Summary: Gulf War illness (GWI), a chronic fatigue condition affecting veterans, is linked to genetic variants in mitochondrial DNA. These variants, inherited through the maternal line, appear to predispose some individuals to more severe symptoms of GWI after exposure to environmental toxins.
The study suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction, rather than inflammation, is the primary driver of the illness. These findings may also have broader implications for understanding other diseases with environmental triggers, such as Parkinson’s disease.
Key Facts:
- GWI severity is linked to inherited genetic variants in mitochondrial DNA.
- Veterans with these variants experienced more severe symptoms following toxic exposure.
- The study shifts the understanding of GWI from inflammation to mitochondrial dysfunction.
Source: UCSD
A first-of-its kind study from researchers at University of California San Diego has revealed that Gulf War illness (GWI), a chronic fatigue illness affecting veterans of the 1990-1991 Gulf War, is linked to genetic variants in mitochondria, the energy-producing structures of cells.
The findings shed new light on how GWI, which is thought to be triggered by environmental toxins, develops.
The findings could also have implications for other diseases with environmental triggers, such as Parkinson’s disease and certain types of cancer.
Mitochondria have their own DNA, passed down through the maternal line rather than from both parents. The researchers found that the severity of GWI was directly associated with inherited genetic variants in mitochondrial DNA.
Veterans with these genetic variants, which are known to be associated with other diseases involving mitochondrial dysfunction, scored significantly higher in measures of Gulf War illness severity.
This suggests that people with these variants may be predisposed to more severe symptoms following a toxic exposure.
The findings support an emerging hypothesis from the research team that, contrary to the common understanding of GWI as an inflammatory disease, it is actually driven by mitochondrial dysfunction rather than inflammation.
About this genetics and Gulf War Illness research news
Author: Miles Martin
Source: UCSD
Contact: Miles Martin – UCSD
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Gulf war illness: a tale of two genomes” by Beatrice A. Golomb et al. BMC Research Notes
Abstract
Gulf war illness: a tale of two genomes
Introduction
Gulf War illness (GWI) is an environmentally-triggered chronic multisymptom illness typified by protean symptoms, in which mitochondrial impairment is evident. It has been likened to accelerated aging. Nuclear genetics of detoxification have been linked to GWI.
Objective
To see whether mitochondrial (mt) haplogroup U – a heritable profile of mitochondrial DNA that has been tied to aging-related conditions – significantly predicts greater GWI severity; and to assess whether GWI severity is influenced by mitochondrial as well as nuclear genetics. 54 consenting Gulf War veterans gave information on GWI severity, of whom 52 had nuclear DNA assessment; and 45 had both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA assessments. Regression with robust standard errors assessed prediction of GWI severity as a function of nuclear genetics (butyrylcholinesterase variants), mitochondrial genetics (haplogroup U, previously tied to aging-related conditions); or both.
Results
BChE “adverse” variants significantly predicted GWI severity (β(SE) = 23.4(11.4), p = 0.046), as did mt haplogroup U (β(SE) = 36.4(13.6), p = 0.010). In a model including both, BChE was no longer significant, but mt haplogroup U retained significance (β(SE) = 36.7(13.0), p = 0.007). This is the first study to show that mitochondrial genetics are tied to GWI severity in Gulf-deployed veterans. Other data affirm a tie to nuclear genetics, making GWI indeed a “tale of two genomes.”
