Apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC) expression profiles in familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients with different MEFV mutation patterns.

OBJECTIVES: The inflammasome complex and the inflammatory pathway have been implicated in the pathogenesis of the most common autoinflammatory disorder, familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). Pyrin, the protein product of the FMF gene MEFV, interacts with the inflammasome complex adaptor protein ASC/PYCARD (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein with a CARD). Pyrin and ASC can both function as either inducers or suppressors of the cellular inflammatory response. We aimed to characterize ASC-induced gene expression profiles in FMF patients with different MEFV mutation patterns. METHODS: A total of 165 Caucasian patients with clinical and molecular FMF diagnoses were enrolled in the study. ASC gene expression was quantified by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: ASC mRNA expression was increased in the MEFV mutation-positive group compared to the mutation-negative group (p = 0.001). The fold changes of ASC expression in the M694V homozygous (p = 0.02), M694V heterozygous (p = 0.012), compound heterozygous (p = 0.002), and R202Q/P369S/R408Q (p = 0.00) groups relative to the MEFV mutation-negative group were +2.4, +2.7, +3, and +3.4, respectively. qRT-PCR did not reveal a significant difference in ASC mRNA expression levels among the MEFV mutation-positive groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: ASC mRNA expression was up-regulated in patients carrying MEFV mutations independent of mutation type. There was no significant relationship between specific MEFV genotypes and the level of ASC expression in the patient group analysed. Thus, the findings of this work may suggest a crucial relationship between mutant MEFV/pyrin and remarkable ASC up-regulation in FMF inflammation.

Candidate gene analysis of organ pigmentation loci in the Solanaceae.

Ten structural genes from the Capsicum (pepper) carotenoid biosynthetic pathway have been localized on a (Capsicum annuum x Capsicum chinense)F(2) genetic map anchored in Lycopersicon (tomato). The positions of these genes were compared with positions of the same genes in tomato when known, and with loci from pepper, potato, and tomato that affect carotenoid levels in different tissues. C2, one of three phenotypically defined loci determining pepper fruit color, cosegregated with phytoene synthase. The capsanthin-capsorubin synthase (Ccs) locus, shown previously to cosegregate with Y, another pepper fruit color locus, mapped to pepper chromosome 6. Other structural genes in pepper corresponded to loci affecting carotenoid production as follows: Ccs in pepper and the B locus for hyperaccumulation of beta-carotene in tomato fruit mapped to homeologous regions; the position of the lycopene beta-cyclase gene in pepper may correspond to the lutescent-2 mutation in tomato; and the lycopene epsilon-cyclase locus in pepper corresponded to the lycopene epsilon-cyclase locus/Del mutation for hyperaccumulation of delta-carotene in tomato fruit. Additional associations were seen between the structural genes and previously mapped loci controlling quantitative variation in pepper and tomato fruit color. These results demonstrate that comparative analyses using candidate genes may be used to link specific metabolic phenotypes and loci that affect these phenotypes in related species.