1
|
Fayez AG, Esmaiel NN, Ashaat EA, Refeat MM, Lotfy RS, Raouf HA, El Ruby MO. New drug-like small molecule antagonizes phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PIP3) in patients with conotruncal heart defects. J Taibah Univ Med Sci 2023; 18:1244-1253. [PMID: 37250809 PMCID: PMC10213100 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2023.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives Conotruncal heart defects (CTDs) are highly heritable, and approximately one-third of all congenital heart defects are due to CTDs. Through post-analysis of GWAS data relevant to CTDs, a new putative signal transduction pathway, called Vars2-Pic3ca-Akt, associated with CTD has been hypothesized. Here, we aimed to validate the Vars2-Pic3ca-Akt pathway experimentally by measuring Vars2 and PIP3 in patients with CTDs and controls, and to construct a PIP3 inhibitor, as one of harmful-relevant CTD pathogenesis, through an Akt-based drug design strategy. Methods rs2517582 genotype and relative Vars2 expression in 207 individuals were determined by DNA sequencing and qPCR respectively, and free plasma PIP3 in 190 individuals was quantified through ELISA. An Akt-pharmacophore feature model was used to discover PIP3 antagonists with multiple computational and drug-like estimation tools. Results CTD pathogenesis due to Vars2-Pic3ca-Akt overstimulation was confirmed by elevated Vars2 and PIP3 in patients with CTDs. We identified a new small molecule, 322PESB, that antagonizes PIP3 binding. This molecule was prioritized via virtual screening of 21 hypothetical small molecules and it showed minimal RMSD change, high binding affinity andlower dissociation constant than PIP3-Akt complex by 1.99 Kcal/Mol, thus resulting in an equilibrium shift toward 322PESB-Akt complex formation. Moreover, 322PESB exhibited acceptable pharmacokinetics and drug likeness features according to ADME and Lipinski's rule of five classifiers. This compound is the first potential drug-like molecule reported for patients with CTDs with elevated PIP3. Conclusion PIP3 is a useful diagnostic biomarker for patients with CTDs. The Akt-pharmacophore feature model is a feasible approach for discovery of PIP3 signalling antagonists. Further 322PESB development and testing are recommended.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alaaeldin G. Fayez
- Molecular Genetics and Enzymology Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Nora N. Esmaiel
- Molecular Genetics and Enzymology Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Engy A. Ashaat
- Clinical Genetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Miral M. Refeat
- Medical Molecular Genetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Randa S. Lotfy
- Molecular Genetics and Enzymology Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Haiam Abdel Raouf
- Immunogenetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Mona O. El Ruby
- Clinical Genetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Refeat MM, El Saied MM, Abdel Raouf ER. Diagnostic value of molecular approach in screening for fragile X premutation cases. Ir J Med Sci 2023; 192:2265-2272. [PMID: 36409419 PMCID: PMC10522757 DOI: 10.1007/s11845-022-03166-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common form of inherited intellectual disability, caused by CGG-repeats expansion (> 200 repeats). Premutation alleles (PM) (55-200 CGG repeats) are associated with tremor ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), fragile X-associated primary ovarian insufficiency (FXPOI), and autistic problems. AIM To screen the frequency of premutation carriers using molecular diagnostic assays, in a cohort of Egyptian males with suspected clinical features of (FXS) checking for the presence of premutation alleles. METHODS The current study comprised 192 Egyptian male children, 92 participants presented with intellectual disability, delayed language development, autistic-like features, behavioral difficulties, anxiety, seizures, and depression compared to 100 healthy males. All cases were subjected to clinical and neuroimaging assessments, when indicated as well as molecular analysis using methylation-specific PCR (MS-PCR) and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). RESULTS Thirty-four premutation carriers out of 92 Egyptian males (37%) of CGG repeats (55 to 200) were illustrated with elevated FMR1 mRNA expression level (p-value < 0.001). Additionally, 2 intermediate (IM) cases (0.03%) (45-55 CGG repeats) showed poor increase in expression level (p-value = 0.02838) plus 6 full mutation (FM) patients (0.07%) with (> 200 CGG repeats) (p-value < 0.001) resulted in FMR1 gene silence. CONCLUSION Molecular diagnostic assay including (MS-PCR) and (qRT-PCR) proved to be a sensitive and rapid screening tool for the detection of premutation cases. Furthermore, the presence of positive correlation between FMR1 mRNA expression levels with CGG repeats in premutation cases could serve as a potential diagnostic marker. Application of these diagnostic tools on larger number clinically suspected cases is recommended.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miral M Refeat
- Medical Molecular Genetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institution, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt.
| | - Mostafa M El Saied
- Department of Research On Children With Special Needs, Centre of Excellence of Medical Research, National Research Center, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ehab R Abdel Raouf
- Department of Research On Children With Special Needs, Centre of Excellence of Medical Research, National Research Center, Cairo, Egypt
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Refeat MM, Naggar WE, Saied MME, Kilany A. Whole exome screening of neurodevelopmental regression disorders in a cohort of Egyptian patients. Neurogenetics 2023; 24:17-28. [PMID: 36435927 PMCID: PMC9823068 DOI: 10.1007/s10048-022-00703-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Developmental regression describes a child who begins to lose his previously acquired milestones skills after he has reached a certain developmental stage and though affects his childhood development. It is associated with neurodegenerative diseases including leukodystrophy and neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis diseases (NCLs), one of the most frequent childhood-onset neurodegenerative disorders. The current study focused on screening causative genes of developmental regression diseases comprising neurodegenerative disorders in Egyptian patients using next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based analyses as well as developing checklist to support clinicians who are not familiar with these diseases. A total of 763 Egyptian children (1 to 11 years), mainly diagnosed with developmental regression, seizures, or visual impairment, were studied using whole exome sequencing (WES). Among 763 Egyptian children, 726 cases were early clinically and molecularly diagnosed, including 482 cases that had pediatric stroke, congenital infection, and hepatic encephalopathy; meanwhile, 192 had clearly dysmorphic features, 31 showed central nervous system (CNS) malformation, 17 were diagnosed by leukodystrophy, 2 had ataxia telangiectasia, and 2 were diagnosed with tuberous sclerosis. The remained 37 out of 763 candidates were suspected with NCLs symptoms; however, 28 were confirmed to be NCLs patients, 1 was Kaya-Barakat-Masson syndrome, 1 was diagnosed as infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy, and 7 cases required further molecular diagnosis. This study provided an NGS-based approach of the genetic causes of developmental regression and neurodegenerative diseases as it comprised different variants and de novo mutations with complex phenotypes of these diseases which in turn help in early diagnoses and counseling for affected families.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miral M. Refeat
- Department of Medical Molecular Genetics, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Walaa El Naggar
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Mostafa M. El Saied
- Department of Research On Children With Special Needs, Medical Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ayman Kilany
- Department of Research On Children With Special Needs, Medical Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Abdel Megeid AK, Refeat MM, Ashaat EA, El-Kamah G, El-Saiedi SA, Elfalaki MM, El Ruby MO, Amr KS. Correction: Correlating SFTPC gene variants to interstitial lung disease in Egyptian children. J Genet Eng Biotechnol 2022; 20:137. [PMID: 36129639 PMCID: PMC9492830 DOI: 10.1186/s43141-022-00420-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Miral M Refeat
- Medical Molecular Genetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Engy A Ashaat
- Clinical Genetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ghada El-Kamah
- Clinical Genetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | | | | | - Mona O El Ruby
- Clinical Genetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Khalda S Amr
- Medical Molecular Genetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Abdel Megeid AK, Refeat MM, Ashaat EA, El-Kamah G, El-Saiedi SA, Elfalaki MM, El Ruby MO, Amr KS. Correlating SFTPC gene variants to interstitial lung disease in Egyptian children. J Genet Eng Biotechnol 2022; 20:117. [PMID: 35939165 PMCID: PMC9360361 DOI: 10.1186/s43141-022-00399-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Background Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a broad heterogeneous group of lung disorders that is characterized by inflammation of the lungs. Surfactant dysfunction disorders are a rare form of ILD diseases that result from mutations in surfactant protein C gene (SFTPC) with prevalence of approximately 1/1.7 million births. SFTPC patients are presented with clinical manifestations of ILD ranging from fatal respiratory failure of newborn to chronic respiratory problems in children. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the spectrum of SFTPC genetic variants as well as the correlation of the SFTPC gene mutations with ILD disease in twenty unrelated Egyptian children with diffuse lung disease and suspected surfactant dysfunction using Sanger sequencing. Results Sequencing of SFTPC gene revealed five variants: c.42+35G>A (IVS1+35G>A) (rs8192340) and c.43-21T>C (IVS1-21T>C) (rs13248346) in intron 1, c.436-8C>G (IVS4-8C>G) (rs2070687) in intron 4, c.413C>A p.T138N (rs4715) in exon 4, and c.557G>Ap.S186N (rs1124) in exon 5. Conclusion The present study confirms the association of detecting variants of SFTPC with surfactant dysfunction disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Miral M Refeat
- Medical Molecular Genetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Engy A Ashaat
- Clinical Genetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ghada El-Kamah
- Clinical Genetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | | | | | - Mona O El Ruby
- Clinical Genetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Khalda S Amr
- Medical Molecular Genetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Refeat MM, Hassan NAM, Ahmad IH, Mostafa ERM, Amr KS. Correlation of circulating miRNA-33a and miRNA-122 with lipid metabolism among Egyptian patients with metabolic syndrome. J Genet Eng Biotechnol 2021; 19:147. [PMID: 34611771 PMCID: PMC8492848 DOI: 10.1186/s43141-021-00246-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Background Metabolic syndrome is defined as a group of interrelated biochemical, clinical, and metabolic factors that directly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. MicroRNA-33a (miR-33a) and MicroRNA-122 (miR-122) play a crucial role in various biological processes by regulating the gene expression level through post-transcriptional mechanisms, and alterations of their levels are associated with lipid and glucose metabolic disorders. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the correlation of miR-33a and miR-122 with obesity indices and glycemic parameters in a cohort of Egyptian patients. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using TaqMan assay was carried out to estimate the expression levels of miR-33a and miR-122 in serum samples of 100 patients diagnosed as having metabolic syndrome and 50 healthy controls. All patients (100%) had type 2 diabetes (by both history and laboratory assessment) and 70% were obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). Results Compared to controls, patients had significantly higher serum expression level of miR-33a (p value < 0.001) and miR-122 (p value = 0.0016). miR-33a was less expressed (downregulation expression) with 0.8 fold change in the patient group (obese and diabetic) compared to healthy controls, while miR-122 was highly expressed (upregulation expression) in the patient group of patients with 1.9 fold change. Clinical parameters as body mass index (BMI), wrist circumference (Wc), weight (Wt), and height (Ht) (all p < 0.001); total cholesterol (TC) (p = 0.0115); and triglyceride (TG) (p = 0.0286), all were significantly higher in patients compared to the healthy group. Both miRNAs show statistically significant correlations with clinical and biochemical parameters (p < 0.001). Conclusions Circulating miR-33a and miR-122 might be convincing as possible biomarkers for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miral M Refeat
- Medical Molecular Genetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Division, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | | | - Inass Hassan Ahmad
- Endocrinology Department, Medicine for Girls Faculty, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | | | - Khalda S Amr
- Medical Molecular Genetics Department, Human Genetics and Genome Research Division, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Refeat MM, Shalabi T, El-Bassyouni HT, Shaker M. The correlation of estrogen receptor 1 and progesterone receptor genes polymorphisms with recurrent pregnancy loss in a cohort of Egyptian women. Mol Biol Rep 2021; 48:4413-4420. [PMID: 34061327 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06459-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) represents one of the pregnancy complications affecting 1-3% of women. Sex hormones, progesterone and estrogen play a critical role in the maintenance of pregnancy; they are mediated by estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) and progesterone receptor (PR) genes respectively. Polymorphisms of (ESR1) and (PR) genes are linked to RPL. We aimed to explore the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of (ESR1) gene and (PR) gene with RPL in a cohort of Egyptian population (50 infertile Egyptian women who experienced RPL and 50 healthy women), using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (PCR-RFLP) of (ESR1) gene and DNA sequencing of exons 1 and 5 of (PR) gene. Genotyping of ESR1 gene SNP's: (rs2234693) and (rs9340799) revealed higher significance in cases compared to controls of p value (p = 0.006 and p = 0.001) respectively. However, the frequencies of the two variants in (PG) gene; S344T (rs3740753) (p = 0.0001) and H770H (rs1042839) (p = 0.001) were significantly higher in women compared to the healthy control women. New polymorphism P352Q was observed in 2% of cases (p = 0.0001). There was a significant association of SNP's of ESR1 and PR genes with recurrent pregnancy loss RPL. Further demographics studies should be carried on a larger number of women at risk of recurrent implantation to elucidate this SNP's association and its role in RPL women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miral M Refeat
- Human Genetics and Genome Research Division, Medical Molecular Genetics Department, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt.
| | - Taghreed Shalabi
- Human Genetics and Genome Research Division, Prenatal and Fetal Medicine Department, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hala T El-Bassyouni
- Human Genetics and Genome Research Division, Clinical Genetics Department, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mai Shaker
- Human Genetics and Genome Research Division, Prenatal and Fetal Medicine Department, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| |
Collapse
|