Associations of vitamin D-related single nucleotide polymorphisms with post-stroke depression among ischemic stroke population

Objective

To investigate the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to vitamin D (VitD) metabolism and post-stroke depression (PSD) in patients with ischemic stroke.

Methods

A total of 210 patients with ischemic stroke were enrolled at the Department of Neurology in Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, from July 2019 to August 2021. SNPs in the VitD metabolic pathway (VDR, CYP2R1, CYP24A1, and CYP27B1) were genotyped using the SNPscan^™ multiplex SNP typing kit. Demographic and clinical data were collected using a standardized questionnaire. Multiple genetic models including dominant, recessive, and over-dominant models were utilized to analyze the associations between SNPs and PSD.

Results

In the dominant, recessive, and over-dominant models, no significant association was observed between the selected SNPs in the CYP24A1 and CYP2R1 genes and PSD. However, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the CYP27B1 rs10877012 G/G genotype was associated with a decreased risk of PSD (OR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.18-0.92, p = 0.030 and OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.18-0.98, p = 0.040, respectively). Furthermore, haplotype association analysis indicated that rs11568820-rs1544410-rs2228570-rs7975232-rs731236 CCGAA haplotype in the VDR gene was associated with a reduced risk of PSD (OR: 0.14, 95% CI: 0.03-0.65, p = 0.010), whereas no significant association was observed between haplotypes in the CYP2R1 and CYP24A1 genes and PSD.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that the polymorphisms of VitD metabolic pathway genes VDR and CYP27B1 may be associated with PSD in patients with ischemic stroke.

Vitamin D3 alleviates inflammation in ulcerative colitis by activating the VDR-NLRP6 signaling pathway

Inflammation is a key factor in the development of ulcerative colitis (UC). 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3, VD3), as the major active ingredient of vitamin D and an anti-inflammatory activator, is closely related to the initiation and development of UC, but its regulatory mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we carried out histological and physiological analyses in UC patients and UC mice. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), assays for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq), chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays and protein and mRNA expression were performed to analyze and identify the potential molecular mechanism in UC mice and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mouse intestinal epithelial cells (MIECs). Moreover, we established nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor protein nlrp6 -/- mice and siRNA-NLRP6 MIECs to further characterize the role of NLRP6 in anti-inflammation of VD3. Our study revealed that VD3 abolished NOD-like receptor protein 6 (NLRP6) inflammasome activation, suppressing NLRP6, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC) and Caspase-1 levels via the vitamin D receptor (VDR). ChIP and ATAC-seq showed that VDR transcriptionally repressed NLRP6 by binding to vitamin D response elements (VDREs) in the promoter of NLRP6, impairing UC development. Importantly, VD3 had both preventive and therapeutic effects on the UC mouse model via inhibition of NLRP6 inflammasome activation. Our results demonstrated that VD3 substantially represses inflammation and the development of UC in vivo. These findings reveal a new mechanism by which VD3 affects inflammation in UC by regulating the expression of NLRP6 and show the potential clinical use of VD3 in autoimmune syndromes or other NLRP6 inflammasome-driven inflammatory diseases.

An intronic DHCR7 genetic polymorphism associates with vitamin D serum level and incidence of acute coronary syndrome

INTRODUCTION

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to cardiovascular pathologies including acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Polymorphisms in vitamin D associated genes have been confounding to vitamin D serum levels and pathological predispositions. 7-hydrocholesterol is a common precursor in cholesterol and vitamin D synthesis. DHCR7/NADSYN1 genetic locus expresses 7-hydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR7), an enzyme that recruits 7-hydrocholesterol in cholesterol biosynthesis, and NAD synthetase 1 (NADSYN1), which participates in the hydroxylation of 25 hydroxyvitamin D.

AIM

This study aims to correlate two polymorphisms in the DHCR7/NADSYN1 genetic locus with levels of circulatory vitamin D and the presentation of ACS in an Egyptian population.

METHODS

In a case control study, 189 ACS patients and 106 healthy control subjects were genotyped for SNPs rs11606033 of the DHCR7 gene and rs2276360 of the NADSYN1 gene using the amplification-refractory mutation system (ARMS). The levels of 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3 were measured using an in-house developed and validated ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) based protocol.

RESULTS

ACS patients have significantly lower levels of circulating vitamin D in comparison to healthy controls. Allele A of the DHCR7 polymorphism was found to correlate with serum vitamin D deficiency and incidence of ACS classes: NSTEMI, STEMI and unstable angina, when compared to allele G. On the other hand, the NADSYN1 polymorphism rs2276360 correlated with serum 25(OH)D3 deficiency. Yet, no significant correlation was found with incidences of ACS.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that rs11606033, which is an intronic SNP between exon 4 and exon 5 of the DHCR7 gene, influences vitamin D serum abundance and more importantly ACS incidence.

Contribution of CYP24A1 variants in coronary heart disease among the Chinese population

Background

Cytochrome P450 (CYPs) participate in the mechanisms of cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the contributions of CYP24A1 variants to coronary heart disease (CHD) among the Chinese Han population.

Methods

This study included 505 CHD cases and 508 controls. Four variants of CYP24A1 (rs2762934, rs1570669, rs6068816 and rs2296241) were chosen and genotyped by the Agena MassARRAY system among the Chinese population. The linkage between CYP24A1 variants and CHD risk were assessed by logistic regression to compute the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Then, multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) was applied to analyze the interactions of CYP24A1 variants.

Results

The results of this study showed that CYP24A1 rs6068816 significantly enhanced CHD risk in multiple genetic models (allele: P = 0.014; codominant: P = 0.015; dominant: P = 0.043; recessive: P = 0.040; additive: P = 0.013), whereas rs2296241 was likely to protect individuals from CHD (codominant: P = 0.019; recessive: P = 0.013; additive: P = 0.033). Stratification analysis revealed that CYP24A1 polymorphisms had strong relationships with CHD risk that were dependent on age, sex, Gensini grade and smoking status (P <  0.05). Moreover, a four-locus model (rs2762934, rs1570669, rs6068816 and rs2296241) had significant impact on CHD risk in MDR analysis.

Conclusion

It revealed that CYP24A1 variants were significantly linked with CHD susceptibility in the Chinese population.

The association of megalin and cubilin genetic variants with serum levels of 25-hydroxvitamin D and the incidence of acute coronary syndrome in Egyptians: A case control study

Megalin and cubilin are two receptors that mediate endocytosis of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) for its final activation by hydroxylation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association of polymorphisms in megalin (rs2075252 and rs4668123) and cubilin (rs1801222 and rs12766939) with the circulating serum levels of 25(OH)D and with the early incidence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in Egyptians. The study included 328 subjects; 185 ACS patients aged between 27 and 60 years, and 143 healthy age-matched controls. Genotyping of cubilin rs12766939 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) was performed using Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) and for megalin rs4668123 and rs2075252 and cubilin rs1801222 by Polymerase Chain Reaction- Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). 25(OH)D levels were measured by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography- Tandem Mass Spectroscopy (UPLC-MS/MS). Results showed that vitamin D deficiency was highly linked to ACS incidence (P < 0.0001). The megalin rs4668123 CC, cubilin rs1801222 GG and cubilin rs12766939 GG + GA genotypes are associated with a higher ACS incidence and can be considered risk factors, according to Chi-squared test (P = 0.0003, 0.0442, 0.013 respectively). Conversely, the megalin rs2075252 SNP was not associated with increased ACS incidence. However, after performing multiple logistic regression analysis, only the megalin rs4668123 SNP was considered an independent ACS risk factor. Furthermore, the megalin rs4668123 CC genotype was associated with lower 25(OH)D levels (P = 0.0018). In conclusion, megalin rs4668123 (CC) was linked to lower 25(OH)D levels and can be considered an independent risk factor for incidence of ACS.