α-Thalassemia (α-thal) is a genetic disorder caused by the substitution of single amino acid or large deletions in the HBA1 and/or HBA2 genes.
Using modern bioinformatics tools as a systematic ...in-silico approach to predict the deleterious SNPs in the HBA1 gene and its significant pathogenic impact on the functions and structure of HBA1 protein was predicted.
A total of 389 SNPs in HBA1 were retrieved from dbSNP database, which includes: 201 non-coding synonymous (nsSNPs), 43 human active SNPs, 16 intronic SNPs, 11 mRNA 3' UTR SNPs, 9 coding synonymous SNPs, 9 5' UTR SNPs and other types. Structural homology-based method (PolyPhen) and sequence homology-based tool (SIFT), SNPs&Go, PROVEAN and PANTHER revealed that 2.4% of the nsSNPs are pathogenic.
A total of 5 nsSNPs (G60V, K17M, K17T, L92F and W15R) were predicted to be responsible for the structural and functional modifications of HBA1 protein. It is evident from the deep comprehensive in-silico analysis that, two nsSNPs such as G60V and W15R in HBA1 are highly deleterious. These "2 pathogenic nsSNPs" can be considered for wet-lab confirmatory analysis.
More than 25 million DNA variations have been discovered as novel including major alleles from the Arab population. Exome studies on the Saudi genome discovered > 3000 novel nucleotide variants ...associated with > 1200 rare genetic disorders. Reclassification of many pathogenic variants in the Human Gene Mutation Database and ClinVar Database as benign through the Arab database facilitates building a detailed and comprehensive map of the human morbid genome. Intellectual disability comes first with the combined and observed carrier frequency of 0.06779 among Saudi Arabians; retinal dystrophy is the next highest. Genome studies have discovered interesting novel candidate disease marker variations in many genes from consanguineous families. More than 7 pathogenic variants in the
gene are prominently associated with the etiology of developmental delay/intellectual impairment in Arab ancestries. Advances in large-scale genome studies open a new outlook on Mendelian genes and disorders. In the past half-dozen years, candidate genes of intellectual disability, neurogenetic disorders, blood and bleeding disorders and rare genetic diseases have been well documented through genomic medicine studies in combination with advanced computational biology applications. The Arab mitogenome exposed hundreds of variations in the mtDNA genome and ancestral sharing with Africa, the Near East and East Asia and its association with obesity. These recent discoveries in disease markers and molecular genetics of the Arab population will have a positive impact towards supporting genetic counsellors on reaching consanguineous families to manage stress linked to genetics and precision medicine. This narrative review summarizes the advances in molecular medical genetics and recent discoveries on pathogenic variants. Despite the fact that these initiatives are targeting the genetics and genomics of disorders prevalent in Arab populations, a lack of complete cooperation across the projects needed to be revisited to uncover the Arab population's prominent disease markers. This shows that further study is needed in genomics to fully comprehend the molecular abnormalities and associated pathogenesis that cause inherited disorders in Arab ancestries.
Recent studies on the variants in duplicated human alpha globin genes (HBA2 and HBA1) actively target the α-globin gene as molecular modulators for the treatment of β-thalassemia major. ...Identification of the exact position of variant in HBA1, HBA2 or its patchworks is mandatory to support the therapeutic aims in β-thalassemia major, by identifying specific modulators for the reactivation of fetal hemoglobin production. Hence, accurate identification of the variants in α-globin genes is crucial for the proper diagnosis, treatment and genetic counseling.
The objective was to reveal the annotation errors produced in α-globin gene sequence analysis while using different analytic tools. An HBA2 gene sequence with the HBA2:c.95+2_95+6delTGAGG variant and a recently reported HBA12 gene convert have been taken as examples to prove annotation error in α-globin gene from different analytic tools.
Although various bioinformatics tools used to predict variants are usually of high reliability, the current study using the an alpha globin 2 sequence with the HBA2:c.95+2_95+6delTGAGG variant and a recently reported HBA12 gene convert, has showcased ambiguous outputs among the three bioinformatics tools used and against the manual analytical method adopted.
This report emphasizes the necessity for caution in the usage of DNA sequence analysis tools during molecular diagnosis and the importance of the selection of more appropriate tools for analysis. Furthermore, ethnic specific sequences should be considered as reference sequence for the analysis to bypass sequence dissimilarities among diverse populations.
The extreme health and economic problems in the world due to the SARS-CoV-2 infection have led to an urgent need to identify potential drug targets for treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). ...The present state-of-the-art tool-based screening was targeted to identify drug targets among clinically approved drugs by uncovering SARS-CoV-2 helicase inhibitors through molecular docking analysis.
Helicase is a vital viral replication enzyme, which unwinds nucleic acids and separates the double-stranded nucleic acids into single-stranded nucleic acids. Hence, the SARS-CoV-2 helicase protein 3D structure was predicted, validated, and used to screen the druggable targets among clinically approved drugs such as protease inhibitor, nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, used to treat HIV infection using molecular docking analysis.
Interaction with SARS-CoV-2 helicase, approved drugs, vapreotide (affinity: -12.88;
score: -9.84 kcal/mol), and atazanavir (affinity: -11.28;
score: -9.32 kcal/mol), approved drugs for treating AIDS-related diarrhoea and HIV infection, respectively, are observed with significantly low binding affinity and MOE score or binding free energy. The functional binding pockets of the clinically approved drugs on SARS-CoV-2 helicase protein molecule suggest that vapreotide and atazanavir may interrupt the activities of the SARS-CoV-2 helicase.
The study suggests that vapreotide may be a choice of drug for wet lab studies to inhibit the infection of SARS-CoV-2.
Migraine is a neurological ailment that is characterized by severe throbbing unilateral headache and associated with nausea, photophobia, phonophobia and vomiting. A full and clear mechanism of the ...pathogenesis of migraine, though studied extensively, has not been established yet. The current available information indicates an intracranial network activation that culminates in the sensitization of the trigemino-vascular system, release of inflammatory markers, and initiation of meningeal-like inflammatory reaction that is sensed as headache. Genetic factors might play a significant role in deciding an individual’s susceptibility to migraine. Twin studies have revealed that a single gene polymorphism can lead to migraine in individuals with a monogenic migraine disorder. In this review, we describe recent advancements in the genetics, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, management, and prevention of migraine. We also discuss the potential roles of genetic and abnormal factors, including some of the metabolic triggering factors that result in migraine attacks. This review will help to accumulate current knowledge about migraine and understanding of its pathophysiology, and provides up-to-date prevention strategies.
Display omitted
•Migraine is a multifactorial chronic neurological disease with mild to severe impact on the quality of life.•Genetic predisposition influences an individual’s susceptibility to migraine.•The pathophysiology stresses the presence of different triggers that initiate and increase the frequency of migraine attacks.•Treatment options should consider the symptoms, diagnosis, comorbid conditions, desires, wishes and aspirations of the patient with migraine.
Beta-thalassemia is a genetic disorder that is caused by variations in the beta-hemoglobin (HBB) gene. Saudi Arabia is among the countries most affected bybeta-thalassemia, and this is particularly ...problematic in the Eastern regions. This review article is an attempt to compile all the reported mutations to facilitate further national-level studies to prepare a Saudi repository of HBB gene variations. In Saudi Arabians, IVSI-5 (G greater than C) and Cd 39 (C greater than T) are the most prevalent HBB gene variations out of 42 variations. The coinheritance of HBB gene variations with ATRX, HBA1, HBA2, HBA12, AHSP, and KLF1 gene variations were observed to be common in the Saudi population. National surveys on the molecular nature of hemoglobinopathies should be set up through collaborations between research centers from various regions to create a well-documented molecular data bank. This data bank can be used to develop a premarital screening program and lead to the best treatment and prevention strategies for beta-thalassemia.
One of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders worldwide is autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is characterized by language delay, impaired communication interactions, and repetitive patterns ...of behavior caused by environmental and genetic factors. This review aims to provide a comprehensive survey of recently published literature on ASD and especially novel insights into excitatory synaptic transmission. Even though numerous genes have been discovered that play roles in ASD, a good understanding of the pathophysiologic process of ASD is still lacking. The protein⁻protein interactions between the products of
,
, and
synaptic genes indicate that the dysfunction in synaptic plasticity could be one reason for the development of ASD. Designing more accurate diagnostic tests for the early diagnosis of ASD would improve treatment strategies and could enhance the appropriate monitoring of prognosis. This comprehensive review describes the psychotropic and antiepileptic drugs that are currently available as effective pharmacological treatments and provides in-depth knowledge on the concepts related to clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic, and genetic perspectives of ASD. An increase in the prevalence of ASD in Gulf Cooperation Council countries is also addressed in the review. Further, the review emphasizes the need for international networking and multidimensional studies to design novel and effective treatment strategies.
B-cell lymphoma/leukaemia 11A (BCL11A) is a C2H2-type zinc-finger transcription factor protein that is a critical modulator of haemoglobin switching and suppresses the production of foetal ...haemoglobin. Variation in the BCL11A gene ameliorates the severity of sickle cell disease (SCD) and β-thalassemia (β-thal). The BCL11A gene is located on chromosome 2p16.1 and encodes an 835-amino acid protein.
Using state-of-the-art in silico tools, this study examined the most pathogenic non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) that disrupt the BCL11A protein and mediate foetal-to-adult globin switching. A total of 11,463 SNPs were retrieved from the Single Nucleotide Polymorphism database (dbSNP). These included 799 in the 5' untranslated region (UTR), 486 in the 3' UTR, and 266 non-synonymous, 189 coding synonymous, six nonsense, and six stop-gained SNPs.
In silico tools (SIFT, SNAP, PolyPhen-2, PANTHER, I-Mutant, PROVEAN, SNPs&GO, mCSM, and PhD-SNP) predicted the five most-deleterious nsSNPs: rs61742690, rs62142605, rs17028351, rs115666026, and rs74987258. Molecular dynamic simulation and homology modelling of the mutated proteins (S783N, D643N, G451S, K670R, and M313L) of the most deleterious nsSNPs revealed their functional and structural impact. nsSNP rs61742690 was predicted to be the most deleterious, as supported by eight of the nine in silico tools.
Complete failure in the protein-protein interactions with functional partners (KLF1 and others) and significant changes (±100% variation) in the interface energy revealed that rs61742690 (S783N) in the zinc-finger domain is a suitable target for disrupting BCL11A-mediated foetal-to-adult globin switching.
We aimed to identify the prevalence and emerging status of multidrug-resistant bacteria and fungi and their associated mortality in nine countries in the Arabian Peninsula. Original research articles ...and case studies regarding multidrug-resistant bacteria and fungi in the Arabian Peninsula, published during the last 10 years, were retrieved from PubMed and Scopus. A total of 382 studies were included as per the inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as the PRISMA guidelines, from a thorough screening of 1705 articles, in order to analyse the emerging status and mortality. The emerging nature of >120 multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria and fungi in the Arabian Peninsula is a serious concern that requires continuous monitoring and immediate preventive measures. More than 50% (n = 453) of multidrug-resistant, microbe-associated mortality (n = 871) in the Arabian Peninsula was due to MDR Acinetobacter baumannii, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Staphylococcus aureus infection. Overall, a 16.51% mortality was reported among MDR-infected patients in the Arabian Peninsula from the 382 articles of this registered systematic review. MDR A. baumannii (5600 isolates) prevailed in all the nine countries of the Arabian Peninsula and was one of the fastest emerging MDR bacteria with the highest mortality (n = 210). A total of 13,087 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates were reported in the region. Candida auris (580 strains) is the most prevalent among the MDR fungal pathogen in the Arabian Peninsula, having caused 54 mortalities. Active surveillance, constant monitoring, the development of a candidate vaccine, an early diagnosis of MDR infection, the elimination of multidrug resistance modulators and uninterrupted preventive measures with enhanced data sharing are mandatory to control MDR infection and associated diseases of the Arabian Peninsula. Accurate and rapid detection methods are needed to differentiate MDR strain from other strains of the species. This review summarises the logical relation, prevalence, emerging status and associated mortality of MDR microbes in the Arabian Peninsula.
In this work, a new bio-electrochemical fuel cell was constructed and the effect of boron was investigated to obtain improved electrogenic activity of a green algae (Choricystis sp.). In a specially ...designed bio-electrochemical fuel cell, electrode combinations of indium tin oxide (ITO) and a carbon layer are used. Open circuit potential (OCP) measurements of algal cells placed bio-electrochemical fuel cells were performed with a cyclic on-off illumination of a LED light source. The results revealed that 60 μM is the efficient boron concentration for the algal growth and pigmentation. Higher doses of boron limited the algal growth. However, the algal growth reduced slightly at higher doses, pointing out a possible boron export mechanism in green algae. OCP analysis showed that hydrogen was electro-catalytically reduced at the cathode site and an 18 mV voltage was obtained from boron-deficient (0 μM) Choricystis sp. samples. A significant enhancement in voltage output up to 33 mV was achieved from 60 μM of boron-treated algal samples. The maximum power density was calculated from the boron-treated Choricystis sp. at pseudo-steady state as 42.2 mW m−2 at a current density of 154 mA m−2.
•The contribution of Boron to enhance the photosynthetic machinery of green algae was investigated.•An improved electricity generation was achieved by adding a critical dose of Boron.•Green algae Choricystis sp. was isolated and utilized in a bio-electrochemical fuel cell.•A significant enhancement in voltage output from 18 to 33 mV by the effect of Boron.•Direct electricity production of ~154 mA m−2 with a power density of ~42.2 mW m−2 was obtained.