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Garber A, Weingarten LS, Abreu NJ, Elloumi HZ, Haack T, Hildebrant C, Martínez-Gil N, Mathews J, Müller AJ, Valenzuela Palafoll I, Steigerwald C, Chung WK. Rare predicted deleterious FEZF2 variants are associated with a neurodevelopmental phenotype. Am J Med Genet A 2024; 194:e63578. [PMID: 38425142 PMCID: PMC11161304 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.63578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
FEZF2 encodes a transcription factor critical to neurodevelopment that regulates other neurodevelopment genes. Rare variants in FEZF2 have previously been suggested to play a role in autism, and cases of 3p14 microdeletions that include FEZF2 share a neurodevelopmental phenotype including mild dysmorphic features and intellectual disability. We identified seven heterozygous predicted deleterious variants in FEZF2 (three frameshifts, one recurrent missense in two independent cases, one nonsense, and one complete gene deletion) in unrelated individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders including developmental delay/intellectual disability, autism, and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity. Variants were confirmed to be de novo in five of seven cases and paternally inherited from an affected father in one. Predicted deleterious variants in FEZF2 may affect the expression of genes that are involved in fate choice pathways in developing neurons, and thus contribute to the neurodevelopmental phenotype. Future studies are needed to clarify the mechanism by which FEZF2 leads to this neurodevelopmental disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison Garber
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Lisa S Weingarten
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Nicolas J Abreu
- Department of Neurology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Tobias Haack
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Clara Hildebrant
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Núria Martínez-Gil
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Genetics, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
- Medical Genetics Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jennifer Mathews
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Amelie Johanna Müller
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Irene Valenzuela Palafoll
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Genetics, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
- Medical Genetics Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Connolly Steigerwald
- Department of Neurology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Wendy K Chung
- Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Abbott PW, Hardie JB, Walsh KP, Nessler AJ, Farley SJ, Freeman JH, Wemmie JA, Wendt L, Kim YC, Sowers LP, Parker KL. Knockdown of the Non-canonical Wnt Gene Prickle2 Leads to Cerebellar Purkinje Cell Abnormalities While Cerebellar-Mediated Behaviors Remain Intact. CEREBELLUM (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2024:10.1007/s12311-023-01648-9. [PMID: 38165577 PMCID: PMC11217148 DOI: 10.1007/s12311-023-01648-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) involve brain wide abnormalities that contribute to a constellation of symptoms including behavioral inflexibility, cognitive dysfunction, learning impairments, altered social interactions, and perceptive time difficulties. Although a single genetic variation does not cause ASD, genetic variations such as one involving a non-canonical Wnt signaling gene, Prickle2, has been found in individuals with ASD. Previous work looking into phenotypes of Prickle2 knock-out (Prickle2-/-) and heterozygous mice (Prickle2-/+) suggest patterns of behavior similar to individuals with ASD including altered social interaction and behavioral inflexibility. Growing evidence implicates the cerebellum in ASD. As Prickle2 is expressed in the cerebellum, this animal model presents a unique opportunity to investigate the cerebellar contribution to autism-like phenotypes. Here, we explore cerebellar structural and physiological abnormalities in animals with Prickle2 knockdown using immunohistochemistry, whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology, and several cerebellar-associated motor and timing tasks, including interval timing and eyeblink conditioning. Histologically, Prickle2-/- mice have significantly more empty spaces or gaps between Purkinje cells in the posterior lobules and a decreased propensity for Purkinje cells to fire action potentials. These structural cerebellar abnormalities did not impair cerebellar-associated behaviors as eyeblink conditioning and interval timing remained intact. Therefore, although Prickle-/- mice show classic phenotypes of ASD, they do not recapitulate the involvement of the adult cerebellum and may not represent the pathophysiological heterogeneity of the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parker W Abbott
- Department of Psychiatry, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52245, USA
| | - Jason B Hardie
- Department of Psychiatry, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52245, USA
| | - Kyle P Walsh
- Department of Psychiatry, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52245, USA
| | - Aaron J Nessler
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52245, USA
| | | | - John H Freeman
- Department of Psychiatry, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52245, USA
| | - John A Wemmie
- Department of Psychiatry, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52245, USA
| | - Linder Wendt
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52245, USA
| | - Young-Cho Kim
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52245, USA
- Department of Neurology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52245, USA
| | - Levi P Sowers
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52245, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52245, USA
| | - Krystal L Parker
- Department of Psychiatry, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52245, USA.
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Gandawijaya J, Bamford RA, Burbach JPH, Oguro-Ando A. Cell Adhesion Molecules Involved in Neurodevelopmental Pathways Implicated in 3p-Deletion Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 14:611379. [PMID: 33519384 PMCID: PMC7838543 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.611379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impaired social interaction, language delay and repetitive or restrictive behaviors. With increasing prevalence, ASD is currently estimated to affect 0.5–2.0% of the global population. However, its etiology remains unclear due to high genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. Copy number variations (CNVs) are implicated in several forms of syndromic ASD and have been demonstrated to contribute toward ASD development by altering gene dosage and expression. Increasing evidence points toward the p-arm of chromosome 3 (chromosome 3p) as an ASD risk locus. Deletions occurring at chromosome 3p result in 3p-deletion syndrome (Del3p), a rare genetic disorder characterized by developmental delay, intellectual disability, facial dysmorphisms and often, ASD or ASD-associated behaviors. Therefore, we hypothesize that overlapping molecular mechanisms underlie the pathogenesis of Del3p and ASD. To investigate which genes encoded in chromosome 3p could contribute toward Del3p and ASD, we performed a comprehensive literature review and collated reports investigating the phenotypes of individuals with chromosome 3p CNVs. We observe that high frequencies of CNVs occur in the 3p26.3 region, the terminal cytoband of chromosome 3p. This suggests that CNVs disrupting genes encoded within the 3p26.3 region are likely to contribute toward the neurodevelopmental phenotypes observed in individuals affected by Del3p. The 3p26.3 region contains three consecutive genes encoding closely related neuronal immunoglobulin cell adhesion molecules (IgCAMs): Close Homolog of L1 (CHL1), Contactin-6 (CNTN6), and Contactin-4 (CNTN4). CNVs disrupting these neuronal IgCAMs may contribute toward ASD phenotypes as they have been associated with key roles in neurodevelopment. CHL1, CNTN6, and CNTN4 have been observed to promote neurogenesis and neuronal survival, and regulate neuritogenesis and synaptic function. Furthermore, there is evidence that these neuronal IgCAMs possess overlapping interactomes and participate in common signaling pathways regulating axon guidance. Notably, mouse models deficient for these neuronal IgCAMs do not display strong deficits in axonal migration or behavioral phenotypes, which is in contrast to the pronounced defects in neuritogenesis and axon guidance observed in vitro. This suggests that when CHL1, CNTN6, or CNTN4 function is disrupted by CNVs, other neuronal IgCAMs may suppress behavioral phenotypes by compensating for the loss of function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josan Gandawijaya
- University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Rosemary A Bamford
- University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - J Peter H Burbach
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Asami Oguro-Ando
- University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
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Parmeggiani G, Buldrini B, Fini S, Ferlini A, Bigoni S. A New 3p14.2 Microdeletion in a Patient with Intellectual Disability and Language Impairment: Case Report and Review of the Literature. Mol Syndromol 2018; 9:175-181. [PMID: 30140195 PMCID: PMC6103356 DOI: 10.1159/000489842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Interstitial deletions of chromosome 3p are rare, and specific genotype-phenotype correlations cannot always be assessed. We report the case of a 3p14.2 proximal microdeletion in a 60-year-old female patient with mild intellectual disability, severe speech delay, and mild dysmorphism. An array-CGH analysis detected a 500-kb deletion in the 3p14.2 region, including FEZF2, CADPS, and PTPRG. FEZF2 and CADPS are known to network within the neurodevelopmental pathways. It is possible that their rearrangements lead to the phenotypic features observed in the patient, and therefore, they can be considered candidate genes responsible for such abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Stefania Bigoni
- UOL of Medical Genetics, Department of Reproduction and Growth and Department of Medical Science, University Hospital S. Anna, Ferrara, Italy
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Hajek CA, Ji J, Saitta SC. Interstitial Chromosome 3p13p14 Deletions: An Update and Review. Mol Syndromol 2018; 9:122-133. [PMID: 29928177 DOI: 10.1159/000488168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Deletions of proximal chromosome 3p13p14 are infrequent chromosomal alterations. Variable sizes and breakpoints have been reported in patients with a wide range of phenotypes that are evolving as additional cases are reported. The routine use of high-density chromosomal microarrays (CMA) has allowed the identification of many more cases of this disorder and clinical phenotyping shows evidence for an emerging profile among patients with overlapping deletions of 3p13p14. Here, we review the currently reported cases, their phenotypes and where available, the genomic intervals delineated by CMA. Surprisingly, we found that a significant number of proximal chromosome 3p deletions involve structural rearrangements, especially insertions, that have been identified in balanced parental chromosome complements. This region is historically known as a common human chromosomal fragile site, although an underlying genomic mechanism related to its architecture has not been identified. We conclude that identification of an interstitial 3p deletion in a proband by CMA should prompt consideration of further structural chromosomal evaluation using more traditional cytogenetic techniques. While the variability in breakpoints does not suggest a unifying underlying mechanism for these alterations, identification of the haploinsufficient genes in each patient's deletion interval and their developmental roles can guide genotype-phenotype correlations and impact clinical management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine A Hajek
- Sanford Health, and Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD
| | - Jianling Ji
- Center for Personalized Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles.,Department of Pathology, Keck USC School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sulagna C Saitta
- Center for Personalized Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles.,Department of Pathology, Keck USC School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Hajek C, Wang JC, Mahon LW, Martinez A, Saitta SC. Interstitial Chromosome 3p14.1 Deletion due to a Maternal Insertion: Phenotype and Association with Balanced Parental Rearrangement. Mol Syndromol 2016; 7:43-8. [PMID: 27194973 DOI: 10.1159/000444603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Interstitial deletions of 3p14p12 are rare chromosome abnormalities. We present a patient with multiple congenital anomalies and a 15.4-Mb interstitial loss of chromosome 3p14p12 detected by chromosomal microarray (CMA). Our patient shared many phenotypic features with other reported cases involving the same region including prominent forehead, short palpebral fissures, hand and foot anomalies, genital abnormalities, and bilateral hearing loss. Given the clinical similarity of these cases with significant overlap of the deleted regions, it is likely that the phenotype is related to the deletion of specific genes within the region. Further molecular cytogenetic investigation revealed that our patient's rearrangement was derived from a cryptic insertion of a segment of chromosome 3p into chromosome 18q in the mother, which was balanced and therefore not visible on the mother's CMA. To our knowledge, this finding has not been previously reported. This case illustrates the importance of using molecular cytogenetics for structural analysis and parental studies. CMA is commonly the first-line study in patients with multiple congenital anomalies; however, it is not the appropriate modality to define a structural rearrangement that may be the cause of a deletion. The use of adjunct studies to define the mechanism of an identified copy number aberration has direct clinical application: to identify the underlying cause of the chromosomal abnormality and to define the recurrence risk. Additionally, this case adds to the current body of work regarding a recurrent phenotype that can be attributed to interstitial chromosome 3p deletions, which may help define the phenotypic implications of deletions in this region and support early clinical management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Hajek
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., USA
| | - Jia-Chi Wang
- Cytogenetics Laboratory, Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., USA
| | - Loretta W Mahon
- Cytogenetics Laboratory, Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., USA
| | - Ariadna Martinez
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., USA
| | - Sulagna C Saitta
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., USA; Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, Calif., USA
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7
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3p14 De Novo Interstitial Microdeletion in a Patient with Intellectual Disability and Autistic Features with Language Impairment: A Comparison with Similar Cases. Case Rep Genet 2015; 2015:876348. [PMID: 26075115 PMCID: PMC4446465 DOI: 10.1155/2015/876348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2014] [Revised: 01/22/2015] [Accepted: 03/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
To date, few cases of 3p proximal interstitial deletions have been reported and the phenotype and genotype correlation is not well understood. Here, we report a new case of a 3p proximal interstitial deletion. The patient is an 11-year-old female with speech and social interaction difficulties, learning disability, and slight facial dysmorphism, but no other major malformations. An 8 Mb de novo interstitial deletion at 3p14.2-p14.1, from position 60.461.316 to 68.515.453, was revealed by means of array comparative genomic hybridization and confirmed using quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assays. This region includes six genes: FEZF2, CADPS, SYNPR, ATXN7, PRICKLE, and MAGI1, that are known to have a role in neurodevelopment. These genes are located on the proximal side of the deletion. We compare our case with previously well-defined patients reported in the literature and databases.
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