MOSCOW, September 18. The connection between the structure of the gene encoding heat shock protein and the course of ischemic stroke was discovered by BelSU specialists as part of a scientific team. The identified patterns, according to them, can be useful in medicine for predicting the severity of a stroke and the duration of recovery after it. The study results were published in Genes.
Ischemic stroke is a pathological condition of cerebral circulation that leads to damage to brain tissue. It is its consequences that are the most common cause of death according to WHO statistics. Scientists explained that the causes of this disease can be due to both external factors and the genetics of the patient.
< /span>
In a stressful situation, including strokes, in order to minimize damage to the body’s cells, heat shock proteins are activated. In the event of a stroke, they help the proteins in the brain tissue return to the desired geometric structure and prevent them from sticking together, which can lead to fatal consequences.
Researchers at Belgorod State University (BelSU), together with Russian and British colleagues, have proven a direct connection between the sequence of the gene responsible for the production of the heat shock protein HSP70 and the characteristics of the course and recovery after an ischemic stroke. According to scientists, this will help more accurately predict the course of the disease and adjust treatment.
Experts explained that most often the sequence of the same gene is the same, but the phenomenon of polymorphism is often observed — differences of one or several bases in a large number of people at the same position in the sequence. Different variations of the same gene are called alleles.
“
"We took DNA samples from patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke and from healthy volunteers. By studying the smallest differences in the HSPA8 gene, which encodes the HSP70 protein, we came to the conclusion that there is a connection between the nucleotide sequence in it and ischemic stroke,” said the director of the Joint Center for Genetic Technologies of the BelSU National Research University. Deikin.
He added that more than 2,000 people participated in the study, and if all the results are considered together, it is impossible to establish a connection between the HSPA8 polymorphism and ischemic stroke. However, when considering subgroups, such as only men or only smokers, it is possible to accurately identify alleles that indicate a high risk of stroke and very severe stroke.
«The results of the study will have practical significance. When a diagnosis of “ischemic stroke” is made for a patient with a predetermined type of heat shock protein, it will be possible to immediately select the correct care, even in the absence of signs of classifying him as seriously ill, understanding that he will endure this pathology very hard,” Deikin noted.
In his opinion, at the same time, the work is also fundamental research, since it allows us to get closer to understanding the relationship between the genotype and phenotype of a person.
BelSU is a participant in the state support program for universities of the Russian Federation “Priority-2030”.
/>