Carriers of gene variant appear less likely to develop heart disease

Absence of MicroRNA activity appears to result in lower triglyceride levels

2012-12-15

(Press-News.org) BOSTON (December 14, 2012) –Scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University have discovered a new gene mechanism that appears to regulate triglyceride levels. This pathway may protect carriers of a gene variant against cardiovascular disease, especially among those with greater intakes of polyunsaturated fat (PUFA). The findings, published online this week in the American Journal of Human Genetics, contribute to research efforts to develop gene-specific diets that could potentially improve general health and complement chronic disease prevention and treatment.

The authors analyzed data from more than 27,000 men and women enrolled in ten epidemiological studies conducted in the United States and Europe that comprise the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium. Focusing on the Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) rs13702, they observed that a type of small RNA known as microRNA (miR), impacts production of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), an enzyme that mediates the metabolism of circulating triglycerides.

"We saw no miR activity in carriers of the gene variant," said senior author José M. Ordovás, senior scientist and director of the Nutritional Genomics Laboratory at the HNRCA at Tufts University. "In the majority of the subjects the miR appeared to attach to the messenger RNA (mRNA), slowing down the manufacturing of LPL. Without that interference, people with the variant would presumably have more LPL available to breakdown excess triglycerides and prevent them from being deposited in the arteries, which could eventually lead to atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases."

The authors also noted lower triglyceride levels and higher concentrations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the so-called "healthy" cholesterol in association with the gene variant. Furthermore, carriers tended to have even lower triglyceride blood levels if they had higher PUFA intake.

"Based on the data, carriers of the gene variant may be able to further reduce their risk for cardiovascular disease by increasing their PUFA intake," said Kris Richardson, Ph.D., a USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) post-doctoral associate in the Nutritional Genomics Laboratory and a recent graduate of the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University. "To build on our observational data, future studies might investigate the effect of treating human cells in culture with PUFA to determine if it will mediate LPL levels through the identified miR."

PUFA, found in foods such as salmon and vegetable oils, is considered a healthier fat. The current U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend replacing saturated fats with the more beneficial PUFA and monounsaturated fats whenever possible.

José M. Ordovás is also a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and a member of the Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics Faculty at the Sackler School.

This study is supported by grants from USDA and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), award number P50 HL105185-01. A complete list of funding sources is available in the supplemental data portion of the paper.

### Richardson et al., Gain-of-Function Lipoprotein Lipase Variant rs13702 Modulates Lipid Traits through Disruption of a MicroRNA-410 Seed Site, The American Journal of Human Genetics (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajhg.2012.10.020

The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University is the only independent school of nutrition in the United States. The school's eight degree programs, which focus on questions relating to famine, hunger, poverty, and communications, are renowned for the application of scientific research to national and international policy. For three decades, the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University has studied the relationship between good nutrition and good health in aging populations. Tufts research scientists work with federal agencies to establish the USDA Dietary Guidelines, the Dietary Reference Intakes, and other significant public policies.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Improved techniques may help recovery and prevent incidents of missing drivers with dementia

2012-12-15

Tampa, FL (Dec. 14, 2012)— A new study focusing on how people with dementia become lost while driving, how missing drivers are found, and the role of public notification systems like Silver Alert in these discoveries suggests techniques that may help recover drivers with dementia and prevent potentially harmful incidents. The study was led by principal investigator Meredeth A. Rowe, RN, PhD, FGSA, FAAN, professor and endowed chair at the University of South Florida College of Nursing. The findings were published online last month in the Journal of the American Geriatrics ...

Video-based test to study language development in toddlers and children with autism

2012-12-15

Parents often wonder how much of the world their young children really understand. Though typically developing children are not able to speak or point to objects on command until they are between eighteen months and two years old, they do provide clues that they understand language as early as the age of one. These clues provide a point of measurement for psychologists interested in language comprehension of toddlers and young children with autism, as demonstrated in a new video-article published in JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments). In the assessment, psychologists ...

UCSB physicists make strides in understanding quantum entanglement

2012-12-15

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– While some theoretical physicists make predictions about astrophysics and the behavior of stars and galaxies, others work in the realm of the very small, which includes quantum physics. Such is the case at UC Santa Barbara, where theoretical physicists at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP) cover the range of questions in physics. Recently, theoretical physicists at KITP have made important strides in studying a concept in quantum physics called quantum entanglement, in which electron spins are entangled with each other. Using ...

Raising the blockade

2012-12-15

At crucial points in the metabolism of all organisms, a protein with the unwieldy name of Translation Elongation Factor P (EF-P, for short) takes center stage. What it actually does during protein synthesis has only now been elucidated – by researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich. The research group led by Kirsten Jung, Professor of Microbiology at LMU, actually focused on how bacteria cope with stress, for example how the receptor meolecule CadC monitors the acidity in the environment and alerts the cell to take countermeasures to protect itself. However, ...

Physical constant passes the alcohol test

2012-12-15

This press release is available in German. The mass ratio of protons and electrons is deemed to be a universal constant. And rightly so, as the latest radio-astronomy observations of a distant galaxy have shown. Scientists at the VU University of Amsterdam and the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn used the 100-metre radio telescope in Effelsberg to measure absorption lines of the methanol molecule at a number of characteristic frequencies. The researchers analysed the spectrum of the simplest of all the alcohols in a very distant galaxy. The result: to ...

Study questions reasons for routine pelvic exams

2012-12-15

The pelvic exam, a standard part of a woman's gynecologic checkup, frequently is performed for reasons that are medically unjustified, according to the authors of a UCSF study that may lay the groundwork for future changes to medical practice. The research shows that many physicians mistakenly believe the exam is important in screening for ovarian cancer. The study, which surveyed obstetricians and gynecologists around the country, also shows that doctors continue to perform the exam in part because women have come to expect it. The article is currently published online ...

New findings on killer bacteria's defence

2012-12-15

Antibodies are key to the recognition and neutralisation of bacteria by our immune system. The most common antibodies have the shape of a Y, and the two prongs fasten to molecules that belong to the bacteria. The cells in the immune system recognise the shaft and can then attack the bacteria. Since the 1960s, it has been known that certain bacteria have developed the ability to turn these antibodies around, which makes it more difficult for the immune system to identify them. These include streptococcus bacteria, sometimes referred to as 'killer bacteria', that cause ...

More casinos does not mean more gamblers

2012-12-15

Memo to casino operators: just because you build it doesn't mean they will come. A new study out of the University of Iowa examined how casino growth in the state has influenced gambling by residents. The survey suggests that fewer Iowans gambled overall and also that fewer people have become addicted to gambling despite a recent spurt in gaming facilities. Casino gambling was introduced in Iowa in 1991. There are currently 21 casinos in Iowa, all but three licensed by the state. (The others are owned and operated by Native American tribes.) The findings could affect ...

Doing the right thing when things go wrong

2012-12-15

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The University of Michigan Health System doesn't claim to be perfect. But its response to medical errors, near-misses, unexpected clinical problems and unintended outcomes is a model for the nation that other hospitals can and should copy, according to a new paper in a prestigious health care journal. The "Michigan Model" for handling these situations, and preventing them from happening again, has not only helped patients and medical staff alike – it has also helped UMHS go against the grain of the costly, combative "deny and defend" medical malpractice ...

Stretchable electronics

2012-12-15

Electronic devices become smaller, lighter, faster and more powerful with each passing year. Currently, however, electronics such as cell phones, tablets, laptops, etc., are rigid. But what if they could be made bendable or stretchy? According to the University of Delaware's Bingqing Wei, stretchable electronics are the future of mobile electronics, leading giants such as IBM, Sony and Nokia to incorporate the technology into their products. Beyond traditional electronics, potential stretchable applications include biomedical, wearable, portable and sensory devices, ...

Carriers of gene variant appear less likely to develop heart disease

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: