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Ren Y, Yu X, Chen B, Tang H, Niu S, Wang X, Pan H, Zhang Z. Genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of juvenile/adult onset vanishing white matter: a series of 14 Chinese patients. Neurol Sci 2022; 43:4961-4977. [DOI: 10.1007/s10072-022-06011-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Lanciotti A, Brignone MS, Macioce P, Visentin S, Ambrosini E. Human iPSC-Derived Astrocytes: A Powerful Tool to Study Primary Astrocyte Dysfunction in the Pathogenesis of Rare Leukodystrophies. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 23:ijms23010274. [PMID: 35008700 PMCID: PMC8745131 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes are very versatile cells, endowed with multitasking capacities to ensure brain homeostasis maintenance from brain development to adult life. It has become increasingly evident that astrocytes play a central role in many central nervous system pathologies, not only as regulators of defensive responses against brain insults but also as primary culprits of the disease onset and progression. This is particularly evident in some rare leukodystrophies (LDs) where white matter/myelin deterioration is due to primary astrocyte dysfunctions. Understanding the molecular defects causing these LDs may help clarify astrocyte contribution to myelin formation/maintenance and favor the identification of possible therapeutic targets for LDs and other CNS demyelinating diseases. To date, the pathogenic mechanisms of these LDs are poorly known due to the rarity of the pathological tissue and the failure of the animal models to fully recapitulate the human diseases. Thus, the development of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) from patient fibroblasts and their differentiation into astrocytes is a promising approach to overcome these issues. In this review, we discuss the primary role of astrocytes in LD pathogenesis, the experimental models currently available and the advantages, future evolutions, perspectives, and limitations of hiPSC to study pathologies implying astrocyte dysfunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Lanciotti
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00169 Rome, Italy; (A.L.); (M.S.B.); (P.M.)
| | - Maria Stefania Brignone
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00169 Rome, Italy; (A.L.); (M.S.B.); (P.M.)
| | - Pompeo Macioce
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00169 Rome, Italy; (A.L.); (M.S.B.); (P.M.)
| | - Sergio Visentin
- National Center for Research and Preclinical and Clinical Evaluation of Drugs, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00169 Rome, Italy;
| | - Elena Ambrosini
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00169 Rome, Italy; (A.L.); (M.S.B.); (P.M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-064-990-2037
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English AM, Green KM, Moon SL. A (dis)integrated stress response: Genetic diseases of eIF2α regulators. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2021; 13:e1689. [PMID: 34463036 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The integrated stress response (ISR) is a conserved mechanism by which eukaryotic cells remodel gene expression to adapt to intrinsic and extrinsic stressors rapidly and reversibly. The ISR is initiated when stress-activated protein kinases phosphorylate the major translation initiation factor eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2ɑ (eIF2ɑ), which globally suppresses translation initiation activity and permits the selective translation of stress-induced genes including important transcription factors such as activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4). Translationally repressed messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and noncoding RNAs assemble into cytoplasmic RNA-protein granules and polyadenylated RNAs are concomitantly stabilized. Thus, regulated changes in mRNA translation, stability, and localization to RNA-protein granules contribute to the reprogramming of gene expression that defines the ISR. We discuss fundamental mechanisms of RNA regulation during the ISR and provide an overview of a growing class of genetic disorders associated with mutant alleles of key translation factors in the ISR pathway. This article is categorized under: RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Interactions: Functional Implications RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease Translation > Translation Regulation RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa M English
- Department of Human Genetics, Center for RNA Biomedicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Katelyn M Green
- Department of Chemistry, Department of Human Genetics, Center for RNA Biomedicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Stephanie L Moon
- Department of Human Genetics, Center for RNA Biomedicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Wei C, Qin Q, Chen F, Zhou A, Wang F, Zuo X, Chen R, Lyu J, Jia J. Adult-onset vanishing white matter disease with the EIF2B2 gene mutation presenting as menometrorrhagia. BMC Neurol 2019; 19:203. [PMID: 31438897 PMCID: PMC6704498 DOI: 10.1186/s12883-019-1429-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Vanishing white matter disease (VWMD) is one of the most prevalent inherited leukoencephalopathies, which generally presents in childhood as a progressive disorder while less beginning in adulthood. The present report describes the clinical, neuroimaging, and genetic findings of a female patient with adult-onset VWMD. In addition, to provide a clearer delineation of the clinical and genetic characteristics of female adult-onset VWMD patients, 32 genetically confirmed female adult-onset EIF2B-mutated cases are summarized. Case presentation The patient described here suffered from long-term menometrorrhagia prior to manifesting progressive neurological impairments that included tremors, bilateral pyramidal tract injury, cerebellar ataxia, and dementia. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first female patient with adult-onset VWMD suffering from long-term menometrorrhagia attributed to the c.254 T > A and c.496A > G mutations in the EIF2B2 gene; the c.496A > G mutation has not been reported in previous studies. The patient also exhibited metabolic dysfunction. The present findings widen the spectrum of phenotypic heterogeneity observed in VWMD patients. Conclusions The present report summarizes 33 female patients with adult-onset VWMD to provide an overview of the clinical and genetic characteristics of this disorder and ovarioleukodystrophy. The mean age of clinical onset in female patients with adult-onset VWMD was 36.8 years and the neurological symptoms primarily included motor and cognitive dysfunction such as paraparesis, cerebellar ataxia, and executive deficits. In addition, ovarian failure occurred in all of these female patients and usually preceded the neurological symptoms. Furthermore, several patients also suffered from metabolic dysfunction. All 33 patients had mutations on EIF2B1–5, and of these, the c.338 G > A mutation in the EIF2B5 gene (p.Arg113His) was the most common. These findings suggest that clinicians should be aware of adult-onset forms of VWMD as well as its typical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinical characteristics although this pathology is usually recognized as a pediatric disorder. No curative treatment is presently available, and thus early recognition is important to prevent triggering events and to allow for genetic counseling. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12883-019-1429-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cuibai Wei
- Innovation center for neurological disorders, Department of Neurology, Xuan Wu Hospital, Capital Medical University, 45 Changchun Street, Beijing, 100053, China.
| | - Qi Qin
- Innovation center for neurological disorders, Department of Neurology, Xuan Wu Hospital, Capital Medical University, 45 Changchun Street, Beijing, 100053, China
| | - Fei Chen
- Innovation center for neurological disorders, Department of Neurology, Xuan Wu Hospital, Capital Medical University, 45 Changchun Street, Beijing, 100053, China
| | - Aihong Zhou
- Innovation center for neurological disorders, Department of Neurology, Xuan Wu Hospital, Capital Medical University, 45 Changchun Street, Beijing, 100053, China
| | - Fen Wang
- Innovation center for neurological disorders, Department of Neurology, Xuan Wu Hospital, Capital Medical University, 45 Changchun Street, Beijing, 100053, China
| | - Xiumei Zuo
- Innovation center for neurological disorders, Department of Neurology, Xuan Wu Hospital, Capital Medical University, 45 Changchun Street, Beijing, 100053, China
| | - Rong Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China
| | - Jihui Lyu
- Center for Cognitive Disorders, Beijing Geriatric Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jianping Jia
- Innovation center for neurological disorders, Department of Neurology, Xuan Wu Hospital, Capital Medical University, 45 Changchun Street, Beijing, 100053, China.,Center of Alzheimer's Disease, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders; Beijing Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, Neurodegenerative Laboratory of Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, China
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eIF2B-related multisystem disorder in two sisters with atypical presentations. Eur J Paediatr Neurol 2017; 21:404-409. [PMID: 28041799 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpn.2016.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2016] [Revised: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vanishing white matter disease (VWM) is a chronic progressive leukoencephalopathy that is characterized by cerebellar ataxia and spasticity, together with cystic degeneration of the cerebral white matter as evidenced by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Here, we report two sisters with EIF2B2 variants, who presented with delayed development and failure to thrive before 1 year of age, developed cataracts, and showed diffuse leukoencephalopathy. CASE PRESENTATION The index case had a history of hepatomegaly and intermittent vomiting after upper respiratory infection at 11 months of age. Her older brothers had died at an early age, one with similar symptoms and the other because of septic shock. Her older sister had similar presenting symptoms; she later suffered from both cataracts and primary amenorrhea, but showed neurological improvement. Her follow-up MRIs (at 21 years of age) revealed progressive diffuse brain atrophy with leukoencephalopathy, without cystic rarefaction. Whole-exome sequencing of the index case revealed the presence of the compound heterozygous variants, Val85Glu and Met226Lys in EIF2B2. The affected sister had the same compound heterozygous variants, and their unaffected parents were heterozygous carriers of each variant. CONCLUSIONS This study expanded the clinical and genetic spectrum of VWM with EIF2B2 variants. It would be better to consider VWM as an eIF2B-related multisystem disorder, not just as a neurological disorder, on the basis that this is a family of housekeeping genes that affect multiple organs.
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