Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX), an autosomal recessive lipid-storage disorder with prominent neurological features, was first described by van Bogaert et al. in 1937. A deficiency of the mitochondrial sterol 27-hydroxylase due to mutations in the CYP27 gene (CYP27) blocks the oxidization of cholesterol side chain at the first step in the formation of bile acids. The accumulation of great amount of cholesterol and cholestanol in various tissues, especially in tendons and neural system, leads to the clinical symptoms including dementia, juvenile cataracts, xanthoma, cerebellar syndrome, atherosclerosis and a variety of neurological dysfunctions in CTX subjects. The diagnosis can be made by demonstrating elevated level of cholestanol in the serum and apprearance of xanthoma in tendon. There is a high prevalence of CTX in the Japanese, Sephardim Jewish and Italian populations. Here in this investigation, a one-reported pedigree of three affected individuals with typical characteristics of CTX and a heterozygous paternal carrier in Taiwan were assembled. The first part of the project was to clarify the genetic causes of these CTX patients and to design a series of analytical tests for achieving rapid and correct confirmation of the diagnosis. First, 3¡¦ and 5¡¦-flanking region as well as all 8 introns and 9 exons fragments of CYP27 were amplified from genomic DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and followed by single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) under optimal conditions. The SSCP patterns were identical among CTX subjects, the carrier, and normal controls for all exons except exon 2, implying some kind of mutation may exist on it. Then, direct DNA sequencer analysis was performed on the suspected PCR fragment of exon 2. A new homozygous mutation of one base-pair deletion of cytosine at codon 326 on exon 2 was found in all three CTX subjects in this family. This novel point deletion of cytosine at Pro102 (CCT) would cause a frameshift in mRNA (Pro102 ¡÷Leu) and result in the appearance of a premature termination condon (TGA) to substitute for Val106(GTG). This severe mistake would cause the breakdown in the normal function of sterol 27-hydroxylase and lead to CTX. However, gene analysis could not represent the corresponding functional proteins under various post-translational modifications in complex biological systems. Proteome is the set of expressed protein complement of a genome and proteomic analysis has been widely used in studies of life sciences. The second part of this study is to characterize the pathological mechanism of CTX patients with serum protein profiles and leukocytes isolated from CTX subjects by means of proteomic technologies, including two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and MALDI-TOF analysis. The results showed that the amount of vinculin, ABP-280, talin and vimentin in leukocytes of CTX patients increased significantly, reflecting the changes in membrane dynamics concerning cholestanol accumulation. The expression of target proteins in CTX patients and control was further confirmed by Western blotting with specific antisera which indicated the same tendency as 2-DE data. This is the first report to integrate both genomic and proteomic concepts for analyzing the possible mechanisms of CTX and information provided by this report should be very helpful for the future studies on CTX.

Lung cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in Taiwan in 2003. However, lung cancer has become the first in 2004. Discovering the new molecular targets may provide new methods for the treatments of this devastating disease. LKB1, a serine/threonine kinase, is a new tumor suppressor gene with spontaneous mutations and/or deletions found in human cancers. Reports have recently demonstrated that LKB1 inactivating mutations in lung adenocarcinomas of sporadic origin, including primary tumors and lung cancer cell lines. In this study, we investigated LKB1 gene inactivation frequencies in 110 Taiwan patients with non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) and 7 lung cancer cell lines. LKB1 inactivation was screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), sequencing, co-amplification and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis. In addition, LKB1 expressions were determined in clinical samples by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in cell lines by reverse-transcriptase PCR and western blot analysis. The results showed five out of 110 (4.5%) patients with LKB1 gene exon 8 deletions. Two out these 5 patients were also found with exon 7 deletions. An identical mutation at codon 354 (Phe to Leu) were found in 4 out of 65 (6.2%) patients. The nature of this mutation was found to be a new LKB1 polymorphism by single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) assay and sequencing analysis after compared to normal controls. Various point mutations were also found in 3 out of 7 cell lines. In addition, 11 out of 81 (13.6%) patients were found with LOH. Finally, reduced expressions of LKB1 were observed in lung cancer clinical samples. These data suggest that LKB1 may be a tumor suppressor gene that involved in the carcinogenesis of NSCLC.

The exact role of mycoplasma in feline ocular and respiratory disease is not yet understood. The results of previous studies are contradictory in this regard. There is some evidence to suggest that M. felis has a pathogenic role in such diseases, but it is inconclusive. / The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and anatomical distribution of mycoplasmas in a population of shelter cats, to determine which species were present, and establish the association of their presence with ocular or respiratory disease. / The prevalence of mycoplasma in the 110 cats examined was 71.8%, as determined by in vitro culture. Mycoplasma was most commonly isolated from the pharynx, followed by the bronchus and conjunctiva. In infected cats, mycoplasmas were likely to be isolated from multiple anatomical sites. / The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify part of the 16S rRNA gene, and the mutation scanning technique non-isotopic single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) was utilised to delineate mycoplasma isolates based on nucleotide sequence variation. PCR-SSCP proved to be a useful method to screen large numbers of samples for variation and to group them according to species. / The species of mycoplasma identified by nucleotide sequencing were M. felis and M. gateae. It was not determined whether it was possible to differentiate between M. gateae and M. arginini based on SSCP profile results with the target DNA region used due to their almost identical nucleotide sequence. This group of M. gateae/M. arginini served as a useful non-pathogenic comparison group to M. felis. / There was no statistically significant difference between M. felis and the M. gateae/M. arginini group with respect to prevalence or anatomic distribution. There was no evidence of any association of mycoplasma with disease linked to any of the anatomic locations studied. / Mycoplasmas were isolated from the lower respiratory tract in 42.7% of cats. The isolation of mycoplasmas from the lower respiratory tract of healthy cats has been reported once, but this is the first report of M. felis being isolated from this location in healthy cats. This finding indicates that the isolation of mycoplasmas from the lower respiratory tract is not sufficient evidence to implicate a role in respiratory disease. / Mycoplasmas were not significantly involved in ocular or respiratory disease in the population of cats studied. More likely, they are commensal organisms in the conjunctiva, pharynx and bronchus. Whether they are capable of playing an opportunistic role in disease, or what conditions may facilitate such a role remains to be determined.

A incidência do melanoma, tumor maligno que se origina dos melanócitos, vem crescendo em todo o mundo. História familial positiva da doença tem sido relatada em 8 a 14% dos pacientes afetados. Muitos estudos sugeriram o envolvimento da região 9p21, onde se encontra o gene CDKN2A, no surgimento dessa neoplasia. Este é um gene supressor tumoral clássico e a inativação dos dois alelos tem sido detectadas em linhagens celulares tumorais de famílias com melanoma hereditário e esporádico. Mutações em linhagens germinativas do gene CDKN2A têm sido identificadas em aproximadamente 20% das famílias com melanoma familial. Utilizando técnicas de biologia molecular como Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase (PCR), Conformação Estrutural de Fita Simples (SSCP) e seqüenciamento, este projeto estudou 22 pacientes com critérios clínicos de melanoma hereditário e encontrou uma mutação (P48T) em um paciente numa família de três afetados. Em 13 casos foi identificado pelo menos um dos três polimorfismos: 500 C>G (31,9%), 540 C>T (27,3%) e A148T (4,5%). Os resultados demonstram a importância da pesquisa de mutações no gene CDKN2A principalmente em famílias com dois ou mais membros afetados pela doença. / The incidence of melanoma, malign tumor that originates from melanocytes, is increasing all over the world. Positive familial history of disease has been related in 8 to 14% of affected patients. Several studies have suggest the 9p21 region evolvement, where is located the CDKN2A gene, in the arising of this neoplasia. It is a classic tumor suppressor gene and the inactivation of two alleles has been detected in tumor cells lines of families with hereditary and sporadic melanoma. Nowadays germeline mutations in CDKN2A gene have been identified in almost 20% of families with familial melanoma. Using molecular biology techniques like Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Single Strand Conformational Polymorphism (SSCP) and sequencing, this project studied 22 patients with clinical pattern of hereditary melanoma and it found one mutation (P48T) in one patient belonged to a three affected family. Thirteen cases had at least one of the three polymorphisms: 500 C>G (31,9%), 540 C>T (27,3%) e A148T (4,5%). The results show the importance of the search for mutations in the CDKN2A gene mainly in families with two or more affected by disease.

A síndrome de Treacher Collins (STC) é um distúrbio do desenvolvimento craniofacial de herança autossômica dominante causada por mutações no gene TCOF1, localizado no cromossomo 5 (5q32). Utilizando as técnicas de SSCP e seqüenciamento, estabelecemos um método eficiente para a detecção de mutações no gene TCOF1, o que permitiu oferecer o teste diagnóstico aos pacientes com suspeita clínica de STC. Identificamos a mutação responsável pela síndrome em 39/43 (90,7%) dos pacientes atendidos pelo Centro de Estudos do Genoma Humano e em 23/48 (48%) dos pacientes encaminhados pelo Johns Hopkins Medical Institute. Desse modo, caracterizamos 43 novas mutações patogênicas e 16 novos polimorfismos no gene TCOF1. A detecção de uma troca de aminoácido de caráter patogênica em uma região conservada da proteína nos levou a propor a existência de um domínio funcional importante nessa região. Realizamos triagem de mutações no gene TCOF1 em 24 pacientes com anomalias faciais em estruturas derivadas do 1o e 2o arcos branquiais, mas sem diagnóstico de STC. Nenhuma mutação patogênica foi encontrada nesses casos, indicando que a STC, apesar de apresentar uma grande variabilidade clínica, é uma entidade circunscrita. Triamos também, pela primeira vez, duas famílias cujo padrão de segregação do quadro clínico sugere um padrão de herança autossômico recessivo. Também nesse caso não encontramos mutação no gene TCOF1, apesar de uma análise de segregação com marcadores da região 5q31-q34 não ter excluído essa região de uma possível relação com a síndrome. Testamos, empregando pela primeria vez ferramentas moleculares, a hipótese que as mutações esporádicas que causam a STC têm origem preferencial na linhagem germinativa de homens mais velhos. Ao contrário do sugerido pela literatura, em dez casos informativos encontramos 70% das mutações no cromossomo herdado do pai e 30% de origem materna e nenhuma correlação com aumento de idade paterna. / Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is an autosomal dominant disorder affecting craniofacial development. The syndrome is caused by mutations in the TCOF1 gene, located in chromosome 5 (5q32). Combining SSCP and sequencing, we established an efficient method of screening for mutations in the TCOF1 gene, allowing us to offer diagnostic tests to patients with clinical signs of TCS. We detected a pathogenic mutation in 39/43 (90.7%) of patients ascertained at the Centro de Estudos do Genoma Humano and in 23/48 (48%) of patients referred to Johns Hopkins Medical Institute. We therefore characterized 43 novel pathogenic mutations and 16 novel polymorphisms in the TCOF1 gene. We described a pathogenic missense mutation located in a conserved region of the protein, which led us to propose the existence of a critical function domain in its N-terminus. After screening 24 patients with craniofacial anomalies resembling TCS but without a precise clinical diagnosis for mutations in the TCOF1 gene, we found no pathogenic mutation and concluded that, despite its broad clinical spectrum, TCS is well characterized in clinical grounds. We also screened, for the first time, two families in which the segregation of the phenotype suggested autosomal recessive inheritance. No mutation was detected in these families, despite linkage analysis with markers from 5q31-34 not excluding this region. We used molecular techniques for the first time to test the hypothesis that sporadic mutations in TCS arise preferentially in the male germ line and their frequency increases with age. As opposed to what the literature suggested, in ten informative cases we had 7 mutations of paternal origin and 3 originating in the female germ line, with no detectable age effect.

Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio (fiscina@bahia.fiocruz.br) on 2012-08-30T20:27:31Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Taise Lima de Oliveira Caracterização clínica e molecular de pacientes com hipertireodismo....pdf: 583769 bytes, checksum: 1d1d8e16ece954c3ead88d0648b4eeea (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-08-30T20:27:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Taise Lima de Oliveira Caracterização clínica e molecular de pacientes com hipertireodismo....pdf: 583769 bytes, checksum: 1d1d8e16ece954c3ead88d0648b4eeea (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, Bahia, Brasil / O hipotireoidismo congênito (HC) é uma das doenças metabólicas mais comuns na infância, com incidência de HC é de 1:3.000 a 1:5.000 nascidos-vivos. Quando primário, o HC caracteriza-se por altos níveis de TSH podendo ser originado por disormonogênese, deficiente produção hormonal ou decorre de disgenesia tireoidiana, defeito embriológico que leva a agenesia, hemiagenesia ou ectopia. Na ausência do tratamento hormonal, o HC leva a grave retardo mental, além de outras alterações clínicas. A interação do hormônio TSH com o seu receptor (TSHR) tem importante função biológica estimulando o crescimento, diferenciação e função tireoidiana. Mutações no gene do TSHR têm sido identificadas como causa de HC hereditário ou congênito, mas parecem ser raras. Objetivos: 1) Obter genealogia das famílias afetadas para determinação do padrão de herança, identificação de afetados e possíveis portadores; 2) Descrever as características clínica-demográficas dos pacientes com HC; 3) Determinar a distribuição mutacional no gene do receptor do hormônio estimulante da tireoide (TSHR) nos afetados; 4) Sugerir ações de saúde pública e de otimização do aconselhamento genético. Material e Métodos: Foram estudados 12 pacientes provenientes de Monte Santo-BA, sendo oito diagnosticados pela triagem neonatal e quatro diagnosticados tardiamente durante expedição à cidade. Estes últimos foram identificados durante a coleta dos dados genealógicos das famílias dos afetados. Todos foram investigados para mutações no gene do TSHR. Toda a região codificadora do gene foi amplificada através do DNA genômico, seguido de SSCP e sequenciamento. Resultados: À época da primeira avaliação, os pacientes apresentaram níveis elevados de TSH, confirmando o caráter primário da doença, associados a sinais e sintomas do HC. Observou-se grande heterogeneidade clínica entre os pacientes mesmo aqueles com grau de parentesco muito próximo. Nenhuma mutação patogênica foi encontrada no gene TSHR. Conclusão: a análise das genealogias permitiu observar a heterogeneidade clínica e genética da doença. Não foi encontrada nenhuma mutação no gene TSHR. O estudo de outros genes poderá ajudar no esclarecimento do HC na região. / Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is one of the most common metabolic disease in childhood, with an incidence of HC is 1:3,000 to 1:5,000 live births. When primary, CH is characterized by high levels of TSH and may be caused by dyshormonogenesis deficient hormone production, or due to thyroid dysgenesis, embryological defect that leads to agenesis, ectopic or hypoplastic. In the absence of hormonal treatment leads to the CH severe mental retardation and other clinical manifestations. The interaction of stimulanting thyroid growth, differentiation and function. Mutations in the TSHR gene have been identified as a cause of hereditary or congenital CH, but appear to be rare. Objectives: 1) Get genealogy of the affected families to detemine the pattern of inheritance, and possible identification of affected patients; 2) Describe the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients witc CH; 3) Determine the mutational distribution in the TSHR gene in the affected individuals; 4) Suggest public health actions and for genetic counseling optimization. Methods: We studied 12 patients from Monte Santo-Bahia, eight were diagnosed by newborn screening and four diagnosed late during an expedition to the city. The latter were identified during the collection of genealogical data of families those affected. All were investigated for mutations in the TSHR. The entire coding region of the gene was amplified using genomic DNA followed by SSCP and sequencing. Results: At first evaluation, all patients had elevated TSH levels, confirming the primary nature of the disease, associated with signs and/or symptoms of CH. As there was a familial recurrence of the disease, we noticed a large clinical heterogeneity among patients, even those with close family relationship. No pathogenic mutation was found in the TSHR gene. Conclusion: The analysis of pedigrees allowed to observe the clinical and genetic heterogeneity of the disease. We not found mutation in the TSHR. The study of other genes may help in clarifying the CH i the region.

A incidência do melanoma, tumor maligno que se origina dos melanócitos, vem crescendo em todo o mundo. História familial positiva da doença tem sido relatada em 8 a 14% dos pacientes afetados. Muitos estudos sugeriram o envolvimento da região 9p21, onde se encontra o gene CDKN2A, no surgimento dessa neoplasia. Este é um gene supressor tumoral clássico e a inativação dos dois alelos tem sido detectadas em linhagens celulares tumorais de famílias com melanoma hereditário e esporádico. Mutações em linhagens germinativas do gene CDKN2A têm sido identificadas em aproximadamente 20% das famílias com melanoma familial. Utilizando técnicas de biologia molecular como Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase (PCR), Conformação Estrutural de Fita Simples (SSCP) e seqüenciamento, este projeto estudou 22 pacientes com critérios clínicos de melanoma hereditário e encontrou uma mutação (P48T) em um paciente numa família de três afetados. Em 13 casos foi identificado pelo menos um dos três polimorfismos: 500 C>G (31,9%), 540 C>T (27,3%) e A148T (4,5%). Os resultados demonstram a importância da pesquisa de mutações no gene CDKN2A principalmente em famílias com dois ou mais membros afetados pela doença. / The incidence of melanoma, malign tumor that originates from melanocytes, is increasing all over the world. Positive familial history of disease has been related in 8 to 14% of affected patients. Several studies have suggest the 9p21 region evolvement, where is located the CDKN2A gene, in the arising of this neoplasia. It is a classic tumor suppressor gene and the inactivation of two alleles has been detected in tumor cells lines of families with hereditary and sporadic melanoma. Nowadays germeline mutations in CDKN2A gene have been identified in almost 20% of families with familial melanoma. Using molecular biology techniques like Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Single Strand Conformational Polymorphism (SSCP) and sequencing, this project studied 22 patients with clinical pattern of hereditary melanoma and it found one mutation (P48T) in one patient belonged to a three affected family. Thirteen cases had at least one of the three polymorphisms: 500 C>G (31,9%), 540 C>T (27,3%) e A148T (4,5%). The results show the importance of the search for mutations in the CDKN2A gene mainly in families with two or more affected by disease.

A síndrome de Treacher Collins (STC) é um distúrbio do desenvolvimento craniofacial de herança autossômica dominante causada por mutações no gene TCOF1, localizado no cromossomo 5 (5q32). Utilizando as técnicas de SSCP e seqüenciamento, estabelecemos um método eficiente para a detecção de mutações no gene TCOF1, o que permitiu oferecer o teste diagnóstico aos pacientes com suspeita clínica de STC. Identificamos a mutação responsável pela síndrome em 39/43 (90,7%) dos pacientes atendidos pelo Centro de Estudos do Genoma Humano e em 23/48 (48%) dos pacientes encaminhados pelo Johns Hopkins Medical Institute. Desse modo, caracterizamos 43 novas mutações patogênicas e 16 novos polimorfismos no gene TCOF1. A detecção de uma troca de aminoácido de caráter patogênica em uma região conservada da proteína nos levou a propor a existência de um domínio funcional importante nessa região. Realizamos triagem de mutações no gene TCOF1 em 24 pacientes com anomalias faciais em estruturas derivadas do 1o e 2o arcos branquiais, mas sem diagnóstico de STC. Nenhuma mutação patogênica foi encontrada nesses casos, indicando que a STC, apesar de apresentar uma grande variabilidade clínica, é uma entidade circunscrita. Triamos também, pela primeira vez, duas famílias cujo padrão de segregação do quadro clínico sugere um padrão de herança autossômico recessivo. Também nesse caso não encontramos mutação no gene TCOF1, apesar de uma análise de segregação com marcadores da região 5q31-q34 não ter excluído essa região de uma possível relação com a síndrome. Testamos, empregando pela primeria vez ferramentas moleculares, a hipótese que as mutações esporádicas que causam a STC têm origem preferencial na linhagem germinativa de homens mais velhos. Ao contrário do sugerido pela literatura, em dez casos informativos encontramos 70% das mutações no cromossomo herdado do pai e 30% de origem materna e nenhuma correlação com aumento de idade paterna. / Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is an autosomal dominant disorder affecting craniofacial development. The syndrome is caused by mutations in the TCOF1 gene, located in chromosome 5 (5q32). Combining SSCP and sequencing, we established an efficient method of screening for mutations in the TCOF1 gene, allowing us to offer diagnostic tests to patients with clinical signs of TCS. We detected a pathogenic mutation in 39/43 (90.7%) of patients ascertained at the Centro de Estudos do Genoma Humano and in 23/48 (48%) of patients referred to Johns Hopkins Medical Institute. We therefore characterized 43 novel pathogenic mutations and 16 novel polymorphisms in the TCOF1 gene. We described a pathogenic missense mutation located in a conserved region of the protein, which led us to propose the existence of a critical function domain in its N-terminus. After screening 24 patients with craniofacial anomalies resembling TCS but without a precise clinical diagnosis for mutations in the TCOF1 gene, we found no pathogenic mutation and concluded that, despite its broad clinical spectrum, TCS is well characterized in clinical grounds. We also screened, for the first time, two families in which the segregation of the phenotype suggested autosomal recessive inheritance. No mutation was detected in these families, despite linkage analysis with markers from 5q31-34 not excluding this region. We used molecular techniques for the first time to test the hypothesis that sporadic mutations in TCS arise preferentially in the male germ line and their frequency increases with age. As opposed to what the literature suggested, in ten informative cases we had 7 mutations of paternal origin and 3 originating in the female germ line, with no detectable age effect.

Die Entwicklung von Dickdarmkrebs wird durch eine Reihe von Lebens- und Essgewohnheiten sowie Umweltfaktoren begünstigt. Den letzteren beiden sind Substanzen zuzurechnen, die bei der Zubereitung der Nahrung entstehen und mit ihr aufgenommen werden. Zu diesen Verbindungen gehört das 2-Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridin (PhIP) aus der Substanzklasse der heterozyklischen aromatischen Amine. Es entsteht bei der Erhitzung zahlreicher proteinhaltiger Nahrungsmittel und die Zielorgane in Nagerstudien stimmen mit der Häufung von Krebsinzidenzen in westlichen Industrienationen überein. Dieser Zusammenhang konnte jedoch bis heute nicht endgültig bewiesen werden. Fütterungsversuche mit Ratten wurden mit Konzentrationen der Substanz durchgeführt, die weit über der menschlichen Exposition liegen. Durch das Verfüttern einer humanrelevanten Dosis PhIP sollte geklärt werden, ob auch geringe Konzentrationen dickdarmkrebstypische Mutationen, präneoplastische Läsionen oder Tumore induzierten. Die mit humanrelevanten Dosen gefütterten Tiere wiesen weniger Läsionen als die Hoch-Dosis-PhIP-Gruppe auf, in der allerdings keinerlei maligne Tumoren des Dickdarms auftraten. Hinweise auf dickdarmkrebstypische Mutationen fanden sich ebenfalls in beiden Gruppen, wobei hier keine Dosisabhängigkeit beobachtet werden konnte. Die Sequenzierung ergab ein deutlich von Literaturdaten abweichendes Spektrum. In Bezug auf das verwendete Tiermodell wurden erhebliche Abweichungen in der Empfindlichkeit der Tiere gegenüber der Substanz im Vergleich zu ähnlichen Studien festgestellt. Beide Fütterungsgruppen zeigten deutlich weniger Läsionen; als mögliche Gründe wurden Unterschiede in der Futterzusammensetzung und –zubereitung sowie in der Tierhaltung und –herkunft ausgemacht. Es konnte erstmalig ein Zusammenhang zwischen PhIP in niedrigen Dosen in der Nahrung und der Induktion von Entzündungen gezeigt werden. Diese waren sowohl makroskopisch als auch histologisch sichtbar, der genaue Mechanismus ihrer Entstehung ist jedoch unbekannt.<br><br> Die zusammenfassende Betrachtung aller Ergebnisse lässt vermuten, dass PhIP allein über lange Zeiträume aber in geringen Dosen verabreicht nicht für die hohe Zahl an Krebserkrankungen in westlichen Industrienationen ursächlich ist. / The development of colon cancer is associated with several nutritional, life style, and environmental factors. Among the environmental factors probably involved are substances formed during food processing and taken up with food. One of these substances is the heterocyclic aromatic amine (HAA) 2-Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), which is formed during the heating of proteinaceous food such as meat and fish. In rodent studies the target organs for HAA-derived cancer development are identical with human organs showing high tumor incidences in western countries. Whether there is an association between exposure to PhIP and high tumor incidences in humans is still uncertain. The amount of PhIP administred to rodents in several studies was far above the levels of human exposure towards HAA. Thus, the aim of this study was to elucidate whether low concentrations of the substance are able to induce finger-print colon cancer gene mutations, preneoplastic lesions or tumors in rats. Animals fed with high amounts of PhIP developed fewer lesions than animals fed with a human-relevant concentration of PhIP. However none of the groups developed tumors of the colon. Both groups showed finger-print mutations for colon cancer, but not in a dose-dependent manner. Sequencing showed that the mutations were different from the known mutation spectum of PhIP. The susceptibility of the F344 rats to PhIP used in this study differed from that in previous feeding studies, with both groups showing much less lesions of the colon. Differences in composition and processing of the animal diets as well as animal maintenance and –origin may explain this discrepancy. For the first time an association between low doses of PhIP in the diet and induction of inflammation was shown. Signs of inflammation were observed macroscopically as well as in histological slices, but the mechanism of its induction remains to be clarified.<br><br> Taken together the results suggest that a chronical exposure to low doses of PhIP alone is not sufficient to explain the high incidences of colon cancer in western countries.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-23T13:49:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lorena Schneider Almeida.pdf: 683869 bytes, checksum: 550e76756dab14ae47e0e2440cfba6ca (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-02-28 / The Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disease characterized by structural defects of type I collagen protein or by reducing its biosynthesis causing decreased bone mass and predisposition to fractures and bone deformities. Approximately 90% of individuals with OI exhibit autosomal dominant inheritance caused by mutations in the genes COL1A1 and COL1A2. However, the number of genes linked to autosomal recessive forms of OI is increasing in the literature. The CRTAP gene was the second identified causing recessive inheritance OI. This gene has 6622 bp, seven exons and encodes a protein of 46.5 kDa. The CRTAP encoding the protein cartilage associated (CRTAP) which is part of the collagen 3-hydroxylation complex, responsible for post-translational modifications during the biosynthesis of collagen molecule. CRTAP mutations are related to severe and lethal form of the disease. The target of this research was evaluating the exons of CRTAP and its adjacent regions in OI patients from Espírito Santo thought the Single-Stranded Conformation Polymorphism (SSCP) screening of mutations and sequencing. We studied 24 patients with clinical diagnosis of OI from Hospital Infantil Nossa Senhora da Glória de Vitória, Brazil. The patients/ ages ranged from 2 to 16 years (median: 14.5). The sex proportion of the patients was 15 males and 9 females. Eleven patients have mild clinical symptoms of the disease, 5 show moderate symptoms and 9 were severe cases. The lethal OI cases were not obtained by methodological difficulties. We found the polymorphisms c.534C> T previously reported in exon 2 of the CRTAP gene in patients from sample. No pathogenic mutations were found in this study. The results of this study suggest that mutations in CRTAP are rare in ES population. These data may assist in developing more efficient methodological strategies for molecular diagnosis of OI / A Osteogênese Imperfeita (OI) é uma doença genética caracterizada por defeitos estruturais da proteína do colágeno tipo I ou por redução da sua biossíntese causando diminuição da massa óssea e a predisposição a fraturas e deformidades ósseas. Aproximadamente 90% dos indivíduos com OI apresentam herança autossômica dominante causada por mutações nos genes COL1A1 ou COL1A2. Contudo, é crescente o número de genes ligados à herança autossômica recessiva da OI descritos na literatura. O gene CRTAP foi o segundo gene identificado causando OI com herança recessiva. Este gene possui 6.622 pb, 7 exons e codifica uma proteína de 46,5 KDa. O gene CRTAP codifica a proteína da cartilagem associada (CRTAP) que faz parte do complexo prolil 3-hidroxilação, responsável por modificações pós-traducionais fundamentais durante a biossíntese da molécula de colágeno. Mutações no gene CRTAP estão relacionadas à forma grave ou letal da doença. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo avaliar as porções codificantes do gene CRTAP e suas regiões adjacentes em pacientes com OI do estado do Espírito Santo por meio da técnica de triagem de mutações de Polimorfismo Conformacional de Fita Simples (SSCP) e sequenciamento. Foram estudados 24 pacientes com diagnóstico clínico de OI do Hospital Infantil Nossa Senhora da Glória de Vitória, Brasil. As idades dos pacientes variaram de 2 a 16 anos (mediana: 14,5 anos) sendo 15 indivíduos do sexo masculino e 9 do sexo feminino, 11 pacientes apresentam a forma leve da doença, 5 a forma moderada e 9 a forma grave da doença. Os casos letais de OI não foram obtidos por dificuldades metodológicas. Foi encontrado o polimorfismos c.534C>T no exon 2 do gene CRTAP, previamente relatado na literatura, em pacientes da amostra. Não foram identificadas mutações patogênicas neste estudo. Os resultados desse trabalho sugerem que mutações no gene CRTAP são raras na população com OI do ES, corroborando dados da literatura. Esses dados poderão auxiliar na elaboração de estratégias metodológicas mais eficientes para o diagnóstico molecular de OI