1
|
Brown AR, Comai K, Mannino D, McCullough H, Donekal Y, Meyers HC, Graves CW, Seidel HS. A community-science approach identifies genetic variants associated with three color morphs in ball pythons (Python regius). PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276376. [PMID: 36260636 PMCID: PMC9581371 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Color morphs in ball pythons (Python regius) provide a unique and largely untapped resource for understanding the genetics of coloration in reptiles. Here we use a community-science approach to investigate the genetics of three color morphs affecting production of the pigment melanin. These morphs-Albino, Lavender Albino, and Ultramel-show a loss of melanin in the skin and eyes, ranging from severe (Albino) to moderate (Lavender Albino) to mild (Ultramel). To identify genetic variants causing each morph, we recruited shed skins of pet ball pythons via social media, extracted DNA from the skins, and searched for putative loss-of-function variants in homologs of genes controlling melanin production in other vertebrates. We report that the Albino morph is associated with missense and non-coding variants in the gene TYR. The Lavender Albino morph is associated with a deletion in the gene OCA2. The Ultramel morph is associated with a missense variant and a putative deletion in the gene TYRP1. Our study is one of the first to identify genetic variants associated with color morphs in ball pythons and shows that pet samples recruited from the community can provide a resource for genetic studies in this species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Autumn R. Brown
- Department of Biology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America
| | - Kaylee Comai
- Department of Biology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America
| | - Dominic Mannino
- Department of Biology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America
| | - Haily McCullough
- Department of Biology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America
| | - Yamini Donekal
- Department of Biology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America
| | - Hunter C. Meyers
- Department of Biology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America
| | - Chiron W. Graves
- Department of Biology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America
- * E-mail: (CWG); (HSS)
| | - Hannah S. Seidel
- Department of Biology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America
- * E-mail: (CWG); (HSS)
| | - The BIO306W Consortium
- Department of Biology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kulathunga K, Wakimoto A, Hiraishi Y, Yadav MK, Gentleman K, Warabi E, Sakasai T, Miwa Y, Mizuno S, Takahashi S, Hamada M. Albino mice with the point mutation at the tyrosinase locus show high cholesterol diet-induced NASH susceptibility. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21827. [PMID: 34750345 PMCID: PMC8576022 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00501-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) constitutes a metabolic disorder with high worldwide prevalence and increasing incidence. The inflammatory progressive state, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), leads to liver fibrosis and carcinogenesis. Here, we evaluated whether tyrosinase mutation underlies NASH pathophysiology. Tyrosinase point-mutated B6 (Cg)-Tyrc-2J/J mice (B6 albino) and C57BL/6J black mice (B6 black) were fed with high cholesterol diet (HCD) for 10 weeks. Normal diet-fed mice served as controls. HCD-fed B6 albino exhibited high NASH susceptibility compared to B6 black, a phenotype not previously reported. Liver injury occurred in approximately 50% of B6 albino from one post HCD feeding, with elevated serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels. NASH was induced following 2 weeks in severe-phenotypic B6 albino (sB6), but B6 black exhibited no symptoms, even after 10 weeks. HCD-fed sB6 albino showed significantly higher mortality rate. Histological analysis of the liver revealed significant inflammatory cell and lipid infiltration and severe fibrosis. Serum lipoprotein analysis revealed significantly higher chylomicron and very low-density lipoprotein levels in sB6 albino. Moreover, significantly higher small intestinal lipid absorption and lower fecal lipid excretion occurred together with elevated intestinal NPC1L1 expression. As the tyrosinase point mutation represents the only genetic difference between B6 albino and B6 black, our work will facilitate the identification of susceptible genetic factors for NASH development and expand the understanding of NASH pathophysiology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kaushalya Kulathunga
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.,Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Hidellana, P.O. Box 01, Ratnapura, Sri Lanka
| | - Arata Wakimoto
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Yukiko Hiraishi
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Manoj Kumar Yadav
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Kyle Gentleman
- Integrated Master of Science Natural Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, Hampshire, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Eiji Warabi
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Tomoki Sakasai
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Miwa
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.,Gene Engineering Division, BioResource Research Center, RIKEN, 3-1-1, Koyadai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0074, Japan
| | - Seiya Mizuno
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Satoru Takahashi
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan. .,Laboratory Animal Resource Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan. .,International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.
| | - Michito Hamada
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan. .,Laboratory Animal Resource Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Volk AE, Hedergott A, Preising M, Rading S, Fricke J, Herkenrath P, Nürnberg P, Altmüller J, von Ameln S, Lorenz B, Neugebauer A, Karsak M, Kubisch C. Biallelic mutations in L-dopachrome tautomerase (DCT) cause infantile nystagmus and oculocutaneous albinism. Hum Genet 2021; 140:1157-1168. [PMID: 33959807 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-021-02285-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Infantile nystagmus syndrome (INS) denominates early-onset, involuntary oscillatory eye movements with different etiologies. Nystagmus is also one of the symptoms in oculocutaneus albinism (OCA), a heterogeneous disease mainly caused by defects in melanin synthesis or melanosome biogenesis. Dopachrome tautomerase (DCT, also called TYRP2) together with tyrosinase (TYR) and tyrosin-related protein 1 (TYRP1) is one of the key enzymes in melanin synthesis. Although DCT´s role in pigmentation has been proven in different species, until now only mutations in TYR and TYRP1 have been found in patients with OCA. Detailed ophthalmological and orthoptic investigations identified a consanguineous family with two individuals with isolated infantile nystagmus and one family member with subtle signs of albinism. By whole-exome sequencing and segregation analysis, we identified the missense mutation c.176G > T (p.Gly59Val) in DCT in a homozygous state in all three affected family members. We show that this mutation results in incomplete protein maturation and targeting in vitro compatible with a partial or total loss of function. Subsequent screening of a cohort of patients with OCA (n = 85) and INS (n = 25) revealed two heterozygous truncating mutations, namely c.876C > A (p.Tyr292*) and c.1407G > A (p.Trp469*), in an independent patient with OCA. Taken together, our data suggest that mutations in DCT can cause a phenotypic spectrum ranging from isolated infantile nystagmus to oculocutaneous albinism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander E Volk
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf (UKE), Martinistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Andrea Hedergott
- Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Markus Preising
- Department of Ophthalmology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Sebastian Rading
- Neuronal and Cellular Signal Transduction, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg (ZMNH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Julia Fricke
- Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Peter Herkenrath
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Peter Nürnberg
- Cologne Center for Genomics, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Janine Altmüller
- Cologne Center for Genomics, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Simon von Ameln
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Ulm, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Birgit Lorenz
- Department of Ophthalmology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, 35392, Giessen, Germany
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Bonn, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Antje Neugebauer
- Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Meliha Karsak
- Neuronal and Cellular Signal Transduction, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg (ZMNH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Kubisch
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf (UKE), Martinistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Sense-oriented AluYRa1 elements provide a lineage-specific transcription environment for polyadenylation. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3665. [PMID: 33574427 PMCID: PMC7878741 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83360-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements cause alternative splicing (AS) in different ways, contributing to transcript diversification. Alternative polyadenylation (APA), one of the AS events, is related to the generation of mRNA isoforms in 70% of human genes. In this study, we tried to investigate AluYRa1s located at the terminal region of cynomolgus monkey genes, utilizing both computational analysis and molecular experimentation. We found that ten genes had AluYRa1 at their 3' end, and nine of these AluYRa1s were sense-oriented. Furthermore, in seven genes, AluYRa1s were expected to have a similar consensus sequence for polyadenylation cleavage. Additional computational analysis using the annotation files from the UCSC database showed that AluYRa1 was more involved in polyadenylation than in open reading frame exon splicing. To examine the extent of AluYRa1 involvement in polyadenylation, RNA-seq data from 30 normal cynomolgus monkeys were analyzed using TAPAS, a recently devised software that detects all the promising polyadenylation sites including APA sites. We observed that approximately 74% of possible polyadenylation sites in the analyzed genes were provided by sense-oriented AluYRa1. In conclusion, AluYRa1 is an Old-World monkey-specific TE, and its sense-oriented insertion at the 3'UTR region tends to provide a favorable environment for polyadenylation, diversifying gene transcripts.
Collapse
|
5
|
Cho HM, Park SJ, Choe SH, Lee JR, Kim SU, Jin YB, Kim JS, Lee SR, Kim YH, Huh JW. Cooperative evolution of two different TEs results in lineage-specific novel transcripts in the BLOC1S2 gene. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:196. [PMID: 31666001 PMCID: PMC6822395 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1530-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The BLOC1S2 gene encodes the multifunctional protein BLOS2, a shared subunit of two lysosomal trafficking complexes: i) biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles complex-1 and i) BLOC-1-related complex. In our previous study, we identified an intriguing unreported transcript of the BLOC1S2 gene that has a novel exon derived from two transposable elements (TEs), MIR and AluSp. To investigate the evolutionary footprint and molecular mechanism of action of this transcript, we performed PCR and RT-PCR experiments and sequencing analyses using genomic DNA and RNA samples from humans and various non-human primates. RESULTS The results showed that the MIR element had integrated into the genome of our common ancestor, specifically in the BLOC1S2 gene region, before the radiation of all primate lineages and that the AluSp element had integrated into the genome of our common ancestor, fortunately in the middle of the MIR sequences, after the divergence of Old World monkeys and New World monkeys. The combined MIR and AluSp sequences provide a 3' splice site (AG) and 5' splice site (GT), respectively, and generate the Old World monkey-specific transcripts. Moreover, branch point sequences for the intron removal process are provided by the MIR and AluSp combination. CONCLUSIONS We show for the first time that sequential integration into the same location and sequence divergence events of two different TEs generated lineage-specific transcripts through sequence collaboration during primate evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyeon-Mu Cho
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Korea.,Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, Korea University of Science & Technology (UST), Daejeon, 34113, Korea
| | - Sang-Je Park
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Korea
| | - Se-Hee Choe
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Korea.,Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, Korea University of Science & Technology (UST), Daejeon, 34113, Korea
| | - Ja-Rang Lee
- Primate Resource Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Jeongeup, 56216, Korea
| | - Sun-Uk Kim
- Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, Korea University of Science & Technology (UST), Daejeon, 34113, Korea.,Futuristic Animal Resource and Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Korea
| | - Yeung-Bae Jin
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Korea
| | - Ji-Su Kim
- Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, Korea University of Science & Technology (UST), Daejeon, 34113, Korea.,Primate Resource Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Jeongeup, 56216, Korea
| | - Sang-Rae Lee
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Korea.,Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, Korea University of Science & Technology (UST), Daejeon, 34113, Korea
| | - Young-Hyun Kim
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Korea. .,Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, Korea University of Science & Technology (UST), Daejeon, 34113, Korea.
| | - Jae-Won Huh
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Cheongju, 28116, Korea. .,Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, Korea University of Science & Technology (UST), Daejeon, 34113, Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Yan S, Zhao D, Hu M, Tan X, Lai W, Kang J, Yu F, Li Y, Bai C. A single base insertion in the tyrosinase gene is associated with albino phenotype in silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Anim Genet 2019; 50:550. [PMID: 31246286 DOI: 10.1111/age.12816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shouqing Yan
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130062, China
| | - Dehua Zhao
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130062, China
| | - Mingyue Hu
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130062, China
| | - Xiao Tan
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130062, China
| | - Weining Lai
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130062, China
| | - Jianhong Kang
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130062, China
| | - Feng Yu
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130062, China
| | - Yumei Li
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130062, China
| | - Chunyan Bai
- College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130062, China
| |
Collapse
|