Alternative splicing of SMPD1 in human sepsis

PLoS One. 2015 Apr 21;10(4):e0124503. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124503. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Acid sphingomyelinase (ASM or sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase, SMPD) activity engages a critical role for regulation of immune response and development of organ failure in critically ill patients. Beside genetic variation in the human gene encoding ASM (SMPD1), alternative splicing of the mRNA is involved in regulation of enzymatic activity. Here we show that the patterns of alternatively spliced SMPD1 transcripts are significantly different in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome and severe sepsis/septic shock compared to control subjects allowing discrimination of respective disease entity. The different splicing patterns might contribute to the better understanding of the pathophysiology of human sepsis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Alternative Splicing
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Isoenzymes / genetics
  • Isoenzymes / metabolism
  • Leukocytes / enzymology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Sepsis / enzymology*
  • Sepsis / genetics
  • Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase / genetics*
  • Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase / metabolism

Substances

  • Isoenzymes
  • SMPD1 protein, human
  • Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, Germany, FKZ: 01EO1002 to MB) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, Germany, CL173/4-2 to RAC). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.