Humans ; Cardiomyopathies/genetics* ; Prealbumin/genetics*

Amyloid Neuropathies, Familial/genetics* ; Humans ; Prealbumin/genetics*

Amyloid ; Amyloid Neuropathies, Familial/genetics* ; China ; Humans ; Mutation ; Prealbumin/genetics*

Amyloidosis/diagnostic imaging* ; Cardiomyopathies/diagnostic imaging* ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Humans ; Prealbumin/genetics*

OBJECTIVETo study the disease gene in a family with hereditary vitreous amyloidosis.

METHODSA family with hereditary vitreous amyloidosis was investigated. Blood samples were collected from 4 members of this family including 3 patients and 1 asymptomatic individual. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood sample and subjected to amplification of 4 exons of transthyretin (TTR) gene. The PCR products were purified and subjected to direct sequencing. A total of 150 unrelated individuals were used as controls.

RESULTSA heterozygous mutation G to C at codon 103 in exon 3 of TTR gene (Gly103Arg) was detected in all 4 members of the family but not in the unrelated controls.

CONCLUSIONThe heterozygous Gly103Arg mutation of TTR gene may be related to the development of hereditary vitreous amyloidosis in this family.

Amyloidosis, Familial ; genetics ; Base Sequence ; Exons ; genetics ; Female ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutation ; Pedigree ; Prealbumin ; genetics

BACKGROUNDMutations of transthyretin (TTR) cause the most common type of autosomal-dominant hereditary systemic amyloidosis, which occurs worldwide. To date, more and more mutations in the TTR gene have been reported. Some variations in the clinical presentation are often observed in patients with the same mutation or the patients in the same family. The purpose of this study was to find out the clinicopathologic and genetic features of Chinese patients with hereditary TTR amyloidosis.

METHODSClinical and necessary examination materials were collected from nine patients of eight families with hereditary TTR amyloidosis at Peking University First Hospital from January 2007 to November 2014. Sural nerve biopsies were taken for eight patients and skin biopsies were taken in the calf/upper arm for two patients, for light and electron microscopy examination. The TTR genes from the nine patients were analyzed.

RESULTSThe onset age varied from 23 to 68 years. The main manifestations were paresthesia, proximal and/or distal weakness, autonomic dysfunction, cardiomyopathy, vitreous opacity, hearing loss, and glossohypertrophia. Nerve biopsy demonstrated severe loss of myelinated fibers in seven cases and amyloid deposits in three. One patient had skin amyloid deposits which were revealed from electron microscopic examination. Genetic analysis showed six kinds of mutations of TTR gene, including Val30Met, Phe33Leu, Ala36Pro, Val30Ala, Phe33Val, and Glu42Gly in exon 2.

CONCLUSIONSSince the pathological examinations of sural nerve were negative for amyloid deposition in most patients, the screening for TTR mutations should be performed in all the adult patients, who are clinically suspected with hereditary TTR amyloidosis.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Amyloid Neuropathies, Familial ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; genetics ; Pedigree ; Prealbumin ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical and genetic features of familiar amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP).

METHODSThree families of suspected FAP in China mainland and Macau were investigated on aspects of clinical manifestations, histological features, and gene analysis.

RESULTSAll the 3 families had the clinical features of sensory and motor polyneuropathies, and notable vegetative nerve involvements. Affected cases of one family had ultrasound proved cardiomyopathy. Histological studies showed amyloid deposition in all the biopsy tissues of the affected cases of the 3 families, and anti-transthyretin antisera staining was positive in 3 cases of one family. Gene analysis confirmed that mutation types were amyloidogenic transthyretin (ATTR) Val30Met, Phe33Val, and Gly67Glu in the 3 families respectively. The ATTR Gly67Glu family had a shorter survival time due to the heart involvement compared with the other 2 families.

CONCLUSIONFAP is an autosomal dominant inherited disease, with its clinical manifestations related to the type of genetic mutation.

Adult ; Amyloid Neuropathies, Familial ; genetics ; pathology ; China ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Pedigree ; Phenotype ; Prealbumin ; genetics

GLuc (Gaussia luciferase) is a secreted luciferase with high sensitivity. In this study, we primarily compared expression character of PTTR with that of PCMV, relied on easy secretion, high sensitivity and simple and fast detection of GLuc. We firstly constructed two plasmids pAAV2-neo-TTR-GLuc and pAAV2-neo-CMV-GLuc. Then, 4 cell lines were transfected with the two plasmids in aid of Lipofectamine 2000, including Huh7 and HepG2, which are derived from liver cells, as well as HEK293 and HeLaS3 cells, which are non-liver cell lines. We monitored the expression of GLuc in the supernatant of these cell cultures at different time points post-transfection. Furthermore, we injected the two plasmids with different doses into BALB/c mice by the means of hydrodynamic delivery and monitored the GLuc expression in vivo with 2.5 microl tail tip blood since 2 h post-injection. The cell assay results suggested that the expression of GLuc driven by CMV promoter was significantly higher than that of GLuc driven by TTR promoter. And, the luciferase activity of GLuc driven by CMV promoter was 50-300 times higher than that of GLuc driven by TTR promoter in HEK293 and HeLaS3 cell lines, but less than 10 times higher than that of GLuc driven by TTR promoter in the HepG2 and Huh7 cell lines, indicating the relative liver-specificity of TTR promoter. In the animal assay, the higher luciferase activity was determined in CMV promoter group than in TTR promoter group at different doses of the two plasmids. But the expression patterns for the two promoters differed obviously. The expression of GLuc driven by CMV promoter reached the maximum 10 hours post-injection and declined rapidly; while the expression of GLuc driven by TTR promoter reached the maximum 48 hours after delivery, and declined very slowly. These results implied that PTTR could keep expression of driven gene in a long time although its expression intensity is lower than PCMV's. Thus, it is more suitable for maintaining longer expression of target genes in liver.
Animals ; Cell Line ; Cytomegalovirus ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression ; Gene Transfer Techniques ; Genes, Reporter ; Humans ; Luciferases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Prealbumin ; genetics ; metabolism ; Promoter Regions, Genetic

PURPOSE: Urosepsis in adults comprises approximately 25% of all sepsis cases, and is due to complicated urinary tract infections in most cases. However, its mechanism is not fully clarified. Urosepsis is a very complicated disease with no effective strategy for early diagnosis and treatment. This study aimed to identify possible target-related proteins involved in urosepsis using proteomics and establish possible networks using bioinformatics. METHODS: Fifty patients admitted to the Urology Unit of Lanzhou General PLA (Lanzhou, China), from October 2012 to October 2015, were enrolled in this study. The patients were further divided into shock and matched-pair non-shock groups. 2-DE technique, mass spectrometry and database search were used to detect differentially expressed proteins in serum from the two groups. RESULTS: Six proteins were found at higher levels in the shock group compared with non-shock individuals, including serum amyloid A-1 protein (SAA1), apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1), ceruloplasmin (CP), haptoglobin (HP), antithrombin-III (SERPINC1) and prothrombin (F2), while three proteins showed lower levels, including serotransferrin (TF), transthyretin (TTR) and alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M). CONCLUSION Nine proteins were differentially expressed between uroseptic patients (non-shock groups) and severe uroseptic patients (shock groups), compared with non-shock groups, serum SAA1, APOL1,CP, HP, SERPINC1and F2 at higher levels, while TF, TTR and A2M at lower levels in shock groups.these proteins were mainly involved in platelet activation, signaling and aggregation, acute phase protein pathway, lipid homeostasis, and iron ion transport, deserve further research as potential candidates for early diagnosis and treatment. (The conclusion seems too simple and vague, please re-write it. You may focus at what proteins have been expressed and introduce more detail about its significance.).
Adult ; Aged ; Antithrombin III ; Apolipoprotein L1 ; blood ; Ceruloplasmin ; Female ; Haptoglobins ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prealbumin ; Pregnancy-Associated alpha 2-Macroglobulins ; Proteomics ; Prothrombin ; Sepsis ; blood ; diagnosis ; etiology ; genetics ; Serum Amyloid A Protein ; Transferrin ; Urinary Tract Infections ; complications

Phenylketonuria is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a deficiency of phenylalanine hydroxylase. Transthyretin has been implicated as an indicator of nutritional status in phenylketonuria patients. In this study, we report that phenylalanine and its metabolite, phenylpyruvic acid, affect MAPK, changing transthyretin expression in a cell- and tissue-specific manner. Treatment of HepG2 cells with phenylalanine or phenylpyruvic acid decreased transcription of the TTR gene and decreased the transcriptional activity of the TTR promoter site, which was partly mediated through HNF4alpha. Decreased levels of p38 MAPK were detected in the liver of phenylketonuria-affected mice compared with wild-type mice. In contrast, treatment with phenylalanine increased transthyretin expression and induced ERK1/2 activation in PC-12 cells; ERK1/2 activation was also elevated in the brainstem of phenylketonuria-affected mice. These findings may explain between-tissue differences in gene expression, including Ttr gene expression, in the phenylketonuria mouse model.
Animals ; Brain Stem/metabolism/pathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Hep G2 Cells ; Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4/metabolism ; Humans ; Liver/*metabolism/pathology ; Mice ; Mice, Mutant Strains ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3/genetics/*metabolism ; Organ Specificity ; Phenylalanine/metabolism ; Phenylalanine Hydroxylase/deficiency ; Phenylketonurias/*genetics/metabolism/pathology/physiopathology ; Phenylpyruvic Acids/metabolism ; Prealbumin/*biosynthesis/genetics ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics/*metabolism