Combined analysis of association between personality traits and three functional polymorphisms in the tyrosine hydroxylase, monoamine oxidase A, and catechol-O-methyltransferase genes

Several molecular genetic studies have been conducted with regard to the association between catecholamine-related genes and personality traits. However, the results of replication studies did not always coincide. One of the possible reasons may be that the effect exerted by the individual gene is small. In the present study, we investigated the association between personality traits and systematic combination of functional polymorphisms in three genes that regulate the metabolism of catecholamines, namely, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). The (TCAT)n repeat in the TH gene, the promoter variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) in the MAOA gene, and Val158Met in the COMT gene were genotyped in 256 healthy Japanese volunteers. Personality traits were evaluated using the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R). As a result, the score for Neuroticism increased, and those for Extraversion and Conscientiousness decreased according to the degree of functional polymorphic change, i.e., the lower synthesis/higher catalysis of catecholamines. A statistically significant difference was observed in the change of Extraversion (p=0.04, after Bonferroni correction). These results may provide evidence for the association between metabolic change of catecholamines and personality traits, which may be due to the additive effect of the three genes.     

Blood pressure,hypertension and the risk of sudden cardiac death: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies

European Journal of Epidemiology - Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, while sudden cardiac death (SCD) accounts for over 60% of all cardiovascular deaths. Elevated...     

Generation and application of human induced‐stem cell memory T cells for adoptive immunotherapy

Adoptive T‐cell therapy is an effective strategy for cancer immunotherapy. However, infused T cells frequently become functionally exhausted, and consequently offer a poor prognosis after transplantation into patients. Adoptive transfer of tumor antigen‐specific stem cell memory T (T_SCM) cells is expected to overcome this shortcoming as T_SCM cells are close to naïve T cells, but are also highly proliferative, long‐lived, and produce a large number of effector T cells in response to antigen stimulation. We previously reported that activated effector T cells can be converted into T_SCM‐like cells (iT_SCM) by coculturing with OP9 cells expressing Notch ligand, Delta‐like 1 (OP9‐hDLL1). Here we show the methodological parameters of human CD8⁺ iT_SCM cell generation and their application to adoptive cancer immunotherapy. Regardless of the stimulation by anti‐CD3/CD28 antibodies or by antigen‐presenting cells, human iT_SCM cells were more efficiently induced from central memory type T cells than from effector memory T cells. During the induction phase by coculture with OP9‐hDLL1 cells, interleukin (IL)‐7 and IL‐15 (but not IL‐2 or IL‐21) could efficiently generate iT_SCM cells. Epstein–Barr virus‐specific iT_SCM cells showed much stronger antitumor potentials than conventionally activated T cells in humanized Epstein–Barr virus transformed‐tumor model mice. Thus, adoptive T‐cell therapy with iT_SCM offers a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer immunotherapy.