Role of MIF-173G/C and Mbl2 Codon 54A/B Variants in the Risk of Multiple Myeloma: An Association Study

BACKGROUND

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant disease manifested by the clonal proliferation of atypical plasma cells. Macrophage inhibitory factor (MIF) is one of the pleiotropic regulators in various biological and cellular processes. Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a crucial protein involved in the lectin pathway of the immune system.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to assess whether variants of MIF and MBL2 genes are associated with MM among a Turkish population.

METHODS

We analyzed the MIF-173G/C (rs755622) and MBL2 codon 54A/B (rs1800450) variants in 200 patients with MM and 200 healthy control subjects using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction endonuclease digestion. There was also an evaluation of the patients undergoing autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) for these variants.

RESULTS

AA and BB genotypes of MBL2 codon 54A/B increased in the patients as compared to the controls (p=0.008, p=0.001, respectively). The subjects carrying AA and BB genotypes of MBL2 were at high risk of development of susceptibility to MM by 7.377 and 8.812 times, respectively. The distribution of MBL2 codon 54A/B alleles was similar between the groups (p>0 .05). There was no statistical difference between the patients and controls in the genotype and allele frequencies of the MIF- 173G/C variant (p>0 .05). The patients undergoing ASCT, MBL2 codon 54A/B AA and BB genotypes also showed association with increased risk for MM (p=0.004, p=0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSION

As far as we know, this is the first report of the study on an association between these variants and MM in our population. Our results indicate that the MBL2 codon 54A/B variant may be associated with susceptibility to MM.

A possible link between luteinizing hormone and macrophage migration inhibitory factor levels in polycystic ovary syndrome

PURPOSE

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a multifunctional cytokine that plays a role in metabolic and inflammatory processes. Increasing evidence suggests that there is a link between MIF and ovulation. We aimed to evaluate plasma MIF levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and to determine whether MIF levels differ between the follicular phase and mid-cycle of the menstrual cycle in eumenorrheic women.

METHODS

Ninety women with PCOS and 80 age- and BMI-matched healthy eumenorrheic women were consecutively recruited into this prospective observational study. For all subjects, plasma MIF levels in the early follicular phase were measured by ELISA; for the 40 healthy controls, MIF levels were also measured during mid-cycle of the same menstrual cycle.

RESULTS

Plasma MIF levels were significantly higher in women with PCOS than in eumenorrheic women (14.16 ± 1.59 vs. 10.39 ± 0.70 ng/ml; p < 0.001). MIF levels were significantly higher at mid-cycle than in the follicular phase in eumenorrheic women (11.15 ± 0.61 vs. 10.56 ± 0.82 ng/ml; p < 0.001). MIF was positively correlated with BMI, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in both groups. MIF was positively correlated with luteinizing hormone (LH) and free-testosterone only in the PCOS group. Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that the odds ratio (OR) for PCOS independently increases linearly with elevated MIF (OR = 1.385, 95% CI = 1.087-1.764, p = 0.017).

CONCLUSION

MIF may play a crucial role in the reproductive system in women, including the development of PCOS and normal ovulation.

Metabonomics reveals plasma metabolic changes and inflammatory marker in polycystic ovary syndrome patients

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common, clinically heterogeneous endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age, associated with endocrinopathy and metabolic abnormalities. Although some metabolic parameters have been investigated, very little information has been reported on the changes of small metabolites in biofluids. The aim of this study was to establish the metabolic profile of PCOS and compare it with that of controls. In this cross-sectional study of 34 women with PCOS and 36 controls, contents of small metabolites and lipids in plasma samples were measured using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based techniques and analyzed using multivariate statistical methods. Significant decrease (P < 0.05) in the levels of amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, methionine, glutamine, and arginine), citrate, choline, and glycerophosphocholine/phosphocholine (GPC/PC), and increase (P < 0.05) in the levels of lactate, dimethylamine (DMA), creatine, and N-acetyl glycoproteins were observed in PCOS patients compared with the controls. Subgroups of patients with obesity, metabolic syndrome, or hyperandrogenism exhibited greater metabolic deviations than their corresponding subgroups without these factors. PCOS patients have perturbations in amino acid metabolism, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and gut microflora, as well as mild disturbances in glucose and lipid metabolism. The elevated level of N-acetyl glycoproteins demonstrates the existence of low-grade chronic inflammation in PCOS patients.