PADI4 Gene Polymorphism is not Associated with Ankylosing Spondylitis in Chinese Han Population

Epigenetic mechanisms of particulate matter exposure: air pollution and hazards on human health

Environmental pollution nowadays has not only a direct correlation with human health changes but a direct social impact. Epidemiological studies have evidenced the increased damage to human health on a daily basis because of damage to the ecological niche. Rapid urban growth and industrialized societies importantly compromise air quality, which can be assessed by a notable accumulation of air pollutants in both the gas and the particle phases. Of them, particulate matter (PM) represents a highly complex mixture of organic and inorganic compounds of the most variable size, composition, and origin. PM being one of the most complex environmental pollutants, its accumulation also varies in a temporal and spatial manner, which challenges current analytical techniques used to investigate PM interactions. Nevertheless, the characterization of the chemical composition of PM is a reliable indicator of the composition of the atmosphere, the quality of breathed air in urbanized societies, industrial zones and consequently gives support for pertinent measures to avoid serious health damage. Epigenomic damage is one of the most promising biological mechanisms of air pollution-derived carcinogenesis. Therefore, this review aims to highlight the implication of PM exposure in diverse molecular mechanisms driving human diseases by altered epigenetic regulation. The presented findings in the context of pan-organic cancer, fibrosis, neurodegeneration and metabolic diseases may provide valuable insights into the toxicity effects of PM components at the epigenomic level and may serve as biomarkers of early detection for novel targeted therapies.

Predictive value of microRNA-132 and its target gene NAG-1 in evaluating therapeutic efficacy of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs treatment in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a common chronic rheumatic disorder, accompanied by the differential expression of various microRNAs (miRNAs) in patients suffering from the condition, some of which have the potential to serve as novel complementary AS biomarkers. During this study, AS patients were recruited in connection with our investigation into the correlation of microRNA-132 (miR-132) in peripheral blood and its target gene NAG-1 expressions in relation with the clinical efficacy of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) treatment in patients with AS. A total of 218 AS patients who had been previously treated with oral diclofenac sodium and were placed into either the response (n = 175) or non-response groups (n = 43) following a 16-week period of therapeutic evaluation. An additional 113 healthy patients were also recruited for the purposes of the study. AS patient peripheral blood samples were obtained at the 0th, 8th, and 16th week, with the corresponding samples of the healthy patients collected at week 0. The expressions of miR-132 and NAG-1 were detected by RT-qPCR and analyzed using a ROC curve for the elucidation of the diagnostic value of peripheral blood miR-132 expressions as well as their predictive value among AS patients undergoing NSAIDs treatment. The targeting relations of miR-132 and NAG-1 were validated by microRNA.org and luciferase assay. Greater levels of peripheral blood miR-132 expression were observed among AS patients prior to treatment, in comparison to the healthy patients in the study. Prior to treatment, the area under the miR-132 ROC curve (AUC) of AS patients was 0.965, with a critical point of 2.605. The sensitivity and specificity of miR-132 were 91.7 and 97.3%, respectively, in regard to the AS diagnostic clinical efficacy. In comparison with the non-response group, the miR-132 expression of patients in the response group exhibited descended levels while the mRNA expression of NAG-1 increased. The ROC results indicated that the AUC of miR-132 was 0.876 with its sensitivity and specificity observed to be 95.3 and 80.0%, respectively. The AUC of NAG-1 was 0.912 with its sensitivity and specificity observed to be 76.6 and 79.1%, respectively. In comparison with the high miR-132 expression group and the low NAG-1 mRNA expression group, significantly improved blood biochemistry indexes, sign indexes, blood indexes, and adverse reaction rate were observed among the low miR-132 expression group and the high NAG-1 mRNA expression group. The microRNA.org and luciferase assay revealed NAG-1 to be a target of miR-132. Based on the results of this study, it was concluded that the expressions of MiR-132 and NAG-1 could serve as biological markers in the prediction of the therapeutic efficiency of NSAID treatment in AS patients.

PADI2 is significantly associated with rheumatoid arthritis

Citrullination, a posttranslational modification of peptidyl arginine to citrulline, plays an essential role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Citrullination is catalyzed by a group of peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs) including PADI 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6. Many studies have indicated that the gene encoding PADI4 is a factor in susceptibility to RA. Some studies have detected PADI2 expression in RA synovial tissues, suggesting that PADI2 also plays an important role in the disease. This study evaluated the possible association between the PADI2-encoding gene and RA. Seventeen tag SNPs across the PAD locus were genotyped using a custom-designed Illumina 96-SNP VeraCode microarray. Peripheral blood samples were collected from patients with RA (n = 267), ankylosing spondylitis (AS, n = 51) and healthy controls (n = 160). The results of genotyping were verified using Sequenom MassARRAY in an independent cohort of 307 patients with RA, 324 patients with AS and 509 healthy controls. A western blot analysis was performed using synovial tissue from patients with RA (n = 7), osteoarthritis (OA, n = 7) and AS (n = 5) to determine the levels of expression of PADI2. A microarray analysis revealed a significant association between three selected PADI2 SNPs (rs2235926, rs2057094, rs2076616) and the presence of RA. The increased susceptibility to RA associated with rs2235926 (OR = 1.706733, 95% CI = [1.576366–1.866587], p = 0.000839) and rs2057094 (OR = 1.360432, 95% CI = [1.065483–1.869482], p = 0.003291) was further confirmed by the Sequenom MassARRAY. No tag SNPs in the PADI2 locus showed a significant association with AS. Increased expression of PADI2 was detected in RA synovial tissues compared with samples from patients with OA and AS. PADI2 is significantly associated with RA and may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease.