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Introduction Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is an autosomal recessive genetic disease of iron regulation associated with iron overload and failure of several organs. Whether mutations in the hemochromatosis (HFE) gene increase cardiovascular disease risk is still undetermined. In the present study, we aimed to analyse the influence of HFE C282Y gene mutation on the risk of development of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the north Indian population. Materials and method The study included hundred CAD patients who showed presence of greater than 50% luminal stenosis in at least one major coronary artery in angiography. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes of CAD patients using a DNA extraction kit (Gene Aid, India) following the manufacturer's protocol. The HFE C282Y gene mutation was investigated by AS-PCR. Results The results showed that out of 100 CAD patients 19 patients were positive for HFE C282Y mutation and 81 patients were negative for mutation. We also evaluated HFE C282Y gene mutation frequency in CAD patients with respect to disease severity and we found there was no significant difference of mutation frequency observed with respect to disease severity in CAD patients cohort i e, those with single coronary artery or those with 2/3 coronary arteries involvement. Conclusion This study concludes that C282Y mutation plays no significant role in coronary artery disease development or its severity. Thus, there is a need to study this mutation in a large cohort of samples so as to elucidate the exact role of C282Y mutation in CAD.

Transcriptional silencing induced by hypermethylation of CpG islands in the promoter regions of genes is believed to be an important mechanism of carcinogenesis in human cancers including epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Previously published data on gene methylation of EOC focused mainly on single gene or on cancer tissues. Objectives of the study were to estimate the promoter hypermethylation status of DAPK1 and p16INK4a genes in circulating blood of EOC patients and to determine their association with clinicopathological features of EOC. This case–control study included 50 EOC patients and 20 apparently healthy and age matched female controls. Isolation of genomic DNA was carried out from peripheral venous blood. Methylation in promoter region of DAPK1 and p16INK4a genes was determined by methylation-specific PCR. Methylation of DAPK1 was occurred in 42 out of 50 cases (84.0%) and methylation of p16INK4a gene was occurred in 34 out of 50 cases (68.0%). Methylation of both genes was occurred in 25 cases (50.0%). Occurrence of methylation in DAPK1 and p16INK4a genes was statistically significant (p

GAPDH, a heme chaperone, has been previously implicated in the incorporation of heme into iNOS and soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC). Since sGC is critical for myoglobin (Mb) heme-maturation, we investigated the role of GAPDH in the maturation of this globin, as well as hemoglobins α, β, and γ. Utilizing cell culture systems, we found that overexpression of wild-type GAPDH increased, whereas GAPDH mutants H53A and K227A decreased, the heme content of Mb and Hbα and Hbβ. Overexpression of wild-type GAPDH fully recovered the heme-maturation inhibition observed with the GAPDH mutants. Partial rescue was observed by overexpression of sGCβ1 but not by overexpression of a sGCΔβ1 deletion mutant, which is unable to bind the sGCα1 subunit required to form the active sGCα1β1 complex. Wild type and mutant GAPDH was found to be associated in a complex with each of the globins and Hsp90. GAPDH at endogenous levels was found to be associated with Mb in differentiating C2C12 myoblasts, and with Hbγ or Hbα in differentiating HiDEP-1 erythroid progenitor cells. Knockdown of GAPDH in C2C12 cells suppressed Mb heme-maturation. GAPDH knockdown in K562 erythroleukemia cells suppressed Hbα and Hbγ heme-maturation as well as Hb dimerization. Globin heme incorporation was not only dependent on elevated sGCα1β1 heterodimer formation, but also influenced by iron provision and magnitude of expression of GAPDH, d-aminolevulinic acid, and FLVCR1b. Together, our data support an important role for GAPDH in the maturation of myoglobin and γ, β, and α hemoglobins.

The influence of Estrogen Receptor 1 (ESR1) gene -397T>C (PvuII) and -351A>G (XbaI) polymorphisms on the risk of development of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the north Indian population was analysed. We hypothesized that ESR1 gene polymorphisms may influence the susceptibility to CAD through variation in Estrogen Receptor α (ERα) expression. To assess this concept, we evaluated ERα mRNA expression in blood plasma of CAD patients. The study included hundred CAD patients who showed presence of greater than 50% luminal stenosis in at least one major coronary artery in angiography along with hundred age and sex matched healthy controls. The ESR1 polymorphisms were investigated by PCR–RFLP. Quantitative Real Time PCR was carried out for the measurement of ERα mRNA expression. The results showed that genotypic frequencies of ESR1 -397T>C and -351A>G gene polymorphisms were significantly higher in CAD patients than control subjects (p C polymorphism, the ERα mRNA expression was highest in CAD patients with wild type homozygous TT genotype (2−∆ct = 0.28). A mutant ‘C’ allele, dose dependent, significant decrease in trend in ERα mRNA expression was observed, with lowest expression in mutant homozygous CC genotype (2−∆ct = 0.09), and intermediate expression level in heterozygous TC genotype (2−∆ct = 0.14) subgroups of CAD patients. In conclusion, this study demonstrates a significantly heightened risk of CAD associated with the inheritance of mutant genotypes of ESR1 -397T>C and -351A>G gene polymorphisms, in the north Indian population. This is the first report of a lowered ERα mRNA expression in conjunction with the presence of mutant ‘C’ allele of ESR1 -397T>C polymorphism with consequent increased CAD susceptibility.

Background:Epithelial ovarian cancer continues to be a deleterious threat to women as it is asymptomatic and is typically detected in advanced stages. Cogent non-invasive biomarkers are therefore needed which are effective in apprehending the disease in early stages. Recently, miRNA deregulation has shown a promising magnitude in ovarian cancer tumorigenesis. miRNA-145(miR- 145) is beginning to be understood for its possible role in cancer development and progression. In this study, we identified the clinicopathological hallmarks altered owing to the downexpression of serum miR-145 in EOC.Methods:70 serum samples from histopathologically confirmed EOC patients and 70 controls were collected. Total RNA from serum was isolated by Trizol method, polyadenylated and reverse transcribed into cDNA. Expression level of miR-145 was detected by miRNA qRT-PCR using RNU6B snRNA as reference.Results:The alliance of miR-145 profiling amongst patients and controls established itself to be conspicuous with a significant p-value (pConclusion:Our results propose that miR-145 down-regulation might be a possible touchstone for disease progression and be identified as a diagnostic marker and predict disease outcome in EOC patients.

Sphingosine-1-Phosphate (S1P) plays an important role in normal physiology, inflammation, initiation and progression of cancer. Deregulation of S1P signaling causes aberrant proliferation, affects survival, leads to angiogenesis and metastasis. Sphingolipid rheostat is crucial for cellular homeostasis. Discrepancy in sphingolipid metabolism is linked to cancer and drug insensitivity. Owing to these diverse functions and being a potent mediator of tumor growth, S1P signaling might be a suitable candidate for anti-tumor therapy or combination therapy. In this review, with a focus on colorectal cancer we have summarized the interacting partners of S1P signaling pathway, its therapeutic approaches along with the contribution of S1P signaling to various cancer hallmarks.

Cancer is one of the major global health problems, responsible for the second-highest number of deaths. The genetic and epigenetic changes in the oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes alter the regulatory pathways leading to its onset and progression. Conventional methods are used in appropriate combinations for the treatment. Surgery effectively treats localized tumors; however, it fails to treat metastatic tumors, leading to a spread in other organs, causing a high recurrence rate and death. Among the different strategies, the nanocarriers-based approach is highly sought for, but its nonspecific delivery can cause a profound side effect on healthy cells. Targeted nanomedicine has the advantage of targeting cancer cells specifically by interacting with the receptors overexpressed on their surface, overcoming its non-specificity to target healthy cells. Nanocarriers prepared from biodegradable and biocompatible materials are decorated with different ligands by encapsulating therapeutic or diagnostic agents or both to target cancer cells overexpressing the receptors. Scientists are now utilizing a theranostic approach to simultaneously evaluate nanocarrier bio-distribution and its effect on the treatment regime. Herein, we have summarized the recent 5-year efforts in the development of the ligands decorated biodegradable nanocarriers, as a targeted nanomedicine approach, which has been highly promising in the treatment of cancer.

Background: The protein coded by the cystathionine β synthase (CBS) gene acts as a catalyzer and converts homocysteine to cystathionine. Impairment of the CBS gene leads to homocystinuria by cystathionine β synthase deficiency which is linked to Coronary Artery Disease. A number of polymorphisms studies have been performed on the cystathionine β synthase gene. In the current study, we planned to analyze the influence of CBS T833C gene polymorphism(exon 8 cystathionine rs5742905T T>C), its association with Coronary Artery Disease development, and its progression in the north Indian population. Materials and Methods: The present study comprises 100 angiographically confirmed CAD patients and 100 age and sex-matched healthy controls. A total of 50% or more luminal stenosis at one major coronary artery was considered for the inclusion criteria of the cases. The investigation of T833C polymorphism in the CBS gene was performed by PCR- RFLP technique. Result: As a result, we found that homozygous mutant (CC) and heterozygous (TC) genotypes of CBS T833C gene polymorphism were significantly higher in CAD patients than in healthy subjects. We also observed a substantially increased CAD risk in dominant, codominant inheritance, and allele-specific models for the CBS T833C gene polymorphism. We analyzed the differential distribution with respect to disease severity, but there was no significant association (p=0.96). Conclusion: In conclusion, this study demonstrates that CBS T833C gene polymorphism plays a key role in developing coronary artery disease and its progression.

Escalated PD-L1 expression has been identified during malignant transformation in a number of cancer types and helps cancer cells escape an effective anti-tumor immune response. The mechanisms underlying escalated production of PD-L1 in many cancers, however, are still far from clear. We studied PD-L1, STAT3 and STAT5 mRNA expression using qRT-PCR in 72 BCR/ABL1 negative myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) patients (39 polycythemia vera and 33 essential thrombocythemia). Furthermore, phosphorylation status of STAT3 and STAT5 was studied using immunoblotting in the same patients. All MPN patients were first screened for JAK2 (V617F) mutation by tetra-primer ARMS-PCR, followed by quantification of JAK2 (V617F) mutation burden in all V617F positive MPN patients by ASO-PCR. Patients were screened for BCR/ABL1 fusion gene transcripts to rule out Ph positive status. Our findings showed that mRNA levels of PD-L1 and STAT3 were significantly higher in JAK2 (V617F) MPN patients, while as STAT5 was insignificantly upregulated. STAT3 and STAT5 phosphorylation was seen to be higher in JAK2 (V617F) MPN patients compared to the JAK2 (WT) patients. Upregulation of PD-L1, STAT3 and STAT5 was significantly associated with JAK2 (V617F) percentage in MPN patients. PD-L1, STAT3 and STAT5 expression significantly and positively correlated with JAK2 (V617F) allele burden. In addition, significant coexpression of PD-L1 with STAT3 and STAT5 was observed in MPN patients. In summary, JAK2 (V617F) mutation is accompanied by increased PD-L1 expression and this PD-L1 over expression is mediated by JAK2 (V617F) mainly through STAT3, while as STAT5 may play a minor role.

The asymptomatic behaviour of esophageal cancerous cells at early stages develops advanced clinical presentation of the disease, resulting in poor prognosis and curbed intervention of therapeutic modalities. The endeavours to detect diagnostic and prognostic markers have been proven futile at the clinical platform. While several biomarkers have been investigated, including CYFRA 21-1, carcinoembryonic antigen and squamous cell carcinoma antigen, their sensitivity has not proved consistently satisfactory across the various stages of esophageal cancer. Hence, there is an impending requirement of biomarkers for early diagnosis and better prognosis. In the recent past, next generation sequencing (NGS) tool has emerged as an important tool to highlight the hallmarks of esophageal cancer (EC). This review summarizes the changes/mutations occurred in tumor cells during carcinogenesis and addresses the contribution of NGS techniques, viz. whole genome sequencing (WGS), RNA-Sequencing and Exome sequencing (ES), in EC. Additionally, this review highlights the connection between the findings from these techniques. An effort has been made to emphasize the genes affected and involved signaling pathway in EC. Further, investigations of these mutated genes would not only shed light on the relevant genes to be studied but also help in the better management and cure through personalized therapy.

Despite extensive clinical research and management protocols applied in the field of coronary artery diseases (CAD), it still holds the number 1 position in mortality worldwide. This indicates that we need to work on precision medicine to discover the diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic targets to improve the outcome of CAD. In precision medicine, epigenetic changes play a vital role in disease onset and progression. Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes that do not affect the alterations of DNA sequence in the genome. It comprises various covalent modifications that occur in DNA or histone proteins affecting the spatial arrangement of the DNA and histones. These multiple modifications include DNA/histone methylation, acetylation, phosphorylation, and SUMOylation. Besides these covalent modifications, non-coding RNAs—viz. miRNA, lncRNA, and circRNA are also involved in epigenetics. Smoking, alcohol, diet, environmental pollutants, obesity, and lifestyle are some of the prime factors affecting epigenetic alterations. Novel molecular techniques such as next-generation sequencing, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and mass spectrometry have been developed to identify important cross points in the epigenetic web in relation to various diseases. The studies regarding exploration of epigenetics, have led researchers to identify multiple diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets that are being used in different disease diagnosis and management. Here in this review, we will discuss various ground-breaking contributions of past and recent studies in the epigenetic field in concert with coronary artery diseases. Future prospects of epigenetics and its implication in CAD personalized medicine will also be discussed in brief.

GABA has always been an inviting target in the etiology and treatment of epilepsy. The GABRA1, GABRG2, and GABRD genes provide instructions for making α1, ϒ2, and δ subunits of GABAA receptor protein respectively. GABAA is considered as one of the most important proteins and has found to play an important role in many neurological disorders. We explored the association of GABAA receptor gene mutation/SNPs in JME and LGS patients in Indian population. A total of 100 epilepsy syndrome patients (50 JME and 50 LGS) and 100 healthy control subjects were recruited and analyzed by AS-PCR and RFLP-PCR techniques. In our study, GABRA1 965 C > A mutation and 15 A > G polymorphism gene may play an important role in modulating the drug efficacy in LGS patients. The GABRA1 15 A > G polymorphism may also play an important role in the susceptibility of LGS and the inheritance of GG genotype of this polymorphism may provide an increased risk of development of LGS. The GABRG2 588 C > T polymorphism may decrease the duration of seizures in JME patients. The GABRD 659 G > A polymorphism may play an important role in the susceptibility of JME and LGS and this polymorphism may also increase the duration of postictal period in JME patients but may decrease the duration of seizure in LGS patients.

Introduction: Epilepsy is the most common heterogeneous neurological disorder affecting approximately 42 million people worldwide. Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is a common form of idiopathic generalized epilepsy representing 5-10% of all epilepsy cases. Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is one of the most severe epileptic encephalopathies of childhood onset, the cause of which may be symptomatic, i.e., secondary to an underlying brain disorder or cryptogenic, i.e., with no known cause. Sodium channels are integral membrane proteins which play a central role in neuronal membrane excitability and action potential generation. Alpha subunit of voltage gated sodium channels encoded by SCN1A, SCN2A and other genes is pivotal for neuronal signalling. It was planned to analyse the roles of SCN1A Thr1067Ala and SCN2A Arg19Lys polymorphisms in the pathophysiology and risk JME and LGS in the Indian population. Methods: A total of 50 JME patients, 50 LGS Patients and 100 age and sex matched healthy volunteers were recruited in this study. The genotyping of SCN1A Thr1067Ala i.e., 3184 A>G (rs2298771) and SCN2A Arg19Lys i.e., 56 G>A (rs17183814) polymorphism was performed by polymerase chain reaction- restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. Results: The SCN1A Thr1067Ala polymorphism genotypic distribution in LGS was significantly different from the normal population (P=0.008), with mutant homozygous (GG) plus heterozygous (AG) genotypes’ percentage in LGS patients (16%) being lower than in healthy controls (24%). Frequency of the mutant ‘G’ allele of this SNP in LGS patients was 0.1, while it was 0.2 in control subjects (P=0.04). These observations which suggest a protective role of SCN1A Thr1067Ala polymorphism in LGS, were in sync with computation of an odds ratio of 0.21 (95% CI 0.07 to 0.66, p=0.005) for the GG genotype in LGS patients. Though no correlation of SCN1A Thr1067Ala SNP with the severity of disease phenotype in LGS viz. frequency/duration of seizures etc. was noted, a conflicting finding was the significant association of its mutant genotypes with an early age of onset of the syndrome (p=0.007). Contrary to the findings in SCN1A Thr1067Ala, in case of SCN2A Arg19Lys polymorphism, though a significantly different genotypic distribution was present in LGS, in comparison to normal population (p=0.03), the mutant homozygous (AA) and heterozygous (GA) combined percentage in LGS patients (16%) was greater than in healthy controls (11%). This was complemented by observation of an odds ratio of 4.24 (95% CI 1.15 to 15.55, p=0.029, in case of LGS patients with heterozygous (GA) genotype, indicative of an increased disease susceptibility. Unlike LGS, in JME patients no significant differences in genotypic/allelic frequencies of SCN1A Thr1067Ala and SCN2A Arg19Lys polymorphisms were noted and the associated odds ratios for mutant genotypes were also non-significant. Conclusion: The SCN1A Thr1067Ala and SCN2A Arg19Lys polymorphisms may play contrary roles in the pathophysiology of LGS. Inheritance of SCN1A Thr1067Ala mutant allele decreases the susceptibility for LGS occurrence, and may hamper Na+ channels opening and neuronal excitability. On the other hand, the mutant allele of SCN2A Arg19Lys polymorphism confers an increased risk for development of LGS, consequent to a likely facilitatory effect on action potential generation and misfiring in neurons. Neither of these two SNPs appears to influence the pathogenesis/susceptibility to JME.

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor has been implicated in many malignant and non-malignant diseases. Platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α is a tyrosine kinase and a side target for imatinib, a revolutionary drug for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia that has dramatically improved the survival of chronic myeloid leukemia patients. Given the importance of platelet-derived growth factor receptor in platelet development and its inhibition by imatinib, it was intriguing to analyze the role of platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α in relation to imatinib treatment in the development of imatinib-induced thrombocytopenia in chronic myeloid leukemia patients. We hypothesized that two known functional polymorphisms, +68GA insertion/deletion and −909C/A, in the promoter region of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α gene may affect the susceptibility of chronic myeloid leukemia patients receiving imatinib treatment to the development of thrombocytopenia. A case-control study was conducted among a cohort of chronic myeloid leukemia patients admitted to the Lok Nayak Hospital, New Delhi, India. A set of 100 patients of chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase and 100 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were studied. After initiation of imatinib treatment, the hematological response of chronic myeloid leukemia patients was monitored regularly for 2 years, in which the development of thrombocytopenia was the primary end point. Platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α promoter polymorphisms +68GA ins/del and −909C/A were studied by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. Platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α messenger RNA expression was evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The messenger RNA expression results were expressed as 2 −Δct ± standard deviation. The distribution of +68GA ins/del promoter polymorphism genotypes differed significantly between the thrombocytopenic and non-thrombocytopenic chronic myeloid leukemia patient groups (p

Background Mutations in Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) genes are the genetic characteristic of BCR-ABL1-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). JAK2 V617F mutation is frequently found in Polycythemia Vera (PV) and Essential Thrombocythemia (ET). We aimed to determine the effect of JAK2 V617F on expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and its regulator miR-21. Materials and Methods Seventy two (72) (MPN) patients were screened for JAK2 V617F burden using ASO-PCR. Out of 72 MPN patients, 58 were JAK2 V617F positive and 14 were JAK2 V617F negative. BCR/ABL1 fusion gene transcript screening by multiplex PCR was done to rule out Philadelphia positive MPN. We performed SYBR green based qRT-PCR assay to characterize relative STAT3, PTEN mRNA expression and miR21 expression in 72 MPN patients. Results The mRNA expression levels of STAT3 and PTEN and mi-21 expression in all MPN patients were evaluated and compared withJAK2 (V617F) and JAK2 (WT) MPN patients. We identified that STAT3 mRNA expression was significantly upregulated in patients with JAK2 (V617F) genotype (mean fold±SD=2.14 ±1.2) compared to patients with JAK2 (WT) genotype (mean fold±SD=1.23±0.95). Further, we observed a significantly increased miR 21 expression (mean fold±SD=2.18±0.44) in JAK2 (V617F) patients in comparison to JAK2 (WT) patients (mean fold±SD=1.70±0.49) (p = 0.0003). In addition, we observed that PTEN expression was substantially and significantly downregulated in JAK2 (V617F) patients (mean fold±SD= 1.73 ± 0.36) compared JAK2 (WT) patients (mean fold±SD=2.55 ± 0.25) (p Conclusion In summary, STAT3 activation caused by JAK (V617F) mutation in MPN patients causes overexpression of miR-21 which leads to downregulation of tumour supressor PTEN MPN patients. Thus, our suggests that JAK2 activated STAT3/miRNA-21 may play a valuable prognostic biomarker for MPN.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) has a typical progressive course with transition from a less aggressive chronic phase to a terminal more aggressive blast crisis. The molecular mechanisms leading to CML disease progression remain to be elucidated. However, it has been proposed in many studies that alterations in the methylation status of various genes may contribute to the progression of different malignancies. Hence, in this study we tried to understand the role of aberrant methylation of six tumor suppressor genes in the disease progression and molecular response in CML. We investigated 100 CML patients and 100 age and sex matched healthy controls for the methylation status of six tumor suppressor genes. The methylation status of these genes was evaluated by MS-PCR. In this study, 100 CML samples and 100 controls were analyzed for the DAPK1, RASSF1A, RIZ-1, p16, p14ARF and SOCS-1 promoter methylation status. These genes, except p14ARF and SOCS-1 showed significant differences in methylation status among CML patients and healthy controls. Also DAPK1, RASSF1A, RIZ-1, p16 and p14ARF genes were observed to be hypermethylated during progression of CML disease to advanced phases. The methylation frequencies of these five genes were seen to increase progressively during CML disease progression. This increase in hypermethylation of these five genes from was statistically significant with a p-value of We also assessed the molecular response of these 100 CML patients after imatinib therapy and the patients were categorized into two groups; major molecular response group and loss of molecular response group. Out of 100 CML patients on imatinib therapy 52 achieved major molecular response while 48 patients showed loss of molecular response. Out of the above studied genes RASSF1 and RIZ1 promoter hypermethylation was significantly associated with loss of molecular response in CML patients receiving imatininb therapy. Out of 48 CML patients who were in loss of molecular response, 23.0% and 16.77% showed promoter hypermethylation of RASSF1 and RIZ1 genes respectively while out of 52 patients that were in major molecular response only 9.6% and 1.92% of patients showed hypermethylation in RASSF1 and RIZ1 genes respectively. These results suggest that hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes plays a significant role in the progression and response in CML. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Mamta P. Sumi, Sameer A. Guru, Imtiyaz A Najar, Mariyam Zuberi, N. Gupta, Alpana Saxena. Hypermethylation in promoter regions of CpG islands of multiple genes is associated with disease progression and molecular response in chronic myelogenous leukemia [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 831.