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Watts LM, Bertoli M, Attie-Bitach T, Roux N, Rausell A, Paschal CR, Zambonin JL, Curry CJ, Martin B, Tooze RS, Hawkes L, Kini U, Twigg SRF, Wilkie AOM. The phenotype of MEGF8-related Carpenter syndrome (CRPT2) is refined through the identification of eight new patients. Eur J Hum Genet 2024; 32:864-870. [PMID: 38760421 PMCID: PMC11220001 DOI: 10.1038/s41431-024-01624-9] [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: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Carpenter syndrome (CRPTS) is a rare autosomal recessive condition caused by biallelic variants in genes that encode negative regulators of hedgehog signalling (RAB23 [CRPT1] or, more rarely, MEGF8 [CRPT2]), and is characterised by craniosynostosis, polysyndactyly, and other congenital abnormalities. We describe a further six families comprising eight individuals with MEGF8-associated CRPT2, increasing the total number of reported cases to fifteen, and refine the phenotype of CRPT2 compared to CRPT1. The core features of craniosynostosis, polysyndactyly and (in males) cryptorchidism are almost universal in both CRPT1 and CRPT2. However, laterality defects are present in nearly half of those with MEGF8-associated CRPT2, but are rare in RAB23-associated CRPT1. Craniosynostosis in CRPT2 commonly involves a single midline suture in comparison to the multi-suture craniosynostosis characteristic of CRPT1. No patient to date has carried two MEGF8 gene alterations that are both predicted to lead to complete loss-of-function, suggesting that a variable degree of residual MEGF8 activity may be essential for viability and potentially contributing to variable phenotypic severity. These data refine the phenotypic spectrum of CRPT2 in comparison to CRPT1 and more than double the number of likely pathogenic MEGF8 variants in this rare disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Watts
- Oxford Centre for Genomic Medicine, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Marta Bertoli
- Northern Genetics Service, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Tania Attie-Bitach
- Service de Médecine Génomique des Maladies Rares, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France
- Laboratoire de biologie médicale multisites SeqOIA, Paris, France
| | - Natalie Roux
- Service de Médecine Génomique des Maladies Rares, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France
| | - Antonio Rausell
- Service de Médecine Génomique des Maladies Rares, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France
- Laboratoire de biologie médicale multisites SeqOIA, Paris, France
| | | | - Jessica L Zambonin
- Provincial Medical Genetics Program, BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Cynthia J Curry
- University of California San Francisco/Fresno, Fresno, CA, USA
- Genetic Medicine, Community Regional Medical Center, Fresno, CA, USA
| | - Blanche Martin
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
- Institut de Pathologie et de Génétique, Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Rebecca S Tooze
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Lara Hawkes
- Oxford Centre for Genomic Medicine, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Usha Kini
- Oxford Centre for Genomic Medicine, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Stephen R F Twigg
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrew O M Wilkie
- Oxford Centre for Genomic Medicine, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK.
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
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Yuan X, Chen R, Luo G, Sun P, Song X, Ma J, Sun R, Yu T, Jiang Z. Role and mechanism of miR-871-3p/Megf8 in regulating formaldehyde-induced cardiomyocyte inflammation and congenital heart disease. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 126:111297. [PMID: 38039718 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.111297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN We aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying formaldehyde (FA)-induced congenital heart disease (CHD) using in vitro and in vivo models. MATERIALS AND SUBJECTS Neonatal rat heart tissues and H9C2 cells were used for in vitro studies, while FA-exposed new-born rats were used for in vivo studies. TREATMENT H9C2 cells were exposed to FA concentrations of 0, 50, 100 and 150 μM/mL for 24 h. METHODS Whole transcriptome gene sequencing identified differentially expressed miRNAs in neonatal rat heart tissues, while Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assessed miR-871-3p and Megf8 expression. RNA pull-down and dual-luciferase reporter assays determined miR-871-3p and Megf8 relationships. Inflammatory cytokine expression was assessed by western blotting. A FA-induced CHD model was used to validate miR-871-3p regulatory effects in vivo. RESULTS We identified 89 differentially expressed miRNAs, with 28 up-regulated and 61 down-regulated (fold change ≥ 2.0, P < 0.05). Inflammation (interleukin) and signalling pathways were found to control FA-induced cardiac dysplasia. miR-871-3p was upregulated in FA-exposed heart tissues, modulated inflammation, and directly targeted Megf8. In vivo experiments showed miR-871-3p knockdown inhibited FA-induced inflammation and CHD. CONCLUSION We demonstrated miR-871-3p's role in FA-induced CHD by targeting Megf8, providing potential targets for CHD intervention and improved diagnosis and treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Yuan
- Department of Cardiac Ultrasound, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Road No. 59 Haier, Qingdao 266100, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Chen
- Heart Center, Women and Children's Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266034, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Gang Luo
- Heart Center, Women and Children's Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266034, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Pin Sun
- Department of Cardiac Ultrasound, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Road No. 59 Haier, Qingdao 266100, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoxia Song
- Department of Cardiac Ultrasound, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Road No. 59 Haier, Qingdao 266100, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianmin Ma
- Department of Cardiac Ultrasound, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Road No. 59 Haier, Qingdao 266100, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Ruicong Sun
- Department of Cardiac Ultrasound, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Road No. 59 Haier, Qingdao 266100, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Tao Yu
- Department of Cardiac Ultrasound, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Road No. 59 Haier, Qingdao 266100, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China; Institute for Translational Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, No. 38 Dengzhou Road, Qingdao 266021, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhirong Jiang
- Department of Cardiac Ultrasound, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Road No. 59 Haier, Qingdao 266100, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China.
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Lebensohn AM, Bazan JF, Rohatgi R. Receptor control by membrane-tethered ubiquitin ligases in development and tissue homeostasis. Curr Top Dev Biol 2022; 150:25-89. [PMID: 35817504 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2022.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Paracrine cell-cell communication is central to all developmental processes, ranging from cell diversification to patterning and morphogenesis. Precise calibration of signaling strength is essential for the fidelity of tissue formation during embryogenesis and tissue maintenance in adults. Membrane-tethered ubiquitin ligases can control the sensitivity of target cells to secreted ligands by regulating the abundance of signaling receptors at the cell surface. We discuss two examples of this emerging concept in signaling: (1) the transmembrane ubiquitin ligases ZNRF3 and RNF43 that regulate WNT and bone morphogenetic protein receptor abundance in response to R-spondin ligands and (2) the membrane-recruited ubiquitin ligase MGRN1 that controls Hedgehog and melanocortin receptor abundance. We focus on the mechanistic logic of these systems, illustrated by structural and protein interaction models enabled by AlphaFold. We suggest that membrane-tethered ubiquitin ligases play a widespread role in remodeling the cell surface proteome to control responses to extracellular ligands in diverse biological processes.
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Kong JH, Young CB, Pusapati GV, Espinoza FH, Patel CB, Beckert F, Ho S, Patel BB, Gabriel GC, Aravind L, Bazan JF, Gunn TM, Lo CW, Rohatgi R. Gene-teratogen interactions influence the penetrance of birth defects by altering Hedgehog signaling strength. Development 2021; 148:dev199867. [PMID: 34486668 PMCID: PMC8513608 DOI: 10.1242/dev.199867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Birth defects result from interactions between genetic and environmental factors, but the mechanisms remain poorly understood. We find that mutations and teratogens interact in predictable ways to cause birth defects by changing target cell sensitivity to Hedgehog (Hh) ligands. These interactions converge on a membrane protein complex, the MMM complex, that promotes degradation of the Hh transducer Smoothened (SMO). Deficiency of the MMM component MOSMO results in elevated SMO and increased Hh signaling, causing multiple birth defects. In utero exposure to a teratogen that directly inhibits SMO reduces the penetrance and expressivity of birth defects in Mosmo-/- embryos. Additionally, tissues that develop normally in Mosmo-/- embryos are refractory to the teratogen. Thus, changes in the abundance of the protein target of a teratogen can change birth defect outcomes by quantitative shifts in Hh signaling. Consequently, small molecules that re-calibrate signaling strength could be harnessed to rescue structural birth defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer H. Kong
- Departments of Biochemistry and Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Cullen B. Young
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15201, USA
| | - Ganesh V. Pusapati
- Departments of Biochemistry and Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - F. Hernán Espinoza
- Departments of Biochemistry and Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Chandni B. Patel
- Departments of Biochemistry and Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Francis Beckert
- Departments of Biochemistry and Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Sebastian Ho
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15201, USA
| | - Bhaven B. Patel
- Departments of Biochemistry and Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - George C. Gabriel
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15201, USA
| | - L. Aravind
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | | | - Teresa M. Gunn
- McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls, MT 59405, USA
| | - Cecilia W. Lo
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15201, USA
| | - Rajat Rohatgi
- Departments of Biochemistry and Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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