Graves’ disease: introducing new genetic and epigenetic contributors

Abstract

Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) accounts for 90% of all thyroid diseases and affects 2-5% of the population with remarkable familial clustering. Among AITDs, Graves’ disease (GD) is a complex disease affecting thyroid function. Over the last two decades, case-control studies using cutting-edge gene sequencing techniques have detected various susceptible loci that may predispose individuals to GD. It has been presumed that all likely associated genes, variants, and polymorphisms might be responsible for 75-80% of the heritability of GD. As a result, there are implications concerning the potential contribution of environmental and epigenetic factors in the pathogenesis of GD, including its initiation, progression, and development. Numerous review studies have summarized the contribution of genetic factors in GD until now, but there are still some key questions and notions that have not been discussed concerning the interplay of genetic, epigenetic, and immunological factors. With this in mind, this review discusses some newly-identified loci and their potential roles in the pathogenicity of GD. This may lead to the identification of new, promising therapeutic targets. Here, we emphasized principles, listed all the reported disease-associated genes and polymorphisms, and also summarized the current understanding of the epigenetic basis of GD.

Graves’ Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study

“…Other sex-related factors, including the gut microbiome, susceptibility to infections, and socioeconomic conditions, were also associated with the female predominance in RA and GD, along with other autoimmune diseases (31,35). Meanwhile, other environmental factors, including diet, smoking, and stress, can also contribute to the initiation and progression of RA and GD via epigenetic mechanisms such as histone modification and noncoding RNAs (5,9).…”

“…GD seriously affects quality of life and is associated with an increased risk of death (4). The etiology of GD remains unknown but is thought to be multifactorial: i) genetic abnormalities take the major responsibility for GD development, accounting for 75%-80% of the risk (5); ii) epigenetic determinants that act as an on/off switch can regulate gene expression reversibly and temporarily (5); and iii) environmental factors such as iodine intake, smoking, and psychological stress are frequently noticed (4)(5)(6). The loss of immunotolerance and the occurrence of stimulating autoantibodies against the thyrotropin receptors are central to GD.…”

Identification of a six‐microRNA signature as a potential diagnostic biomarker in breast cancer tissues

“…According to their functions, miR-NAs are classified into oncogenes or tumor suppressors. 15,16 It has been also suggested that miRNA expression profiling is of importance because it paves the way toward using these molecules to determine the diagnosis, staging, prognosis, and response to treatment in BC. 10 In this study, we aimed to examine whether a signature of six-miRNA (i.e., hsa-miR-25-3p, -29a-5p, 105-3p, -181b1-5p, -335-5p, and -339-5p) can be used as a biomarker to distinguish BC from adjacent non-tumor tissues (ANT).…”

“…According to their functions, miRNAs are classified into oncogenes or tumor suppressors. 15 , 16 It has been also suggested that miRNA expression profiling is of importance because it paves the way toward using these molecules to determine the diagnosis, staging, prognosis, and response to treatment in BC. 10 …”

A Signature of Three MicroRNAs is a Potential Diagnostic Biomarker for Glioblastoma

“…Among various biomarkers, non-coding RNAs-especially miRNAs-have attracted some attention [10][11][12][13][14] . MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are a small group(18-25 nt) of non-coding RNA that functions as a gene expression regulatorat the post-translational level 15,16 . In other words, miRNAs function by binding to their target mRNAs and suppressing the protein expression 10,16 .…”