Gene mutation causes chronic bad breath

[billie]

Just found this article. I Hope I don't have this gene mutation


Date of news: 19 December 201
For the first time, researchers have uncovered that bad breath can be caused by a genetic defect. A mutation in the gene SELENBP1 leads to the absence of the protein that converts the sulphur compound methanethiol. Researchers from Radboud University and Radboud university medical center have published these findings in Nature Genetics.

Bad breath (halitosis) is usually caused by bacteria in the oral cavity that produce sulphur compounds. Little is known about other causes of bad breath, but it has long been thought that it might also have a genetic cause. In the nineties, Dr Albert Tangerman (Radboud university medical center, internal medicine) discovered a Dutch family with several members having bad breath.

youtube
Together with Professor of Inborn errors of Metabolism Ron Wevers, he looked for a cause. They came across sulphur compounds, including the foul-smelling methanethiol. This compound gives rise to a strong cabbage-like odour. “Methanethiol is produced in large amounts in the intestines, and can originate from food. We believed that the protein responsible for getting rid of methanethiol was defective in these patients”, says Wevers, “however, we could not find a lead for this in their metabolism. The process by which the body counteracts this compound was unknown. So at that point we were stuck.”

From bacterium to human
Wevers presented this problem at several conventions and as a result was contacted by families from Germany and Portugal with the same problem. In addition, a collaboration with Microbiology Professor Huub Op den Camp, a specialist in sulphur conversion in bacteria, was established. Together with researchers from University of Warwick, they recently discovered a protein in the bacterium Hyphomicrobium that converts methanethiol: methanethiol oxidase.
The bacterium feeds on contamination in sewage, including sulphur compounds like methanethiol, removing them from the water.

The researchers then looked to see whether the gene encoding the methanethiol oxidase protein in the bacteria was also present in humans. The human gene that corresponded most closely was SELENBP1. Huub Op den Camp: But the function of the corresponding human protein SELENBP1 was unknown. This also meant we did not know which compounds our body converts methanethiol into. The gene SELENBP1 is reported in the literature to be involved in tumour suppression. However, we immediately hypothesized that the absence of this protein could be the cause of bad breath in these patients.”

Widely distributed defect in metabolism
Wevers and Op den Camp investigated the breath, blood and urine of these patients, and found an increased amount of methanethiol and dimethyl sulphide. Wevers: “That was a direct clue that in these patients’ metabolism an error occurs, leading to the accumulation of four sulphur compounds, including methanethiol, in their blood. Methanethiol and dimethyl sulphide are extremely volatile and are thus easily exhaled via the lungs. Because we had now identified the human protein converting methanethiol, SELENBP1, we looked at these patients’ DNA. We found they all had mutations in the gene SELENBP1.”

Further research produced more evidence for this new discovery. For example, these patients’ skin cells had significantly lower levels of the protein and showed little or no enzyme activity. This same pattern was found in knock-out mice. This led to the conclusion that SELENBP1 is indeed a methanethiol oxidase and that mutations in this gene cause chronic bad breath. This mutation might be more common than we think: the researchers calculated that about 1 in 90,000 people carry the mutation. No cure is available for these patients. For the present, they can reduce bad breath only by dietary measures. Further research will focus on the development of a possible therapy, and on the role of compounds deriving from methanethiol in a healthy metabolism.

[Sam2]

Thanks for sharing this...

This would explain why some people smell more of sulphur than others after eating garlic, onions and the like...

[Sue2018]

So basically there is no cure in a pill. How do we control our diet. Is anyone willing to go on a diet and we can create a group of us and motivate each other. I wouldn’t know where to start.

[buddi]

Interesting! At a point i was thinking of gene mutations too..
But i wanna clear out other options n treatments first..
N in our case BB isnt genetical..

[IAMFrustrated]

Thanks man

That what I am looking for and I was trying to explain a few days ago for some MEBO GROUP about it.

[Lavender]

This is great news. We now know that this could be a possibility with some of us. The question is how and where can we get ourselves tested.
Do lab in US provide testing facilities fr this gene.

[mauricio]

Full paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5742538/
Youtube video: https://youtu.be/_y-vkGYVRDQ
Maybe we could email the professors at Radboud University to ask if we could get tested.

This is great news.

yup, a genetic mutation that has no cure whatsoever, textbook definition of great news. I might literally kill myself if I find out I've this problem.

[micca4455]

Hi.
I also read about this news. Iam also thinking that my bb is because of this gene mutation. I was very depressed about this problem. Cure pls

[micca4455]

Any one from the Philippines?

[mauricio]

Maybe we could email the professors at Radboud University to ask if we could get tested.

I've already got a reply saying I need to test first whether my problem is intra-oral or extra-oral at a dutch clinic, so something alike to what Dr Murat does.
I emailed the clinic about the costs.

[Jaim618]

So basically there is no cure in a pill. How do we control our diet. Is anyone willing to go on a diet and we can create a group of us and motivate each other. I wouldn’t know where to start.

I am willing to... just don’t know where to start. After all the reading I’ve done, looks like raw is the way to go.

[micca4455]

I am willing to go on diet pls include me on the group. Thanks

[KL123]

I think there is testing done for this at Redboud unversity but you need a referral from a doctor.
So I guess, first you need to work with a physician in Netherlands who may be attached to this study and then see him so that he can collect samples and refer it to Redboud.

https://nl.surveymonkey.com/r/SJWJLJB

[hope4cure]

Just found this article. I Hope I don't have this gene mutation


Date of news: 19 December 201
For the first time, researchers have uncovered that bad breath can be caused by a genetic defect. A mutation in the gene SELENBP1 leads to the absence of the protein that converts the sulphur compound methanethiol. Researchers from Radboud University and Radboud university medical center have published these findings in Nature Genetics.

Bad breath (halitosis) is usually caused by bacteria in the oral cavity that produce sulphur compounds. Little is known about other causes of bad breath, but it has long been thought that it might also have a genetic cause. In the nineties, Dr Albert Tangerman (Radboud university medical center, internal medicine) discovered a Dutch family with several members having bad breath.

youtube
Together with Professor of Inborn errors of Metabolism Ron Wevers, he looked for a cause. They came across sulphur compounds, including the foul-smelling methanethiol. This compound gives rise to a strong cabbage-like odour. “Methanethiol is produced in large amounts in the intestines, and can originate from food. We believed that the protein responsible for getting rid of methanethiol was defective in these patients”, says Wevers, “however, we could not find a lead for this in their metabolism. The process by which the body counteracts this compound was unknown. So at that point we were stuck.”

From bacterium to human
Wevers presented this problem at several conventions and as a result was contacted by families from Germany and Portugal with the same problem. In addition, a collaboration with Microbiology Professor Huub Op den Camp, a specialist in sulphur conversion in bacteria, was established. Together with researchers from University of Warwick, they recently discovered a protein in the bacterium Hyphomicrobium that converts methanethiol: methanethiol oxidase.
The bacterium feeds on contamination in sewage, including sulphur compounds like methanethiol, removing them from the water.

The researchers then looked to see whether the gene encoding the methanethiol oxidase protein in the bacteria was also present in humans. The human gene that corresponded most closely was SELENBP1. Huub Op den Camp: But the function of the corresponding human protein SELENBP1 was unknown. This also meant we did not know which compounds our body converts methanethiol into. The gene SELENBP1 is reported in the literature to be involved in tumour suppression. However, we immediately hypothesized that the absence of this protein could be the cause of bad breath in these patients.”

Widely distributed defect in metabolism
Wevers and Op den Camp investigated the breath, blood and urine of these patients, and found an increased amount of methanethiol and dimethyl sulphide. Wevers: “That was a direct clue that in these patients’ metabolism an error occurs, leading to the accumulation of four sulphur compounds, including methanethiol, in their blood. Methanethiol and dimethyl sulphide are extremely volatile and are thus easily exhaled via the lungs. Because we had now identified the human protein converting methanethiol, SELENBP1, we looked at these patients’ DNA. We found they all had mutations in the gene SELENBP1.”

Further research produced more evidence for this new discovery. For example, these patients’ skin cells had significantly lower levels of the protein and showed little or no enzyme activity. This same pattern was found in knock-out mice. This led to the conclusion that SELENBP1 is indeed a methanethiol oxidase and that mutations in this gene cause chronic bad breath. This mutation might be more common than we think: the researchers calculated that about 1 in 90,000 people carry the mutation. No cure is available for these patients. For the present, they can reduce bad breath only by dietary measures. Further research will focus on the development of a possible therapy, and on the role of compounds deriving from methanethiol in a healthy metabolism.

Thank you for sharing. In my family only me and my mother who has bb. Others have normal breath. It made me more depressed after reading this. If anyone want to make group about diet regarding to this BB caused by genetic, please include me too. I really wished for cure. :'(

[micca4455]

I think there is testing done for this at Redboud unversity but you need a referral from a doctor.
So I guess, first you need to work with a physician in Netherlands who may be attached to this study and then see him so that he can collect samples and refer it to Redboud.

https://nl.surveymonkey.com/r/SJWJLJB

Iam from Philippines.
I think i have this gene mutation also. I think we can email them about these problem.