The monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4; Slc16a3) is expressed in the central nervous system, notably by astrocytes. It is implicated in lactate release and the regulation of glycolytic flux. Whether its expression varies during normal and/or pathological aging is unclear. As the presence of its mature transcript in the brain of young and old mice was determined, an unexpectedly longer RT-PCR fragment was detected in the mouse frontal cortex and hippocampus at 12 vs. 3 months of age. Cultured astrocytes expressed the expected 516 base pair (bp) fragment but treatment with IL-1β to mimic inflammation as can occur during aging led to the additional expression of a 928 bp fragment like that seen in aged mice. In contrast, cultured pericytes (a component of the blood–brain barrier) only exhibited the 516 bp fragment. Intriguingly, cultured endothelial cells constitutively expressed both fragments. When RT-PCR was performed on brain subregions of an Alzheimer mouse model (APPswePS1dE9), no fragment was detected at 3 months, while only the 928 bp fragment was present at 12 months. Sequencing of MCT4 RT-PCR products revealed the presence of a remaining intron between exon 2 and 3, giving rise to the longer fragment detected by RT-PCR. These results unravel the existence of intron retention for the MCT4 gene in the central nervous system. Such alternative splicing appears to increase with age in the brain and might be prominent in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Hence, further studies in vitro and in vivo of intron 2 retention in the Slc16a3 gene transcript are required for adequate characterization concerning the biological roles of Slc16a3 isoforms in the context of aging and Alzheimer’s disease pathology.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is inherited by CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) gene mutations. A variety of mutations have been identified in the CFTR gene that may be associated with cystic fibrosis, and these mutations demonstrate extensive molecular genetic heterogeneity in this disease. Little is known about the molecular mechanism by which mutations affect CFTR function, and only a minority of mutations have been characterized by functional studies. There has been an increase in the number of complex alleles. This may partly explain the difficulty in establishing genotype-phenotype correlations and complicate genetic counseling and diagnosis in some cases. Therefore, the identification of complex alleles has several important implications for recessive disorders. This will facilitate diagnosis; improve judgements concerning prognosis, and enable appropriate genetic counselling for affected families. This review describes the complex cystic fibrosis allele to better understand the contribution of this allele in the wide phenotypic variability of cystic fibrosis disease. It occurs in the complex allele that the second cis mutation can modulate the effects of the first mutation or vice versa. The phenotypic variability between CF or CFTR-RD (CFTR related disease) patients may be due to several factors, including different genetic and environmental backgrounds. It is important to determine the allele complex so that optimal treatment can be established.

Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is used as a preservative in food to prevent its discolouration, and to inhibit the growth of bacteria. Little data is available concerning its in vivo hazardous impact.The present study is therefore designed to examine the cyto-genotoxic potential and the testicular histological alterations in adult mice, induced by SO2 present in the dried apricot leather used to prepare the oriental drink Qamar Al-Deen. Two different forms of drinks were tested; cold and boiled drinks. Animals were placed into 4 groups. The first group received distilled water as a negative control.The second and third groups received orally the drink for 28 days in the form of a cold and a boiled drink, respectively. Animals of the fourth group received cyclophosphamide, they were used as a positive control for cyto-genotoxic tests. The chromosomal aberrations, as well as sperm abnormalities, were significantly elevated in animals that received the two different drink preparations. The mitotic index significantly decreased in comparison with negative and positive controls. Furthermore, histological examination showed different degrees of alterations in the testis. Our results suggest that the presence of SO2 inside the apricot leather might be responsible for these changes. Thus, these remarkable hazardous effects of SO2 on male albino mice could be used as a potential guide for the prediction of its human health impact. Furthermore, consumers could be advised to prevent excessive consumption of the drink (Qamar Al-Deen) prepared from dried apricot leather.

Determining the genetic variations of candidate genes in affected subjects will help identify early pathological biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and develop effective treatments. It has recently been found that some genes that are linked share an increase in intron retention (IR). In this review, we discuss a few instances of mRNA-IR in various genes linked to AD, including APOE, MAPT-Tau, Psen2, Farp1, Gpx4, Clu, HDAC4, Slc16a3, and App genes. These genes are vulnerable to IR, encompassing additional crucial proteins for brain functionality, but they are frequently involved in pathways linked to the control of mRNA and protein homeostasis. Despite the advancements in human in vivo RNA therapy, as far as we know, there are no reports of data generated regarding artificial in vivo splicing in either animal models or humans. To prevent genetic variations and improve or repair errors in expression of desired genes, humans have adopted new gene editing techniques like CRISPR-Cas9 and RNAi modalities. Ultimately, IR could be utilized as a therapeutic potential biomarker for disorders related to intronic expansion.