Long Non-Coding RNAs Involved in Progression of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease to Steatohepatitis.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver disease and is characterized by different stages varying from benign fat accumulation to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) that may progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer. In recent years, a regulatory role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in NAFLD has emerged. Therefore, we aimed to characterize the still poorly understood lncRNA contribution to disease progression.

Author Correction: Individual variations in cardiovascular-disease-related protein levels are driven by genetics and gut microbiome.

In the version of this paper originally published, there was a typographical error. In the Discussion, the sentence "In line with this, Ep-CAM-deficient mice exhibited increased intestinal permeability and decreased ion transport, which may contribute to CVD susceptibility risk" originally read iron instead of ion transport. This error has been corrected in the HTML, PDF and print versions of the article.

Individual variations in cardiovascular-disease-related protein levels are driven by genetics and gut microbiome.

Despite a growing body of evidence, the role of the gut microbiome in cardiovascular diseases is still unclear. Here, we present a systems-genome-wide and metagenome-wide association study on plasma concentrations of 92 cardiovascular-disease-related proteins in the population cohort LifeLines-DEEP. We identified genetic components for 73 proteins and microbial associations for 41 proteins, of which 31 were associated to both.

A liver-specific long noncoding RNA with a role in cell viability is elevated in human nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Unlabelled: Hepatocyte apoptosis in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) can lead to fibrosis and cirrhosis, which permanently damage the liver. Understanding the regulation of hepatocyte apoptosis is therefore important to identify therapeutic targets that may prevent the progression of NASH to fibrosis. Recently, increasing evidence has shown that long noncoding (lnc) RNAs are involved in various biological processes and that their dysregulation underlies a number of complex human diseases.

GWAS as a Driver of Gene Discovery in Cardiometabolic Diseases.

Cardiometabolic diseases represent a common complex disorder with a strong genetic component. Currently, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have yielded some 755 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) encompassing 366 independent loci that may help to decipher the molecular basis of cardiometabolic diseases. Going from a disease SNP to the underlying disease mechanisms is a huge challenge because the associated SNPs rarely disrupt protein function.

Plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein is predominantly derived from Kupffer cells.

Unlabelled: The role of Kupffer cells (KCs) in the pathophysiology of the liver has been firmly established. Nevertheless, KCs have been underexplored as a target for diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases owing to the lack of noninvasive diagnostic tests. We addressed the hypothesis that cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) is mainly derived from KCs and may predict KC content.

Efficient detection of Mediterranean β-thalassemia mutations by multiplex single-nucleotide primer extension.

β-Thalassemias and abnormal hemoglobin variants are among the most common hereditary abnormalities in humans. Molecular characterization of the causative genetic variants is an essential part of the diagnostic process. In geographic areas with high hemoglobinopathy prevalence, such as the Mediterranean region, a limited number of genetic variants are responsible for the majority of hemoglobinopathy cases.