Improvement in ACE I/D polymorphism detection

ACE I/D gene polymorphisms and polycystic ovary syndrome manifestations

Objective

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common multifactorial endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age. ACE enzyme is involved in the physiopathology of the ovarian system, and there are inconsistencies between studies regarding the association between ACE gene variants and PCOS. The objective of this study is to evaluate the association between ACE I/D gene polymorphisms and PCOS, as well as its clinical manifestations, in Iranian women with PCOS.

Design

This study included 140 patients with PCOS and 153 controls without the disease. Samples were collected from Yas Hospital Complex in Tehran-Iran during 2018 to 2022. Genomic DNA was obtained from whole blood samples using salt extraction, and genotyping was carried out using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Results

Variants of DD, ID, and II were observed in 31.4, 44.3, and 24.3% of PCOS, and 38.6, 44.1, and 17.2% of control group, respectively. The frequency of ACE gene variants did not differ between PCOS patients and control group. A significant difference was observed between the frequency of elevated LH to FSH ratio > 2 and ACE gene polymorphisms in patients with PCOS (OR: 0.32 (0.12-0.88), P value 0.024) with lower frequency observed in D allele carriers.

Conclusion

This study indicate that although ACE I/D variants frequency in PCOS women is similar to non-PCOS women, it may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease through mechanisms regulating steroidogenesis in the ovary and suggests that ACE might be related to exacerbated clinical manifestations of PCOS which requires further investigations.

Association of Genotype, High-G Tolerance, and Body Composition in Jet Aircraft Aviators

INTRODUCTION

Pilots of high-performance F15 and F16 jets must undergo periodic assessment of +8.5 Gz tolerance in a centrifuge, which is classified as a high-intensity exercise. Prior research has indicated that exercise performance may be correlated with alpha-actinin3 (ACTN3) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) genes, frequently termed the sports genes. This study aimed to investigate how ACTN3 and ACE genotypes correlate with high-g tolerance of Korean F15 and F16 pilots.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 81 Korean F15 and F16 pilots (ages 25-39 years) volunteered to participate in human centrifuge testing at +8.5 Gz. Exercise tolerance was calculated as the mean breathing interval during high-g tests, the target gene genotypes (ACTN3 and ACE) were identified, and body composition measurements were measured. The relationship among the ACTN3 and ACE genotypes, high-g tolerance, and body compositions were evaluated.

RESULTS

The ACTN3 genotypes identified included 23 RR (28.4%), 41 RX (50.6%), and 17 XX (21.0%). The ACE genotypes identified included 13 DD (16.0%), 39 DI (48.2%), and 29 II (35.8%). Both genes satisfied an equilibrium check. In multivariate analysis by Roy's max, the interaction of the target genes (ACTN3 and ACE) was significant (P < .05). The ACTN3 gene showed significance (P < .05), while ACE tended toward significance with a correlation of P = .057 with high-g tolerance(s). Body composition parameters including height, body weight, muscle mass, body mass index, body fat (%), and basal metabolic rate showed no significant correlation with either genotype.

CONCLUSION

In a preliminary study, the RR ACTN3 genotype showed a significant correlation with +8.5 Gz tolerance. Pilots with the DI genotype showed the highest high-g tolerance in this test; however, the test pass rate was higher in pilots with the DD genotype in the preliminary study. This result shows the possibility of test passing and tolerance superiority consisting of two different factors in the relationship between high-g tolerance and ACE genotype. This study showed that pilots with the RR + DI genotype had the highest high-g tolerance, which correlated with the presence of the R and D alleles of the ACTN3 and ACE genes, respectively. However, body composition parameters were not significantly correlated with genotype. These results could suggest a plural gene effect on high-g tolerance; further follow-up is required to determine the practical usage and applications of these results.

Association of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) I/D variation with biochemical parameters and oxidative stress markers in systemic lupus erythematosus patients in west of Iran

PURPOSE

We aimed to study insertion/deletion (I/D) variation (rs4646994) of ACE gene in a group of SLE patients in west of Iran and its possible relationship with oxidative stress.

METHOD AND RESULTS

Genotypes and allele frequencies related to ACE (I/D) variation were determined in 108 SLE patients and 110 gender and age-matched healthy controls using PCR. Neopterin, malondialdehyde (MDA), and serum lipid concentrations were determined by HPLC and enzyme assay respectively. The overall distribution of ACE I/D genotypes in SLE patients was different from that of the control group (P = 0.005). DD genotype compared to ID genotype increased the risk of SLE (OR = 2.57, 95% CI 1.4-4.8, P = 0.003). ID genotype compared to the II genotype decreased the risk of disease (OR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.2-0.99, p = 0.042). SLE patients with DD, ID, and II genotypes had lower paraoxonase (PON) activity and higher serum levels of MDA and neopterin versus control patients. We also detected a significant protective effect against SLE in presence of ACE I alleles and lack of angiotensin II receptor, type 1 (AGTR1) A1166C (NCBI reference SNP id: rs5186), C alleles in this study (OR = 0.31, 95% CI 0.14-0.68, P = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Carriers of the DD genotype of ACE gene with higher serum concentrations of neopterin and MDA, and lower PON activity had a high risk to develop SLE, while ID genotype decreased the risk of disease development by 2.22 times compared to II genotype.

Fast high-throughput screening of angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion polymorphism by variable programmed electric field strength-based microchip electrophoresis

An insertion (I)/deletion (D) polymorphism in angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) has been associated with susceptibility to various diseases in numerous studies. Traditionally, slab gel electrophoresis (SGE) after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been used to genotype this ACE I/D polymorphism. In this study, single- and multi-channel microchip electrophoresis (ME) methods based on variable programmed electric field strength (PEFS) (i.e., low constant, high constant, (+)/(-) staircase, and random electric field strengths) were developed for fast high-throughput screening of this specific polymorphism. The optimum PEFS conditions were set as 470V/cm for 0-9s, 129V/cm for 9-13s, 470V/cm for 13-13.9s, 294V/cm for 13.9-16s, and 470V/cm for 16-20s for single-channel ME, and 615V/cm for 0-22.5s, 231V/cm for 22.5-28.5s, and 615V/cm for 28.5-40s for multi-channel ME, respectively. In the multi-channel PEFS-ME, target ACE I/D polymorphism DNA fragments (D=190bp and I=490bp) were identified within 25s without loss of resolving power, which was ∼300 times faster than conventional SGE. In addition, PCR products of the ACE gene from human blood samples were detected after only 10 cycles by multi-channel PEFS-ME, but not by SGE. This parallel detection multichannel-based PEFS-ME method offers a powerful tool for fast high-throughput ACE I/D polymorphism screening with high sensitivity.