RESUMEN
Lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), originally collected as renewable sources of DNA, are now being used as a model system to study genotype-phenotype relationships in human cells, including searches for QTLs influencing levels of individual mRNAs and responses to drugs and radiation. In the course of attempting to map genes for drug response using 269 LCLs from the International HapMap Project, we evaluated the extent to which biological noise and non-genetic confounders contribute to trait variability in LCLs. While drug responses could be technically well measured on a given day, we observed significant day-to-day variability and substantial correlation to non-genetic confounders, such as baseline growth rates and metabolic state in culture. After correcting for these confounders, we were unable to detect any QTLs with genome-wide significance for drug response. A much higher proportion of variance in mRNA levels may be attributed to non-genetic factors (intra-individual variance--i.e., biological noise, levels of the EBV virus used to transform the cells, ATP levels) than to detectable eQTLs. Finally, in an attempt to improve power, we focused analysis on those genes that had both detectable eQTLs and correlation to drug response; we were unable to detect evidence that eQTL SNPs are convincingly associated with drug response in the model. While LCLs are a promising model for pharmacogenetic experiments, biological noise and in vitro artifacts may reduce power and have the potential to create spurious association due to confounding.
Asunto(s)
Linfocitos/efectos de los fármacos , Linfocitos/metabolismo , Sitios de Carácter Cuantitativo , ARN Mensajero/metabolismo , Línea Celular , ADN Mitocondrial/genética , ADN Mitocondrial/metabolismo , Resistencia a Medicamentos/genética , Resistencia a Medicamentos/inmunología , Perfilación de la Expresión Génica , Variación Genética , Herpesvirus Humano 4/genética , Herpesvirus Humano 4/inmunología , Humanos , FenotipoRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Variation in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on chromosome 6p21 is known to influence susceptibility to multiple sclerosis with the strongest effect originating from the HLA-DRB1 gene in the class II region. The possibility that other genes in the MHC independently influence susceptibility to multiple sclerosis has been suggested but remains unconfirmed. METHODS: Using a combination of microsatellite, single nucleotide polymorphism, and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing, we screened the MHC in trio families looking for evidence of residual association above and beyond that attributable to the established DRB1*1501 risk haplotype. We then refined this analysis by extending the genotyping of classical HLA loci into independent cases and control subjects. RESULTS: Screening confirmed the presence of residual association and suggested that this was maximal in the region of the HLA-C gene. Extending analysis of the classical loci confirmed that this residual association is partly due to allelic heterogeneity at the HLA-DRB1 locus, but also reflects an independent effect from the HLA-C gene. Specifically, the HLA-C*05 allele, or a variant in tight linkage disequilibrium with it, appears to exert a protective effect (p = 3.3 x 10(-5)). INTERPRETATION: Variation in the HLA-C gene influences susceptibility to multiple sclerosis independently of any effect attributable to the nearby HLA-DRB1 gene.
Asunto(s)
Predisposición Genética a la Enfermedad , Complejo Mayor de Histocompatibilidad/genética , Esclerosis Múltiple/genética , Adulto , Femenino , Antígenos HLA-D/genética , Humanos , Masculino , Repeticiones de Microsatélite , Persona de Mediana Edad , Polimorfismo de Nucleótido SimpleRESUMEN
Leptin resistance is a common feature of obesity and the metabolic syndrome. However, the regulated expression of the leptin receptor (Ob-R) has not been studied in detail. Expression profiling of liver mRNA in leptin-treated wild-type mice revealed a marked increase in leptin receptor mRNA levels, which had not previously been described. This was confirmed by isoform-specific real-time PCR, which showed a >25-fold increase in the mRNAs encoding the short forms (Ob-Ra, Ob-Rc) and a >10-fold increase in the mRNA encoding the long (Ob-Rb) form of the leptin receptor in liver. In parallel, we also observed induction of plasma-soluble leptin receptor (SLR) protein by leptin administration, pair feeding, and short term food restriction. However, induction of SLR by leptin is abolished in mice with selective deletion of Ob-R from liver using Cre-LoxP technology. These data suggest that the liver is a major source of Ob-R mRNA expression under conditions of negative energy balance. Membrane-bound Ob-R is then shed into the circulation as SLR. Our study thus reveals an unexpected role of the liver in modulating total circulating leptin levels and possibly its biological activity.