👤 Niklas Dahl

Fibromyalgia (FM) is an idiopathic chronic disease characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, hyperalgesia and allodynia, often accompanied by fatigue, cognitive dysfunction and other symptoms. Autoimmunity and neuroinflammatory mechanisms have been suggested to play important roles in the pathophysiology of FM supported by recently identified interferon signatures in affected individuals. However, the contribution of different components in the immune system, such as the B-lymphocytes, in the progression to FM are yet unknown. Furthermore, there is a great need for biomarkers that may improve diagnostics of FM. Herein, we investigated the gene expression profile in peripheral B-cells, as well as a panel of inflammatory serum proteins, in 30 FM patients and 23 healthy matched control individuals. RNA sequence analysis revealed 60 differentially expressed genes when comparing the two groups. The group of FM patients showed increased expression of twenty-five interferon-regulated genes, such as Show less

Fetal akinesia deformation sequence syndrome (FADS, OMIM 208150) is characterised by decreased fetal movement (fetal akinesia) as well as intrauterine growth restriction, arthrogryposis, and developmental anomalies (eg, cystic hygroma, pulmonary hypoplasia, cleft palate, and cryptorchidism). Mutations in components of the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) pathway have previously been associated with FADS. We report on a family with recurrent fetal loss, where the parents had five affected fetuses/children with FADS and one healthy child. The fetuses displayed no fetal movements from the gestational age of 17 weeks, extended knee joints, flexed hips and elbows, and clenched hands. Whole exome sequencing of one affected fetus and the parents was performed. A novel homozygous frameshift mutation was identified in muscle, skeletal receptor tyrosine kinase (MuSK), c.40dupA, which segregated with FADS in the family. Haplotype analysis revealed a conserved haplotype block suggesting a founder mutation. MuSK (muscle-specific tyrosine kinase receptor), a component of the AChR pathway, is a main regulator of neuromuscular junction formation and maintenance. Missense mutations in MuSK have previously been reported to cause congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) associated with AChR deficiency. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing that a mutation in MuSK is associated with FADS. The results support previous findings that CMS and/or FADS are caused by complete or severe functional disruption of components located in the AChR pathway. We propose that whereas milder mutations of MuSK will cause a CMS phenotype, a complete loss is lethal and will cause FADS. Show less

Interleukin (IL)-10 is a prototypical anti-inflammatory cytokine that has been shown to attenuate atherosclerosis development. In addition to its anti-inflammatory properties, the anti-atherogenic effect of IL-10 has recently also been suggested to reflect a complex effect of IL-10 on lipid metabolism in macrophages. In the present study we examined the effects of IL-10 on cholesterol efflux mechanism in lipid-loaded THP-1 macrophages. Our main findings were: (i) IL-10 significantly enhanced cholesterol efflux induced by fetal-calf serum, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)2 and apolipoprotein A-1. (ii) The IL-10-mediated effects on cholesterol efflux were accompanied by an increased IL-10-mediated expression of the ATP-binding cassette transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1, that was further enhanced when the cells were co-activated with the liver X receptor (LXR)α agonist (22R)-hydroxycholesterol. (iii) The effect of LXRα activation on the IL-10-mediated effects on the ATP-binding cassette transporters seems to include enhancing effects on the IL-10 receptor 1 (IL10R1) expression and interaction with STAT-3 signaling. (iv) These enhancing effects on ABCA1 and ABCG1 was not seen when the cells were stimulated with the IL-10 family members IL-22 and IL-24. This study suggests that the anti-atherogenic properties of IL-10 may include enhancing effects on cholesterol efflux mechanism that involves cross-talk with LXRα activation. Show less

Myosin binding protein C (MyBPC) is essential for the structure of the sarcomeres in striated muscle. There is one cardiac specific isoform and two skeletal muscle specific isoforms. Mutations in MYBPC3 encoding the cardiac isoform cause cardiomyopathy. We have identified an infant with fatal cardiomyopathy due to a homozygous mutation, p.R943X, in MYBPC3. The patient also had an unexpected skeletal myopathy. The patient expressed the cardiac specific MyBPC isoform in skeletal muscle at transcript and protein levels. Numerous muscle fibres expressing the mutant cardiac isoform showed structural abnormalities with disorganisation of sarcomeres and depletion of myosin thick filaments. The surprising identification of a skeletal myopathy in this patient was due to aberrant expression of mutant cardiac MyBPC in skeletal muscle. Show less