Biomedical subjects

Eileen G Hoal

Publications and source records attributed to Eileen G Hoal.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Host susceptibility to tuberculosis: CARD15 polymorphisms in a South African population.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The nucleotide-binding oligomerisation domain 2 protein (NOD2) has recently been recognised as a non-redundant recognition mechanism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The caspase recruitment domain-containing protein 15 gene (CARD15), which encodes the NOD2 protein, is a susceptibility gene for Crohn's disease (CD), a granulomatous, chronic inflammatory disorder. CARD15 was therefore investigated as a candidate gene in TB. We genotyped the R702W, G908R and 1007fs variants, previously associated with CD, in TB cases and controls from the admixed South African Coloured population. No statistically significant differences between cases and controls were observed for these variants. We determined that the CD-associated mutations occur at very low frequencies in this population. Our results indicate that CARD15 is not a major susceptibility gene for TB in the South African Coloureds.

Genetic Predisposition to Disease↗

PubMed2006

Promoter variation in the DC-SIGN-encoding gene CD209 is associated with tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis, which is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. The C-type lectin DC-SIGN is known to be the major M. tuberculosis receptor on human dendritic cells. We reasoned that if DC-SIGN interacts with M. tuberculosis, as well as with other pathogens, variation in this gene might have a broad range of influence in the pathogenesis of a number of infectious diseases, including tuberculosis. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We tested whether polymorphisms in CD209, the gene encoding DC-SIGN, are associated with susceptibility to tuberculosis through sequencing and genotyping analyses in a South African cohort. After exclusion of significant population stratification in our cohort, we observed an association between two CD209 promoter variants (-871G and -336A) and decreased risk of developing tuberculosis. By looking at the geographical distribution of these variants, we observed that their allelic combination is mainly confined to Eurasian populations. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations suggest that the two -871G and -336A variants confer protection against tuberculosis. In addition, the geographic distribution of these two alleles, together with their phylogenetic status, suggest that they may have increased in frequency in non-African populations as a result of host genetic adaptation to a longer history of exposure to tuberculosis. Further characterization of the biological consequences of DC-SIGN variation in tuberculosis will be crucial to better appreciate the role of this lectin in interactions between the host immune system and the tubercle bacillus as well as other pathogens.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Antimicrobial resistance in tuberculosis: an international perspective.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis is a threat to tuberculosis control programs and community health. This growing problem mirrors the increasing incidence of tuberculosis in general. Public health problems include the absence of early diagnosis and effective treatment. The real need is to identify tuberculosis patients far earlier, particularly those with drug-resistant strains, and to begin appropriate therapy, which is of the shortest possible duration with minimal risk of acquiring further drug resistance or permitting further transmission. This article will address the epidemic of drug resistance and discuss some of the inherent difficulties in the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis. We highlight some of the controversies and new findings in this area, as well as future perspectives requiring more active interventions, in addition to new technology and developments.

Antitubercular Agents↗

PubMed2003

Association between tuberculosis and a polymorphic NFkappaB binding site in the interferon gamma gene.

Interferon gamma is believed to be crucial for host defence against many infections. To test the hypothesis that a polymorphism in the gene for interferon gamma (IFNG) is associated with susceptibility to tuberculosis, we did two independent investigations. In a case-control study of 313 tuberculosis cases, we noted a significant association between a polymorphism (+874A-->T) in IFNG and tuberculosis in a South African population (p=0.0055). This finding was replicated in a family-based study, in which the transmission disequilibrium test was used in 131 families (p=0.005). The transcription factor NFkappaB binds preferentially to the +874T allele, which is over-represented in controls. This preferential binding suggests that genetically determined variability in interferon gamma and expression might be important for the development of tuberculosis.

Alleles↗

PubMed2003

The spectrum of mutations in TP53 in laryngeal cancer patients from a high-incidence population shows similarities to many of the known mutational hotspots.

Laryngeal cancer (LC) is the sixth most common cancer in the world and the second most common respiratory cancer, with approximately 500000 new cases worldwide, annually. The mechanisms of tumorigenesis in LC remain unknown, although smoking and alcohol consumption are considered to be major risk factors. Mutations within TP53 have been strongly implicated as frequent events in several cancers. We screened exons 5-8 of TP53 for mutations in DNA from tumor biopsies (n = 44) and blood samples (n = 42) from the same LC patients, and blood samples from a healthy, matched control group (n = 40), using polymerase chain reaction single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis and direct sequencing. Significant positive correlations were found between the occurrence of LC and age and smoking, whereas daily meat consumption was a possible protective factor. In tumor-derived samples, mutations were found in three of the exons under investigation, representing 25% of the samples. The mutations were unique to the tumor biopsies, indicating a somatic origin for mutations. The data confirm that the region between codons 175 and 273 of TP53 is a mutational hotspot region for cancers in general; six novel mutations were found within this same region.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Allele frequencies for glutathione S-transferase and N-acetyltransferase 2 differ in African population groups and may be associated with oesophageal cancer or tuberculosis incidence.

Glutathione S-transferase (GST) and arylamine N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) metabolise many environmental and chemotherapeutic agents, which influence susceptibility to disease. Polymorphisms in these enzymes result in different host phenotypes and contribute to different disease profiles or responses to toxic or chemotherapeutic agents, depending on their frequency in different populations. GST and NAT2 polymorphisms were investigated in different population groups, including African populations, and a range of allelic frequencies have been observed. The GSTM1 null genotype frequency, reported in this paper in two South African ethnic groups, is the lowest reported (0.19-0.21). In contrast, these same groups have a high GSTT1 null frequency (0.41-0.54), which is considerably higher than in African-Americans, or other Africans. The GSTT1 null frequency is comparable to the Chinese, a population with a very high oesophageal cancer incidence, similar to that in the African group. The frequency of the GSTPi Val105 variant in the South African Xhosas was also high (0.53), differing significantly from the low frequency in other Africans. These variants could therefore be associated with high cancer susceptibility. In addition, the high proportion of NAT2 "fast" alleles may partially explain the high tuberculosis prevalence in South Africans, due to reduced isoniazid efficacy in the presence of rapid acetylation.

Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase↗

PubMed2002

Accurate microsatellite typing and inter-study comparison: pitfalls and solutions using interferon-gamma (IFNG) and natural resistance-associated macrophage protein 2 (NRAMP2) genes as examples.

Microsatellite typing is frequently used in disease diagnosis and in genetic association studies. Inter-study consistency and comparability is essential in both applications. In this study, we show that the interlaboratory comparison of microsatellite sizes is often discrepant and misleading. This is a matter of great concern in the recent literature. However, accurate allele designation is easily attainable by the simple procedures we report, which are applicable to all gel-based genotyping methods. These involve: 1) the creation of dedicated standards for a specific microsatellite by PCR-amplifying representative alleles to generate an allelic ladder with comparable electrophoretic characteristics; 2) including both internal and external standards during electrophoresis to facilitate alignment. In addition, we recommend procedures that will improve inter-study comparability of all microsatellite analyses regardless of genotyping method. These involve: 1) cloning and sequencing representative microsatellite alleles to obtain accurate size designation; 2) sharing alleles of known sequence between laboratories to use as standards. We report on the typing of natural resistance-associated macrophage protein (NRAMP2) and interferon-y (IFNG) gene microsatellites as examples, the latter of which is crucial to many pathogenic processes. We describe in detail the varying allele sizes obtained by different methods, which prevent meaningful inter-study comparisons.

Alleles↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Human genetic susceptibility to tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases.

The existence of a genetic component in mycobacterial disease susceptibility is no longer in doubt and the investigations now being conducted aim to determine which genes are involved, to what extent, and in which disease phenotype they are relevant. In certain rare instances of susceptibility to poorly pathogenic mycobacteria, the genetic component is clear. The approaches employed to elucidate common disease susceptibility include linkage studies, particularly genome-wide linkage analysis of both tuberculosis and leprosy, and association studies. A number of candidate genes have shown association with tuberculosis, and in many cases, on replication of the study, association has been confirmed in a disparate population, indicating the wider importance of the gene in the disease process. In other instances, associations appear to be particular to a population or a subtype of disease.

Genetic Linkage↗