis. Different alleles exist in SAA1, a predominant form of the human SAA gene family. Emerging evidence has shown correlations between these alleles and diseases including familiar Mediterranean fever and amyloidosis. However, it remains unclear how the proteins encoded by these SAA1 alleles act differently. Here we report the characterization of proteins encoded by SAA1.1, SAA1.3, and SAA1.5, in comparison to that encoded by SAA2.2, for their preference of the SAA receptors including formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2) and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). SAA1.1 was more efficacious than SAA1.3 and SAA1.5 but equally efficacious to SAA2.2 in calcium mobilization and chemotaxis assays, which measure the activation of the G protein-coupled FPR2. In agreement with this, SAA1.1 and SAA2.2 induced more robust phosphorylation of ERK than SAA1.3 and SAA1.5. Only small differences were observed between the SAA1 proteins tested and SAA2.2 in TLR2-dependent NF-κB luciferase reporter assay. In comparison, SAA1.3 was most effective in stimulating ERK and p38 MAPK phosphorylation. Using bone marrow-derived macrophages from C57BL/10ScN (Tlr4lps-del) mice, we examined the SAA isoforms for their induction of selected pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. SAA1.3 was most potent in the induction of TNFα and IL-1rn, whereas SAA1.5 induced robust IL-10 expression. These results show differences of the SAA1 isoforms in their selectivity for the SAA receptors, which may affect their roles in modulating inflammation and immunity.

A molecular history of the amyloidoses

The molecular investigation of the amyloidoses began in the mid-19th century with the observation of areas in human tissues obtained at autopsy that were homogeneous and eosinophilic with conventional stains but became blue when exposed to mixtures of iodine and sulfuric acid. The foci corresponded to regions formerly identified as "waxy" or lardaceous. Subsequent identification of the characteristic staining of the same tissues with metachromatic dyes such as crystal violet or with the cotton dye Congo red (particularly under polarized light) and thioflavins allowed the pathological classification of those tissues as belonging to a set of disorders known as the amyloidoses. Not unexpectedly, progress has reflected evolving technology and parallel advances in all fields of biological science. Investigation using contemporary methods has expanded our notions of amyloid proteins from being simply agents or manifestations of systemic, largely extracellular diseases to include "protein-only infection," the concept that "normal" functional amyloids might exist in eukaryotes and prokaryotes and that aggregatability may be an intrinsic structural price to be paid for some functional protein domains. We now distinguish between the amyloidoses, that is, diseases caused by the deposition of amyloid fibrils and amyloid proteins (i.e., purified or recombinant proteins that form amyloid fibrils in vitro), which may or may not be associated with disease in vivo.

Animal models of human amyloidoses: are transgenic mice worth the time and trouble?

The amyloidoses are the prototype gain of toxic function protein misfolding diseases. As such, several naturally occurring animal models and their inducible variants provided some of the first insights into these disorders of protein aggregation. With greater analytic knowledge and the increasing flexibility of transgenic and gene knockout technology, new models have been generated allowing the interrogation of phenomena that have not been approachable in more reductionist systems, i.e. behavioral readouts in the neurodegenerative diseases, interactions among organ systems in the transthyretin amyloidoses and taking pre-clinical therapeutic trials beyond cell culture. The current review describes the features of both transgenic and non-transgenic models and discusses issues that appear to be unresolved even when viewed in their organismal context.

Amyloidosis in Black-footed Cats (Felis nigripes)

A high prevalence of systemic amyloidosis was documented in the black-footed cat ( Felis nigripes) based on a retrospective review of necropsy tissues ( n = 38) submitted as part of ongoing disease surveillance. Some degree of amyloid deposition was present in 33 of 38 (87%) of the examined cats, and amyloidosis was the most common cause of death (26/38, 68%). Amyloid deposition was most severe in the renal medullary interstitium (30/33, 91%) and glomeruli (21/33, 63%). Other common sites included the splenic follicular germinal centers (26/31, 84%), gastric lamina propria (9/23, 39%), and intestinal lamina propria (3/23, 13%). Amyloid in all sites stained with Congo red, and in 13 of 15 (87%) cats, deposits had strong immunoreactivity for canine AA protein by immunohistochemistry. There was no association with concurrent chronic inflammatory conditions ( P = .51), suggesting that amyloidosis was not secondary to inflammation. Adrenal cortical hyperplasia, a morphologic indicator of stress that can predispose to amyloid deposition, was similarly not associated ( P = .09) with amyloidosis. However, adrenals were not available from the majority of cats without amyloidosis; therefore, further analysis of this risk factor is warranted. Heritability estimation suggested that amyloidosis might be familial in this species. Additionally, tissues from a single free-ranging black-footed cat had small amounts of amyloid deposition, suggesting that there could be a predilection for amyloidosis in this species. Research to identify the protein sequence of serum amyloid A (SAA) in the black-footed cat is needed to further investigate the possibility of an amyloidogenic SAA in this species.