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Golomb BA, Kelley RI, Han JH, Miller B, Bui L. Gulf war illness: a tale of two genomes. BMC Res Notes 2024; 17:230. [PMID: 39169443 PMCID: PMC11337741 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-024-06871-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Gulf War illness (GWI) is an environmentally-triggered chronic multisymptom illness typified by protean symptoms, in which mitochondrial impairment is evident. It has been likened to accelerated aging. Nuclear genetics of detoxification have been linked to GWI. OBJECTIVE To see whether mitochondrial (mt) haplogroup U - a heritable profile of mitochondrial DNA that has been tied to aging-related conditions - significantly predicts greater GWI severity; and to assess whether GWI severity is influenced by mitochondrial as well as nuclear genetics. 54 consenting Gulf War veterans gave information on GWI severity, of whom 52 had nuclear DNA assessment; and 45 had both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA assessments. Regression with robust standard errors assessed prediction of GWI severity as a function of nuclear genetics (butyrylcholinesterase variants), mitochondrial genetics (haplogroup U, previously tied to aging-related conditions); or both. RESULTS BChE "adverse" variants significantly predicted GWI severity (β(SE) = 23.4(11.4), p = 0.046), as did mt haplogroup U (β(SE) = 36.4(13.6), p = 0.010). In a model including both, BChE was no longer significant, but mt haplogroup U retained significance (β(SE) = 36.7(13.0), p = 0.007). This is the first study to show that mitochondrial genetics are tied to GWI severity in Gulf-deployed veterans. Other data affirm a tie to nuclear genetics, making GWI indeed a "tale of two genomes."
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice A Golomb
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, CA, U.S.A..
| | - Richard I Kelley
- Department of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, 02115, Boston, MA, U.S.A
| | - Jun Hee Han
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, CA, U.S.A
| | - Bruce Miller
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, CA, U.S.A
| | - Leeann Bui
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, CA, U.S.A
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, 95128, San Jose, CA, U.S.A
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Vahey J, Gifford EJ, Sims KJ, Chesnut B, Boyle SH, Stafford C, Upchurch J, Stone A, Pyarajan S, Efird JT, Williams CD, Hauser ER. Gene-Toxicant Interactions in Gulf War Illness: Differential Effects of the PON1 Genotype. Brain Sci 2021; 11:1558. [PMID: 34942860 PMCID: PMC8699623 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11121558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
About 25-35% of United States veterans who fought in the 1990-1991 Gulf War report several moderate or severe chronic systemic symptoms, defined as Gulf War illness (GWI). Thirty years later, there is little consensus on the causes or biological underpinnings of GWI. The Gulf War Era Cohort and Biorepository (GWECB) was designed to investigate genetic and environmental associations with GWI and consists of 1343 veterans. We investigate candidate gene-toxicant interactions that may be associated with GWI based on prior associations found in human and animal model studies, focusing on SNPs in or near ACHE, BCHE, and PON1 genes to replicate results from prior studies. SOD1 was also considered as a candidate gene. CDC Severe GWI, the primary outcome, was observed in 26% of the 810 deployed veterans included in this study. The interaction between the candidate SNP rs662 and pyridostigmine bromide (PB) pills was found to be associated with CDC Severe GWI. Interactions between PB pill exposure and rs3917545, rs3917550, and rs2299255, all in high linkage disequilibrium in PON1, were also associated with respiratory symptoms. These SNPs could point toward biological pathways through which GWI may develop, which could lead to biomarkers to detect GWI or to better treatment options for veterans with GWI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Vahey
- Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center-Durham, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, NC 27705, USA; (J.V.); (E.J.G.); (K.J.S.); (B.C.); (S.H.B.); (C.S.); (J.U.); (J.T.E.); (C.D.W.)
- Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27705, USA
| | - Elizabeth J. Gifford
- Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center-Durham, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, NC 27705, USA; (J.V.); (E.J.G.); (K.J.S.); (B.C.); (S.H.B.); (C.S.); (J.U.); (J.T.E.); (C.D.W.)
- Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy, Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Kellie J. Sims
- Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center-Durham, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, NC 27705, USA; (J.V.); (E.J.G.); (K.J.S.); (B.C.); (S.H.B.); (C.S.); (J.U.); (J.T.E.); (C.D.W.)
| | - Blair Chesnut
- Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center-Durham, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, NC 27705, USA; (J.V.); (E.J.G.); (K.J.S.); (B.C.); (S.H.B.); (C.S.); (J.U.); (J.T.E.); (C.D.W.)
| | - Stephen H. Boyle
- Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center-Durham, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, NC 27705, USA; (J.V.); (E.J.G.); (K.J.S.); (B.C.); (S.H.B.); (C.S.); (J.U.); (J.T.E.); (C.D.W.)
| | - Crystal Stafford
- Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center-Durham, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, NC 27705, USA; (J.V.); (E.J.G.); (K.J.S.); (B.C.); (S.H.B.); (C.S.); (J.U.); (J.T.E.); (C.D.W.)
| | - Julie Upchurch
- Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center-Durham, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, NC 27705, USA; (J.V.); (E.J.G.); (K.J.S.); (B.C.); (S.H.B.); (C.S.); (J.U.); (J.T.E.); (C.D.W.)
| | - Annjanette Stone
- Pharmacogenomics Analysis Laboratory, Research Service, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA;
| | - Saiju Pyarajan
- Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA;
| | - Jimmy T. Efird
- Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center-Durham, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, NC 27705, USA; (J.V.); (E.J.G.); (K.J.S.); (B.C.); (S.H.B.); (C.S.); (J.U.); (J.T.E.); (C.D.W.)
| | - Christina D. Williams
- Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center-Durham, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, NC 27705, USA; (J.V.); (E.J.G.); (K.J.S.); (B.C.); (S.H.B.); (C.S.); (J.U.); (J.T.E.); (C.D.W.)
| | - Elizabeth R. Hauser
- Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center-Durham, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, NC 27705, USA; (J.V.); (E.J.G.); (K.J.S.); (B.C.); (S.H.B.); (C.S.); (J.U.); (J.T.E.); (C.D.W.)
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27701, USA
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