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Hemochromatosis and "HLA-H": definite!

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH), which affects some 1 in 400 and has an estimated carrier frequency of 1 in 10 individuals of Northern European descent, results in multi-organ dysfunction caused by increased iron deposition, and is treatable if detected early. Using linkage-disequilibrium and full haplotype analysis, we have identified a 250kb region more than 3 megabases telomeric of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) that is identical-by-descent in 85% of patient chromosomes. Within this region, we have identified a gene related to the MHC class I family, termed HLA-H, containing two missense alterations. One of these is predicted to inactivate this class of proteins and was found homozygous in 83% of 178 patients. A role of this gene in hemochromatosis is supported by the frequency and nature of the major mutation and prior studies implicating MHC class I-like proteins in iron metabolism.

Genes, MHC Class I↗

Clinical characteristics of hereditary hemochromatosis patients who lack the C282Y mutation.

Approximately 85% of patients with typical hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) are homozygous for the C282Y mutation (C282Y/C282Y) in the recently identified candidate gene for HH. However, some HH patients are instead homozygous for the wild-type allele (wt/wt) at this locus. These wt/wt patients may represent a phenotypically similar, but genotypically different, heritable trait, or may be unrecognized cases of secondary iron overload. The purpose of this study is to provide an in-depth analysis of the wt/wt HH patients identified in the original description of the HH gene, and to compare them with 62 patients from the same analysis who were homozygous for the C282Y mutation. Eighteen of the 21 wt/wt HH patients from the original study were assessed for 14 historical and laboratory variables, including previously unrecognized causes of secondary iron overload, the heritability of iron overload and liver disease, and other clinical characteristics. Ten of these 18 wt/wt HH patients (55.6%) were found to have previously unrecognized causes for secondary iron overload compared with 3 of 62 (4.8%) of the C282Y/C282Y patients (P < .001). The remaining 8 wt/wt patients had no recognizable etiology of secondary iron overload. None of the 18 wt/wt patients had a family history of iron overload or liver disease, compared with 58% of the C282Y/C282Y patients (P < .001). When compared with C282Y homozygotes, the 8 wt/wt patients without secondary iron overload had a higher presenting hepatic iron index (HII) (9.5 vs. 4.7; P = .01). We conclude that, in this series of patients, over half of the wt/wt HH patients possessed previously unrecognized causes of secondary iron overload, and therefore, may have been misdiagnoses. If these cases are excluded, the number of false-negative tests is decreased, and the sensitivity of the mutational analysis is increased. However, there is a subgroup of wt/wt patients who have typical hemochromatosis without an identifiable cause of secondary iron overload. These patients may have more severe iron loading than C282Y homozygotes.

Cohort Studies↗

Prevalence of the C282Y mutation of the hemochromatosis gene in liver transplant recipients and donors.

Hemochromatosis heterozygotes may be predisposed to end-stage liver disease from other causes. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of the hemochromatosis mutation, C282Y, in end-stage liver disease and to determine if transplantation of C282Y heterozygous livers adversely affected survival. The C282Y status of patients who underwent hepatic transplantation and, whenever possible, their donors, was determined and correlated with hepatic iron status. Survival was compared in patients who received livers from heterozygotes and normals. Prevalence of C282Y in recipients was compared with 5,211 voluntary blood donors. Twenty-six C282Y heterozygotes were detected among 304 transplant recipients (8.6%) compared with a prevalence of 8.4% in blood donors. Six of 26 heterozygous recipients (23%) had >/=2+ iron staining in their explanted livers compared with 40 of 277 wild-type livers (14%) (P = ns). There was no significant difference in mean hepatic iron concentration between C282Y heterozygotes and wild-type explanted livers with >/=2+ iron staining. Seven of 31 patients (23%) with alcoholic liver disease were C282Y heterozygotes. Twenty-four heterozygotes were detected in 141 donors (17.0%). Survival did not differ between recipients who received heterozygous or normal livers. The prevalence of C282Y heterozygotes in patients requiring liver transplantation does not differ significantly from the general population. Heterozygotes are not at increased risk of developing end-stage liver disease. Transplantation of C282Y heterozygous livers is a safe, effective practice.

Adolescent↗

Effects of testosterone and venesection on spinal and peripheral bone mineral in six hypogonadal men with hemochromatosis.

To measure the effect of testosterone replacement and venesection on spinal and peripheral bone mineral we prospectively studied six hypogonadal men and six eugonadal men with idiopathic hemochromatosis for 24 months. Venesections were performed every week on all patients, and intramuscular injections of testosterone were administered every 3 weeks to the hypogonadal men only. Bone mineral was measured by quantitative computed tomography in the spine and by single-photon absorptiometry in the forearm. During the 24 month period of observation serum testosterone concentrations and serum ferritin levels became normal. In the hypogonadal men mean lumbar spine bone mineral increased by 13.1 +/- 4.9% (95% CI, 0.5-25.6) and mean forearm bone mineral increased by 4.7 +/- 3.8% (95% CI, -5.1 to 14.6). In contrast in the eugonadal men treated over the same period, mean lumbar spine bone mineral decreased by 3.5 +/- 2.8% (95% CI, -10.9 to 3.8, P less than 0.01) and mean forearm bone mineral remained virtually unchanged (0.07 +/- 0.9%; 95% CI, -1.7 to 3.1, P less than 0.05). These data suggest that bone mineral increases in the lumbar spine and in the forearm in hypogonadal men with hemochromatosis treated by testosterone replacement and venesection.

Adult↗

Clinical and molecular aspects of juvenile hemochromatosis in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (Quebec, canada).

We report the clinical, biochemical, and genetic characteristics of 13 hemochromatosis patients from Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean in whom the first symptoms appeared before age 30. Although the mean age at onset of the first symptoms was 21. 5 years, their mean age at diagnosis was 23.8 years; the diagnosis was particularly delayed among women. Seventy-seven percent of the patients had hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism and 69% heart failure and/or cardiac arrhythmias. Genetic analysis of the HFE gene revealed heterozygosity for the C282Y mutation in 2 patients and for the S65C mutation in 2 others and homozygosity for the H63D mutation in 1 patient. The remaining 8 patients had no identified mutation in the HFE gene, although sequencing of all seven codons and intron-exon junctions was performed (5 patients). All 13 patients fulfill the clinical criteria of juvenile hemochromatosis and represent the largest cluster thus far reported.

Adolescent↗

Exclusion of ZIRTL as candidate gene of juvenile hemochromatosis and refinement of the critical interval on 1q21.

Hemochromatosis type 2 (HFE2) or juvenile hemochromatosis (JH) is a rare recessive disorder that causes iron overload, characterized by early onset and severe clinical course. The JH locus maps to chromosome 1q, in a 4-cM region encompassing markers D1S442 and D1S2347. Recently a gene named ZIRTL has been characterized and mapped to 1q21. This gene belongs to a family of divalent metal ion-transporting genes that encode for proteins involved in transport of different metals, including iron. Thus, the ZIRTL gene represents a positional and functional candidate for JH. Here we further restrict the candidate region through segregation analysis of two new polymorphic markers and haplotype analysis in JH families. Furthermore, we exclude ZIRTL as a JH candidate gene showing that it maps outside the critical interval and that its genomic sequence is normal in three patients.

Carrier Proteins↗

A study of genes that may modulate the expression of hereditary hemochromatosis: transferrin receptor-1, ferroportin, ceruloplasmin, ferritin light and heavy chains, iron regulatory proteins (IRP)-1 and -2, and hepcidin.

We have examined transferrin receptor-1, ferroportin, ceruloplasmin, ferritin light and heavy chains, iron regulatory proteins (IRP)-1 and -2, and hepcidin for mutations that might modulate the iron burden of individuals harboring the common mutant hemochromatosis HFE genotype C282Y/C282Y or cause hemochromatosis independent of mutations in the HFE gene. In a group of white, Asian, and African-American normal and iron-overloaded individuals, the coding and flanking regions of these genes were completely sequenced. Numerous coding region and promoter polymorphisms were detected. These were further examined for association with differences in iron accumulation as measured by plasma transferrin saturation and ferritin levels, but no such association could be documented.

Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides↗

Juvenile hemochromatosis in the southeastern United States: a report of seven cases in two kinships.

We report clinical and genetic characteristics of seven juvenile hemochromatosis (JH) patients (six females, one male) in two unrelated kinships from the southeastern U.S. All had severe iron overload. Mean age at diagnosis was 20 +/- 5 years (range 8-23 years). In six patients, the mean age at onset of signs and symptoms attributable to iron overload was 15 +/- 2 years (12-18 years); an 8-year-old girl had no symptoms. Six of the seven patients had hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism, two had severe cardiomyopathy, seven had hepatomegaly, two had hepatic cirrhosis, and five had hyperpigmentation. Two of four siblings with JH also had Hashimoto thyroiditis. One patient with severe cardiomyopathy improved with therapeutic phlebotomy, medical therapy for congestive heart failure, and a permanent pacemaker; the other died before phlebotomy was initiated. Estimates of average daily iron absorption before phlebotomy-induced iron depletion were 2.3, 3.1, and 1.7 mg in a male and two females, respectively. Both parents of four siblings with JH were heterozygous at two Ch1q loci (D1S1156, D1S2344); each of the four affected siblings was homozygous at both loci. An unaffected sib was heterozygous at D1S1156. One patient was heterozygous for HFE H63D, five others did not have HFE C282Y or H63D, and one was unavailable for testing. We conclude that JH occurs in the southeastern U.S. It is likely that JH allele(s) in at least one of the present kinships occur(s) on Ch1q, and presumably this represents a mutation(s) of the same gene localized to Ch1q in Italian and Greek JH kindreds. The present cases do not have HFE genotypes typical of hemochromatosis diagnosed in adults. Hashimoto thyroiditis, linked to Ch6p in many kinships, did not segregate with JH alleles on Ch1q in the present kinship.

Adolescent↗

Hemochromatosis--neonatal and young subjects.

Juvenile hemochromatosis (JH) is an autosomal recessive disease causing iron overload before age 30 in both sexes. JH is characterised by hypogonadism, growth retardation and cardiomyopathy. Linkage of JH to chromosome lq is established in pedigrees throughout Europe. Studies of 29 patients in 20 families of diverse ethnic origin confirm early-onset iron overload. Neonatal hemochromatosis (NH) is a syndrome of unknown origin characterized by congenital cirrhosis or fulminant hepatitis with hepatic and extra-hepatic iron deposits. We assessed 40 infants from 27 families and identified 3 patterns of disease transmission. In 12 of the 27 there was >1 affected infant and in 5 families all infants were affected by NH. In 19 families unaffected children were also born. In 4 families there was bacterial or viral maternal infection associated with NH. In two families, antibodies to DNA or ribonuclear proteins were identified. In 12 families, unaffected children were born to the same parents in the absence of maternal antibodies or infection and without indications of maternal transmission. Consanguinity was observed in 1 family with 4 affected offspring (1 stillbirth + 3 neonatal deaths). Sequence analysis of HFE, beta2M, and both human heme oxygenase genes failed to identify any causal mutations in nuclear NH families but our study points to the existence of a cohort of patients likely to suffer from an autosomal recessive trait. A genome wide scanning study is underway to identify the putative locus.

Adult↗

Non-invasive liver iron quantification by SQUID-biosusceptometry and serum ferritin iron as new diagnostic parameters in hereditary hemochromatosis.

In the HFE-gene era, precise diagnostic parameters remain important to characterize individual iron stores, because the indication for therapy and prognosis are mainly related to the extent of iron loading. The frequently used serum ferritin interferes with non-iron related factors such as inflammation and may produce falsely positive values. We used a SQUID-biosusceptometer in a large series of patients (n = 679) to measure liver iron concentration in the differential diagnosis and therapy control of hereditary hemochromatosis (SQUID = superconducting quantum interference device). This truly non-invasive technique is sensitive, reliable, fast (online results), and also cost-effective when compared to invasive liver biopsy. Recently, ferritin iron content was propagated as a better parameter than ferritin protein. However, we found a poor correlation between ferritin iron and individual liver iron concentrations in patients with iron overload. Ferritin iron saturation varied in a range between 3 and 10%, independent from liver iron concentration. No differences were found between patients with hemochromatosis and secondary iron overload disease. Only patients with liver cell damage had increased ferritin iron saturations. In conclusion the diagnostic values of serum ferritin protein and iron to assess iron overload are limited.

Ferritins↗

Hereditary hemochromatosis: generation of a transcription map within a refined and extended map of the HLA class I region.

Hereditary hemochromatosis, a common severe inherited disease, maps to the short arm of chromosome 6 close to the HLA-A locus. Recently, linkage data on Italian and French populations confirmed this location, while a similar analysis on Australian and British populations located the gene closer to D6S105, a marker residing telomeric of HLA-A. To increase our knowledge on the region of highest linkage disequilibrium in our population and possibly to identify the disease gene, a 1.2-Mb detailed physical and transcription map was generated, spanning the HLA class I region. Thirty-eight unique cDNA fragments, retrieved following the hybridization of immobilized YACs to primary pools of cDNAs prepared from RNA of fetal brain, adult brain, liver, placenta, and the CaCo2 cell line, were characterized. All cDNA fragments were positioned in a refined and extended map of the human major histocompatibility complex spanning from HLA-E to approximately 500 kb telomeric of HLA-F. The localization of known genes was refined, and a new gene from the RNA helicase superfamily was identified. Overall, 14 transcription units in addition to the HLA genes have been detected and integrated in the map. Thirteen cDNA fragments show no similarity with known sequences and could be candidates for the disease. Their characterization and assessment for involvement in hemochromatosis are still under investigation. Seven new polymorphisms, some tightly linked to the disease, were also identified and localized.

Animals↗

Epidemiology, clinical spectrum and prognosis of hemochromatosis.

EPIDEMIOLOGY: Eleven prospective epidemiological studies from various countries have as yet evaluated the gene prevalence of HLA-linked hemochromatosis. The estimated frequency ranged from 0.027-0.107, the frequency of homozygotes from 0.00074-0.0116, and the frequency of heterozygotes from 0.052-0.191. In a meta-analysis of the eleven surveys the frequency is 0.0016 (106/64758 subjects) for homozygotes which corresponds to a gene frequency of 0.041 and a frequency of heterozygotes of 0.078. Further analyses showed that some of these studies have probably underestimated the prevalence which in reality is probably two- to threefold higher than estimated by the meta-analysis. CLINICAL SPECTRUM: In the total group of 251 patients diagnosed with hemochromatosis in the University of Düsseldorf from 1959-1992, abnormality in liver function tests (75%), weakness and lethargy (74%), skin hyperpigmentation (70%), diabetes mellitus (48%), arthralgia (44%), impotence (45% in males), and ECG abnormalities (31%) were the most frequent findings and symptoms at diagnosis. In recent years about 50% of patients were detected without having liver cirrhosis and 20% of patients did not have any symptoms and pathology except iron overload. PROGNOSIS: Survival analysis in the 251 patients showed that in the absence of cirrhosis and diabetes iron removal by phlebotomy therapy prevents further tissue damage and guarantees a normal life expectancy. Sex and presence of arthropathy did not predict prognosis. However, patients with massive and long-lasting iron overload had a worse prognosis than patients with less severe iron excess. Iron removal in general ameliorated liver disease, weakness and cardiac abnormalities, and also prevented the progression of endocrine alterations. Therapy, however, did not influence arthropathy which even got worse in several patients. Iron removal also failed to reverse insulin-dependent diabetes. During a mean followup of 13.4 years 69 deaths occurred in the 251 patients. In 19 patients death was due to liver cancer, in 14 due to liver cirrhosis, in 5 due to cardiomyopathy, and in 3 due to diabetes mellitus (all causes significantly more frequent than expected for the general population). The other causes of death were as frequent as expected including extrahepatic malignancies. All liver cancers were seen in cirrhotic livers, but often occurred many years or even decades after complete iron removal. Further strategies have to evaluate the design of screening programs in order to diagnose more patients in the precirrhotic and asymptomatic stage.

Bloodletting↗

Characterization of a recombinant that locates the hereditary hemochromatosis gene telomeric to HLA-F.

The gene responsible for hereditary hemochromatosis has been shown to be closely linked to the HLA-A and D6S105 loci on the short arm of chromosome 6. Efforts at mapping the disease gene have been hindered, however, by a lack of informative recombinant in this region. We have identified two recombinant individuals in a single affected family and have confirmed recombination by analysis of 16 polymorphic markers located near HLA-A and D6S105. One of the recombinants provides evidence for the location of the hemochromatosis gene telomeric to HLA-F.

Adult↗

Genetic hemochromatosis and HLA linkage.

We previously reported five families with primary, genetic (idiopathic) hemochromatosis in whom HLA typing of subjects indicated that a homozygous-heterozygous mating had almost certainly occurred and in whom inheritance of the disease trait was best explained by an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. However, in one family, two children apparently homozygous for hemochromatosis did not manifest overt evidence of the disease, and alternative explanations were postulated, including autosomal dominant inheritance in this family. Subsequent study of the family members, including repeat HLA-DR serology with more recently defined antisera and DNA genotyping at the HLA-DR locus has, we believe, provided the true explanation for the previous apparent anomaly and adds further evidence for the tight linkage of the disease to the HLA-A locus.

Female↗

Ferritin H gene polymorphism in idiopathic hemochromatosis.

The authors studied the H ferritin restriction polymorphism in 83 hemochromatosis patients and 84 controls as well as in 19 nuclear families. No significant difference was found with the ten restriction enzymes used (HindIII, EcoRI, EcoRV, PvuII, BamHI, PstI, Bg/I, Bg/II, HincII, and TaqI). Hence, the genomic abnormality responsible for idiopathic hemochromatosis is not a major deletion of an H ferritin gene. A higher frequency of one HindIII fragment, although nonsignificant when the number of comparisons made is taken into account, was observed in the patients. This HindIII fragment hybridizes with the H ferritin probe and with a 28 S ribosomal probe, and its segregation with HLA haplotypes (hence its assignment to chromosome 6) is uncertain. Its possible meaning in the expression of the disease is discussed.

Chromosome Mapping↗

A non-transferrin-bound serum iron in idiopathic hemochromatosis.

The nature of iron in the serum of patients with idiopathic hemochromatosis has been studied utilizing an isotope labeling method and results have been compared with those from normal individuals and patients with other forms of liver disease. Between 2 and 4% of a tracer dose of 59Fe added to normal serum was retained by DEAE Sephadex and has been designated non-transferrin-bound. Alcoholic liver disease, chronic active hepatitis, and iron deficiency have no effect on this fraction. In idiopathic hemochromatosis 34.6 +/- 3.9% of the added iron was not bound to transferrin at diagnosis, representing approximately 700 microgram Fe/liter serum. Treatment lowers this fraction before serum iron concentration falls to normal. The majority of the non-transferrin-bound iron is of low molecular weight and is not bound to albumin. The presence of this fraction may contribute significantly to the development of tissue siderosis.

Binding Sites↗

The arthritis of hemochromatosis. A review of 25 cases with special reference to chondrocalcinosis, and a comparison with patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and controls.

Twenty-five cases of hemochromatosis established on histological grounds were reviewed in order to study their articular complaints. Symptoms relating to articular damage were the first signs of the disease in about one quarter of the cases. More than half of the patients (n = 14) exhibited inflammatory arthritis, usually of the hands and knees. The arthritis was chronic in all the patients. Acute arthritis of the joints of the hands and feet appeared in the course of the disease in two patients. Chondrocalcinosis was present in 20% of cases with X-rays of joints (n = 20). The classical subchondral arthropathy was observed in the metacarpophalangeal joints in 35% of the patients. In two patients chondrocalcinosis and subchondral arthropathy were both present. These data are compared with those of 66 patients suffering from primary hyperparathyroidism and of 229 controls with rheumatic complaints. The severity of the arthropathy in hemochromatosis is stressed.

Adult↗