Association Analysis of WNT3, HLA-DRB5 and IL1R2 Polymorphisms in Chinese Patients With Parkinson's Disease and Multiple System Atrophy

Unraveling the Genetic Landscape of Neurological Disorders: Insights into Pathogenesis, Techniques for Variant Identification, and Therapeutic Approaches

Genetic abnormalities play a crucial role in the development of neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs). Genetic exploration has indeed contributed to unraveling the molecular complexities responsible for the etiology and progression of various NDDs. The intricate nature of rare and common variants in NDDs contributes to a limited understanding of the genetic risk factors associated with them. Advancements in next-generation sequencing have made whole-genome sequencing and whole-exome sequencing possible, allowing the identification of rare variants with substantial effects, and improving the understanding of both Mendelian and complex neurological conditions. The resurgence of gene therapy holds the promise of targeting the etiology of diseases and ensuring a sustained correction. This approach is particularly enticing for neurodegenerative diseases, where traditional pharmacological methods have fallen short. In the context of our exploration of the genetic epidemiology of the three most prevalent NDDs-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease, our primary goal is to underscore the progress made in the development of next-generation sequencing. This progress aims to enhance our understanding of the disease mechanisms and explore gene-based therapies for NDDs. Throughout this review, we focus on genetic variations, methodologies for their identification, the associated pathophysiology, and the promising potential of gene therapy. Ultimately, our objective is to provide a comprehensive and forward-looking perspective on the emerging research arena of NDDs.

The role of sphingosine-1-phosphate in the development and progression of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) could be viewed as a proteinopathy caused by changes in lipids, whereby modifications in lipid metabolism may lead to protein alterations, such as the accumulation of alpha-synuclein (α-syn), ultimately resulting in neurodegeneration. Although the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra is the major clinical manifestation of PD, the etiology of it is largely unknown. Increasing evidence has highlighted the important role of lipids in the pathophysiology of PD. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a signaling lipid, has been suggested to have a potential association with the advancement and worsening of PD. Therefore, better understanding the mechanisms and regulatory proteins is of high interest. Most interestingly, S1P appears to be an important target to offers a new strategy for the diagnosis and treatment of PD. In this review, we first introduce the basic situation of S1P structure, function and regulation, with a special focus on the several pathways. We then briefly describe the regulation of S1P signaling pathway on cells and make a special focused on the cell growth, proliferation and apoptosis, etc. Finally, we discuss the function of S1P as potential therapeutic target to improve the clinical symptoms of PD, and even prevent the progression of the PD. In the context of PD, the functions of S1P modulators have been extensively elucidated. In conclusion, S1P modulators represent a novel and promising therapeutic principle and therapeutic method for PD. However, more research is required before these drugs can be considered as a standard treatment option for PD.

The genetic basis of multiple system atrophy

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a heterogenous, uniformly fatal neurodegenerative ɑ-synucleinopathy. Patients present with varying degrees of dysautonomia, parkinsonism, cerebellar dysfunction, and corticospinal degeneration. The underlying pathophysiology is postulated to arise from aberrant ɑ-synuclein deposition, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. Although MSA is regarded as a primarily sporadic disease, there is a possible genetic component that is poorly understood. This review summarizes current literature on genetic risk factors and potential pathogenic genes and loci linked to both sporadic and familial MSA, and underlines the biological mechanisms that support the role of genetics in MSA. We discuss a broad range of genes that have been associated with MSA including genes related to Parkinson's disease (PD), oxidative stress, inflammation, and tandem gene repeat expansions, among several others. Furthermore, we highlight various genetic polymorphisms that modulate MSA risk, including complex gene-gene and gene-environment interactions, which influence the disease phenotype and have clinical significance in both presentation and prognosis. Deciphering the exact mechanism of how MSA can result from genetic aberrations in both experimental and clinical models will facilitate the identification of novel pathophysiologic clues, and pave the way for translational research into the development of disease-modifying therapeutic targets.

Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis to explore immune cell heterogeneity and novel biomarkers for the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma

Background: Single-cell RNA sequencing is necessary to understand tumor heterogeneity, and the cell type heterogeneity of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has not been fully studied.

Method: We first reduced the dimensionality of the GSE149655 single-cell data. Then, we statistically analysed the subpopulations obtained by cell annotation to find the subpopulations highly enriched in tumor tissues. Monocle was used to predict the development trajectory of five subpopulations; beam was used to find the regulatory genes of five branches; qval was used to screen the key genes; and cellchart was used to analyse cell communication. Next, we used the differentially expressed genes of TCGA-LUAD to screen for overlapping genes and established a prognostic risk model through univariate and multivariate analyses. To identify the independence of the model in clinical application, univariate and multivariate Cox regression were used to analyse the relevant HR, 95% CI of HR and p value. Finally, the novel biomarker genes were verified by qPCR and immunohistochemistry.

Results: The single-cell dataset GSE149655 was subjected to quality control, filtration and dimensionality reduction. Finally, 23 subpopulations were screened, and 11-cell subgroups were annotated in 23 subpopulations. Through the statistical analysis of 11 subgroups, five important subgroups were selected, including lung epithelial cells, macrophages, neuroendocrine cells, secret cells and T cells. From the analysis of cell trajectory and cell communication, it is found that the interaction of five subpopulations is very complex and that the communication between them is dense. We believe that these five subpopulations play a very important role in the occurrence and development of LUAD. Downloading the TCGA data, we screened the marker genes of these five subpopulations, which are also the differentially expressed genes in tumorigenesis, with a total of 462 genes, and constructed 10 gene prognostic risk models based on related genes. The 10-gene signature has strong robustness and can achieve stable prediction efficiency in datasets from different platforms. Two new molecular markers related to LUAD, HLA-DRB5 and CCDC50, were verified by qPCR and immunohistochemistry. The results showed that HLA-DRB5 expression was negatively correlated with the risk of LUAD, and CCDC50 expression was positively correlated with the risk of LUAD.

Conclusion: Therefore, we identified a prognostic risk model including CCL20, CP, HLA-DRB5, RHOV, CYP4B1, BASP1, ACSL4, GNG7, CCDC50 and SPATS2 as risk biomarkers and verified their predictive value for the prognosis of LUAD, which could serve as a new therapeutic target.