Potential New Causes for TMAU - A Fishy Smelling Body Odor Disorder

Introduction

Just before Rare Disease Day 2017, a study from the Monell Center and collaborating institutions provides new insight into the causes of trimethylaminura (TMAU), a genetically-transmitted metabolic disorder that leads to accumulation of a chemical that smells like rotting fish.

Main Item

TMAU is a rare disorder in which the human body's metabolic processes fail to alter the chemical trimethylamine. Fish odor syndrome (trimethylaminuria) is a genetic disease - symptoms are often present from birth. Trimethylamine is notable for its unpleasant smell. It is the chemical that gives rotten fish a bad smell. When the normal metabolic process fails, trimethylamine accumulates in the body, and its odor is detected in the person's sweat, urine and breath.

Although TMAU has been attributed solely to mutations in a single gene called FMO3, the new study combined sensory and genetic approaches to identify additional genes that may contribute to TMAU. The findings indicate that genetic testing to identify mutations in the FMO3 gene may not be sufficient to identify the underlying cause of all cases of TMAU.

TMAU is classified as a "rare disease," meaning that it affects less than 200,000 people in the United States. However, its actual incidence remains uncertain, due in part to inconclusive diagnostic techniques.

"Our findings may bring some reassurance to people who report fish-like odor symptoms but do not have mutations in the FMO3 gene," said Monell behavioral geneticist Danielle R. Reed, PhD, a senior author on the study.

The socially and psychologically distressing symptoms of TMAU result from the buildup of trimethylamine (TMA), a chemical compound produced naturally from many foods rich in the dietary constituent, choline. Such foods include eggs, certain legumes, wheat germ, saltwater fish and organ meats. TMA, which has a foul, fishy odor, normally is metabolized by the liver enzyme flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 (FMO3) into an odorless metabolite.

People with TMAU are unable to metabolize TMA, presumably due to defects in the underlying FMO3 gene that result in faulty instructions for making functional FMO3 enzymes. The TMA, along with its associated unpleasant odor, then accumulates and is excreted from the body in urine, sweat, saliva, and breath.

However, some people who report having the fish odor symptoms of TMAU do not have severely disruptive mutations in the FMO3 gene. This led the researchers to suspect that other genes may also contribute to the disorder.

In the new study, reported in the open access journal BMC Medical Genetics, the research team combined a gene sequencing technique known as exome analysis with sophisticated computer modeling to probe for additional TMAU-related genes.

The study compared sensory, metabolic and genetic data from ten individuals randomly selected from 130 subjects previously evaluated for TMAU at the Monell Center.

Each subject's body odor was evaluated in the laboratory by a trained sensory panel before and after a metabolic test to measure production of TMA over 24 hours following ingestion of a set amount of choline.

Although the choline challenge test confirmed a diagnosis of TMAU by revealing a high level of urinary TMA in all 10 subjects, genetic analyses revealed that the FMO3 gene appeared to be normal in four of the 10. Additional analyses revealed defects in several other genes that could contribute to the inability to metabolize the odorous TMA.

"We now know that genes other than FMO3 may contribute to TMAU. These new genes may help us better understand the underlying biology of the disorder and perhaps even identify treatments," said Reed.

TMAU's odor symptoms may occur in irregular and seemingly unpredictable intervals. This makes the disease difficult to diagnose, as patients can appear to be odor-free when they consult a health professional.

This was evidenced in the current study. Although all of the subjects reported frequent fish-odor symptoms, none was judged by the sensory panel to have a fish-like odor at the time of the choline challenge.

Monell analytical organic chemist George Preti, PhD, also a senior author, commented on the diagnostic implications of the combined findings, "Regardless of either the current sensory presentation TMAU or the FMO3 genetics, the choline challenge test will confirm the accumulation of TMA that reveals the presence of the disorder."

Moving forward, the researchers would like to repeat the genetic analyses in a larger cohort of TMAU patients without FMO3 mutations to confirm which other genes are involved in the disorder.

"Such information may identify additional odorants produced by TMAU-positive patients, and inform the future development of gene-based therapies" said Preti.

Also contributing to the research were co-lead author Liang-Dar Hwang, Jason Eades, Chung Wen Yu, Corrine Mansfield, Alexis Burdick-Will, and Fujiko Duke of Monell; co-lead author Yiran Guo, Xiao Chang, Brendan Keating, and Hakon Hakonarson of the Center for Applied Genomics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; co-lead author Jiankang Li, Yulan Chen, and Jianguo Zhang of BGI-Shenzhen (China); Steven Fakharzadeh of the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; Paul Fennessey of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center; and Hui Jiang of BGI-Shenzhen, the Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Genomics, and the Guangdong Enterprise Key Laboratory of Human Disease Genomics.

Funding for the research was provided by the National Organization of Rare Diseases; Institutional funds from the Monell Chemical Center and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute; National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication of the National Institutes of Health (P30DC011735); Shenzhen Municipal Government of China (CXZZ20130517144604091); Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Genomics (CXB200903110066A); and Guangdong Enterprise Key Laboratory of Human Disease Genomics (2011A060906007). Philanthropic funding was provided by the TMAU Foundation, Volatile Analysis, Inc., the family of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hasselbusch with matching funds from Merck Easy Match, and the late Ms. Bonnie Hunt.

The Monell Chemical Senses Center is an independent nonprofit basic research institute based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Poised to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2018, Monell advances scientific understanding of the mechanisms and functions of taste and smell to benefit human health and well-being. Using an interdisciplinary approach, scientists collaborate in the programmatic areas of sensation and perception; neuroscience and molecular biology; environmental and occupational health; nutrition and appetite; health and well-being; development, aging and regeneration; and chemical ecology and communication.

Attribution/Source(s):

This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World due to its significant relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Monell Chemical Senses Center, and published on 2017/02/15 (Edit Update: 2020/05/12), the content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, Monell Chemical Senses Center can be contacted at monell.org. NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.

▶ Share This Page

Page Information, Citing and Disclaimer

Disabled World is a comprehensive online resource that provides information and news related to disabilities, assistive technologies, and accessibility issues. Founded in 2004 our website covers a wide range of topics, including disability rights, healthcare, education, employment, and independent living, with the goal of supporting the disability community and their families.

Cite This Page (APA): Monell Chemical Senses Center. (2017, February 15 - Last revised: 2020, May 12). Potential New Causes for TMAU - A Fishy Smelling Body Odor Disorder. Disabled World. Retrieved October 11, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/news/research/tmau.php

Permalink: <a href="https://www.disabled-world.com/news/research/tmau.php">Potential New Causes for TMAU - A Fishy Smelling Body Odor Disorder</a>: Study provides new insight into causes of trimethylaminura, a genetically transmitted metabolic disorder that leads to accumulation of a chemical that smells like rotting fish.

Disabled World provides general information only. Materials presented are never meant to substitute for qualified medical care. Any 3rd party offering or advertising does not constitute an endorsement.