mRNA Expression Level of Interleukin Genes in the Determining Phases of Behçet's Disease

mRNA Expression Profile of SFKs and Involvement of SFKs in the Regulation of LPS-Induced Erk1/2 Signaling in PBMCs of Active BD Patients

BACKGROUND

Behcet's Disease (BD) is a multisystemic inflammatory disorder affecting large vessels, lungs joints, gastrointestinal and neurological systems. The pathogenesis of BD remains poorly understood. Identifying the key signaling pathway is crucial for a complete understanding of the pathogenesis of BD.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine mRNA expression level of Src family kinases (SFKs) members and their involvement in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) regulation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of active BD patients.

METHODS

Twenty- five active BD patients and twenty-five healthy controls were included in the study. PBMCs were isolated from total blood by density gradient centrifugation. The mRNA expression levels of SFKs members were measured by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The effect of SFKs activity on LPS-induced activation MAPKs (Erk1/2, p38 and JNK) was examined by Western blot.

RESULTS

The mRNA expression levels of Hck, Src, Lyn, Yes and Fyn were found to be slightly decreased in active BD patients compared to the control subjects, but a slight change in mRNA level of SFKs members did not impact on protein levels and protein activity. LPS-induced Erk1/2 phosphorylation was significantly increased in the absence of SFKs activity in active BD patients. However, inhibition of SFKs activity had no effect on LPS-induced phosphorylation of p38 and JNK in both controls and active BD patients.

CONCLUSION

SFKs downregulate LPS-induced Erk1/2 phosphorylation in PBMCs of active BD patients.

Cytokine, C-Reactive Protein, and Heat Shock Protein mRNA Expression Levels in Patients with Active Behçet's Uveitis

Background

To investigate the gene expression levels of interleukin 10 (IL10), IL18, interferon gamma (IFNG), IFN-gamma receptor (IFNGR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in patients with active Behçet’s uveitis.

Material/Methods

Forty patients with Behçet’s disease diagnosed according to the International Study Group criteria and 30 healthy individuals were included in the study. IL10, IL18, IFNG, IFNGR, CRP, and HSP70 gene expression levels were compared.

Results

Expression levels of IL18, IFNG, IFNGR, and CRP were significantly higher in patients with active Behçet’s uveitis than in control subjects (P<0.01 for all), whereas no significant differences were found in IL10 and HSP70 gene expression levels (P>0.01 for both).

Conclusions

IL18, IFNG, IFNGR, and CRP gene expression is significantly increased in active Behçet’s uveitis. There was no significant difference between active Behçet’s uveitis patients and controls in terms of IL10 and HSP70 gene expression levels. We conclude that drugs prescribed to Behçet’s patients with active uveitis downregulate gene expression.

Determination of Genes Related to Uveitis by Utilization of the Random Walk with Restart Algorithm on a Protein-Protein Interaction Network

Uveitis, defined as inflammation of the uveal tract, may cause blindness in both young and middle-aged people. Approximately 10–15% of blindness in the West is caused by uveitis. Therefore, a comprehensive investigation to determine the disease pathogenesis is urgent, as it will thus be possible to design effective treatments. Identification of the disease genes that cause uveitis is an important requirement to achieve this goal. To begin to answer this question, in this study, a computational method was proposed to identify novel uveitis-related genes. This method was executed on a large protein–protein interaction network and employed a popular ranking algorithm, the Random Walk with Restart (RWR) algorithm. To improve the utility of the method, a permutation test and a procedure for selecting core genes were added, which helped to exclude false discoveries and select the most important candidate genes. The five-fold cross-validation was adopted to evaluate the method, yielding the average F1-measure of 0.189. In addition, we compared our method with a classic GBA-based method to further indicate its utility. Based on our method, 56 putative genes were chosen for further assessment. We have determined that several of these genes (e.g., CCL4, Jun, and MMP9) are likely to be important for the pathogenesis of uveitis.

Epigenetic alterations in chronic disease focusing on Behçet's disease: Review

OBJECTIVE

'Epigenetics' is specified as the inheritable changes in gene expression with no alterations in DNA sequences. Epigenetics is a rapidly overspreading scientific field, and the study of epigenetic regulation in chronic disease is emerging. This study aims to evaluate epigenetic changes including DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in inflammatory disease, with focus on Behçet's disease. In this review, first we describe the history and classification of epigenetic changes, and then the role of epigenetic alterations in chronic diseases is explained.

METHODS

Systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library was conducted for all comparative studies since 2000 to 2015 with the limitations of the English language.

RESULTS

For a notable period of time, researchers have mainly focused on the epigenetic pathways that are involved in the modulation of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory genes. Recent studies have proposed a central role for chronic inflammation in the pathogenesis of chronic disease, including Behçet's disease.

CONCLUSION

Studies have been reported on the epigenetic of BD showed the role of alterations in the methylation level of IRS elements; histone modifications such as H3K4me27 and H3K4me3; up regulation of miR-182 and miR-3591-3p; down regulation of miR-155, miR-638 and miR-4488 in the pathogenesis of the disease.

The potential of genetically guided treatment in Behçet's disease

Continuous identification of specific targets and candidate genes together with novel approaches offers new promises for the future of gene therapy design in Behçet's disease (BD). Personalized medicine based on pharmacogenomics is being developed at the clinical stage to improve treatment response. Screening the whole gene and regulatory regions is important when searching for novel variants associated with such complex diseases. Different host genetic factors play significant roles in susceptibility to BD. Thus, identifying these genes responsible for susceptibility and resistance to BD may offer a notable contribution toward understanding its pathogenesis, and may lead to the development of novel prophylactic and treatment strategies. Evidenced-based treatment strategy is recommended for the management in BD patients. This review sheds light on the immunopathogenesis and pharmacogenetics of BD with special attention to the treatment targeting gene polymorphisms. In conclusion, the potential of genetically guided treatment in BD takes us back to the future for an accurate management strategy of this serious rheumatic disease. The ongoing discovery of pivotal genes related to the susceptibility, manifestations, disease activity and treatment options provide substantial hope to the reduced frequency of BD, effective control and improvement in the prognosis. Targeted gene therapy could be a leading option in the treatment armamentarium of BD.