Assessment of GSTO1 (A140D) and GSTO2 (N142D) Gene Polymorphisms in Iranian Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Establishment of a zebrafish inbred strain, M-AB, capable of regular breeding and genetic manipulation

Inbred strains of organisms are genetically highly uniform and thus useful for life science research. We have previously reported the ongoing generation of the zebrafish IM strain from the India (IND) strain through full sib-pair mating for 16 generations. However, the IM fish laid a small number of offspring and had a short lifespan, implying the need for discreet care in breeding. Here, we report the subsequent establishment of IM strain as well as the generation of a new inbred zebrafish strain, Mishima-AB (M-AB). M-AB was derived from the *AB strain by full sib-pair mating for over 20 generations, which fulfills the general criterion for the establishment of an inbred strain. In contrast to the IM case, maintenance of the M-AB strain by sib-pair mating required almost no special handling. Genome sequencing of IM individuals from the 47th generation and M-AB individuals from the 27th generation revealed that SNP-based genomic heterogeneity across whole-genome nucleotides was 0.008% and 0.011%, respectively. These percentages were much lower than those of the parental IND (0.197%) and *AB (0.086%) strains. These results indicate that the genomes of these inbred strains were highly homogenous. We also demonstrated the successful microinjection of antisense morpholinos, CRISPR/Cas9, and foreign genes into M-AB embryos at the 1-cell stage. Overall, we report the establishment of a zebrafish inbred strain, M-AB, which is capable of regular breeding and genetic manipulation. This strain will be useful for the analysis of genetically susceptible phenotypes such as behaviors, microbiome features and drug susceptibility.

Interleukin-10 Gene Polymorphisms Modulate the Risk of Infertility in Chlamydia trachomatis Positive Kurdish Women in Erbil Province

Background

There is evident inter-individual variability in women's responses to Chlamydial infections and reproductive tract problems. Women's genetic variations within the Interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene have been linked to variances in response to Chlamydia trachomatis infection. This study was aimed to demonstrate the profound association of IL-10 with infertility and demonstrate the role of IL-10 (-592 C/A rs1800872) and (-1082 A>G rs1800896) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) gene in the susceptibility and severity of a C. trachomatis infection.

Methods

In this evaluation study, serum IL-10 concentration was measured in 134 women diagnosed with infertility and 50 healthy volunteers by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The tetra-amplification refractory mutation system-PCR (T-ARMS-PCR) analysis was performed to detect the genotyping of the rs1800872 and rs1800896 SNPs genes.

Results

Both female groups were positive for anti-chlamydial IgM antibody, but the intensity of response differed between cases. At the same time, the incidence of genital C. trachomatis by PCR was 46.2% in infertile women. The serum concentration of IL10 was lower in infertile women than healthy participants and higher in infertile C. trachomatis -positive women compared to infertile C. trachomatis-negative in all groups except endometriosis (Endo) infertility. In rs1800872, the CA genotype and C allele are associated with an increased risk for infertility, except in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which is an A allele. In the case of rs1800896, the AG genotype and G allele show a greater risk for infertility.

Conclusions

Our results confirmed that rs1800872 and rs1800896 gene polymorphisms were associated with an increased risk of C. trachomatis infection.

Exome-based genome-wide screening of rare variants associated with the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome

Purpose

Genetic factors associated with the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) remain largely unknown. Here, we conducted an optimal sequence kernel association test (SKAT-O), an exome-based rare variant association study, to clarify whether rare variants in specific genes contribute to the development of PCOS.

Methods

SKAT-O was performed using exome data of 44 Japanese patients with PCOS and 301 control women. We analyzed frequencies of rare probably damaging variants in the genome.

Results

Rare variants of GSTO2 were more commonly identified in the patient group than in the control group (6/44 vs. 1/301; Bonferroni-corrected p-value, 0.028), while the frequencies of variants in other genes were comparable between the two groups. The identified GSTO2 variants were predicted to affect the function, structure, stability, hydrophobicity, and/or the formation of intrinsically disordered regions of the protein. GSTO2 encodes a glutathione transferase that mediates the oxidative stress response and arsenic metabolism. Previously, common variants in GSTO2 and its paralog GSTO1 were associated with the risk of PCOS.

Conclusions

The results indicate that there are no genes whose rare variants account for a large fraction of the etiology of PCOS, although rare damaging variants in GSTO2 may constitute a risk factor in some cases.

Analysis of Gene Expression Microarray Data Reveals Androgen-Responsive Genes of Muscles in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Patients

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder that is characterized by hyperandrogenism. Therefore, information about androgen-induced molecular changes can be obtained using the tissues of patients with PCOS. We analyzed two microarray datasets of normal and PCOS muscle samples (GSE8157 and GSE6798) to identify androgen-responsive genes (ARGs). Differentially expressed genes were determined using the t-test and a meta-analysis of the datasets. The overlap between significant results of the meta-analysis and ARGs predicted from an external database was determined, and differential coexpression analysis was then applied between these genes and the other genes. We found 313 significant genes in the meta-analysis using the Benjamini–Hochberg multiple testing correction. Of these genes, 61 were in the list of predicted ARGs. When the differential coexpression between these 61 genes and 13,545 genes filtered by variance was analyzed, 540 significant gene pairs were obtained using the Benjamini–Hochberg correction. While no significant results were obtained regarding the functional enrichment of the differentially expressed genes, top-level gene ontology terms were significantly enriched in the list of differentially coexpressed genes, which indicates that a broad range of cellular processes is affected by androgen administration. Our findings provide valuable information for the identification of ARGs.

Glutathione S-Transferase Omega-2 and Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Polymorphisms in Iranian Glaucoma Patients

Background

To investigate the association of glutathione s-transferase omega 2 (GSTO2) (142N > D) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) (869T > C) gene polymorphisms on the pathogenesis of two common types of glaucoma (including primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and chronic angle-closure glaucoma (CACG)) in the Iranian population.

Methods

A total of 100 glaucoma patients (60% males and 40% females with an age mean ± SD of 34.66 ± 14.25 years; 56 cases of POAG and 44 cases of CACG) were enrolled in this study. GSTO2 (142N > D) and TGF-β1 (869T > C) polymorphisms were evaluated by PCR-based methods in patients and controls.

Results

At locus GSTO2 (142N > D), the odds of ND genotype with respect to DD and NN genotypes were 1.55 and 2.08 times higher in POAG and CACG patients compared to those of patients in the control group (95% CI₁: 0.80–2.98; 95% CI₂: 1.00–4.33) which was statistically significant in CACG patients. However, the odds of DD and NN genotypes against the reference genotype in two patients group were not statistically significant as compared to those of patients in the control group. There was a significant association between the ND genotype and male patients (OR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.06–4.92). The analysis of TGF-β1 (869T > C) polymorphisms showed no significant difference between the genotypes of TGF-β1 (869T > C) polymorphisms in patients and control groups; however, the CT genotype of TGF-β1 significantly differed between female controls and patients (OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.18–0.96).

Conclusion

The presented results revealed that there was a significant association between the ND genotype of GSTO2 and the pathogenesis of glaucoma. Furthermore, this genotype can be considered as a sex-dependent genetic risk factor for the development of glaucoma. In contrast, the CT genotype of TGF-β1 is suggested to be a protective genetic factor against the pathogenesis of glaucoma.