A new locus on 3p23-p25 for an autosomal-dominant limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, LGMD1H

Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophies Classification and Therapies

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMDs) are caused by mutations in multiple genes. This review article presents 39 genes associated with LGMDs. Some forms are inherited in a dominant fashion, while for others this occurs recessively. The classification of LGMDs has evolved through time. Lately, to be considered an LGMD, the mutation has to cause a predominant proximal muscle weakness and must be found in two or more unrelated families. This article also presents therapies for LGMDs, examining both available treatments and those in development. For now, only symptomatic treatments are available for patients. The goal is now to solve the problem at the root of LGMDs instead of treating each symptom individually. In the last decade, multiple other potential treatments were developed and studied, such as stem-cell transplantation, exon skipping, gene delivery, RNAi, and gene editing.

The Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophies and the Dystrophinopathies

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The classic approach to identifying and accurately diagnosing limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMDs) relied heavily on phenotypic characterization and ancillary studies including muscle biopsy. Because of rapid advances in genetic sequencing methodologies, several additional LGMDs have been molecularly characterized, and the diagnostic approach to these disorders has been simplified. This article summarizes the epidemiology, clinical features, and genetic defects underlying the LGMDs.

RECENT FINDINGS

In recent years, the advent of next-generation sequencing has heralded an era of molecular diagnosis in conjunction with physical characterization. Inadvertently, this process has also led to the "next-generation aftermath," whereby variants of unknown significance are identified in most patients. Similar to the published diagnostic and treatment guidelines for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, diagnostic and treatment guidelines have recently been published for LGMDs. In addition, the first medication (based on the exon-skipping strategy) for treatment of patients with a subset of Duchenne muscular dystrophy has been recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

SUMMARY

The LGMDs are a heterogeneous group of hereditary, progressive, and degenerative neuromuscular disorders that present with primary symptoms of shoulder girdle and pelvic girdle weakness. Although a combination of clinical and molecular genetic evaluations may be sufficient for accurate diagnosis of LGMDs in many cases, the contribution of imaging and histopathologic correlations still remains a critical, if not a necessary, component of evaluation in some cases.

The Classification, Natural History and Treatment of the Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophies

Over sixty years ago John Walton and Frederick Nattrass defined limb girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) as a separate entity from the X-linked dystrophinopathies such as Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies. LGMD is a highly heterogeneous group of very rare neuromuscular disorders whose common factor is their autosomal inheritance. Sixty years later, with the development of increasingly advanced molecular genetic investigations, a more precise classification and understanding of the pathogenesis is possible.To date, over 30 distinct subtypes of LGMD have been identified, most of them inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion. There are significant differences in the frequency of subtypes of LGMD between different ethnic populations, providing evidence of founder mutations. Clinically there is phenotypic heterogeneity between subtypes of LGMD with varying severity and age of onset of symptoms. The first natural history studies into subtypes of LGMD are in process, but large scale longitudinal data have been lacking due to the rare nature of these diseases. Following natural history data collection, the next challenge is to develop more effective, disease specific treatments. Current management is focussed on symptomatic and supportive treatments. Advances in the application of new omics technologies and the generation of large-scale biomedical data will help to better understand disease mechanisms in LGMD and should ultimately help to accelerate the development of novel and more effective therapeutic approaches.

An estimating function approach to linkage heterogeneity

Testing linkage heterogeneity between two loci is an important issue in genetics. Currently, there are four methods (K-test, A-test, B-test and D-test) for testing linkage heterogeneity in linkage analysis, which are based on the likelihood-ratio test. Among them, the commonly used methods are the K-test and A-test. In this paper, we present a novel test method which is different from the above four tests, called G-test. The new test statistic is based on estimating function, possessing a theoretic asymptotic distribution, and therefore demonstrates its own advantages. The proposed test is applied to analyse a real pedigree dataset. Our simulation results also indicate that the G-test performs well in terms of power of testing linkage heterogeneity and outperforms the current methods to some degree.

Genetic basis of limb-girdle muscular dystrophies: the 2014 update

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMD) are a highly heterogeneous group of muscle disorders, which first affect the voluntary muscles of the hip and shoulder areas. The definition is highly descriptive and less ambiguous by exclusion: non-Xlinked, non-FSH, non-myotonic, non-distal, nonsyndromic, and non-congenital. At present, the genetic classification is becoming too complex, since the acronym LGMD has also been used for a number of other myopathic disorders with overlapping phenotypes. Today, the list of genes to be screened is too large for the gene-by-gene approach and it is well suited for targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) panels that should include any gene that has been so far associated with a clinical picture of LGMD. The present review has the aim of recapitulating the genetic basis of LGMD ordering and of proposing a nomenclature for the orphan forms. This is useful given the pace of new discoveries. Thity-one loci have been identified so far, eight autosomal dominant and 23 autosomal recessive. The dominant forms (LGMD1) are: LGMD1A (myotilin), LGMD1B (lamin A/C), LGMD1C (caveolin 3), LGMD1D (DNAJB6), LGMD1E (desmin), LGMD1F (transportin 3), LGMD1G (HNRPDL), LGMD1H (chr. 3). The autosomal recessive forms (LGMD2) are: LGMD2A (calpain 3), LGMD2B (dysferlin), LGMD2C (γ sarcoglycan), LGMD2D (α sarcoglycan), LGMD2E (β sarcoglycan), LGMD2F (δ sarcoglycan), LGMD2G (telethonin), LGMD2H (TRIM32), LGMD2I (FKRP), LGMD2J (titin), LGMD2K (POMT1), LGMD2L (anoctamin 5), LGMD2M (fukutin), LGMD2N (POMT2), LGMD2O (POMTnG1), LGMD2P (dystroglycan), LGMD2Q (plectin), LGMD2R (desmin), LGMD2S (TRAPPC11), LGMD2T (GMPPB), LGMD2U (ISPD), LGMD2V (Glucosidase, alpha ), LGMD2W (PINCH2).

A defect in the RNA-processing protein HNRPDL causes limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 1G (LGMD1G)

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMD) are a heterogeneous group of genetically determined muscle disorders with a primary or predominant involvement of the pelvic or shoulder girdle musculature. More than 20 genes with autosomal recessive (LGMD2A to LGMD2Q) and autosomal dominant inheritance (LGMD1A to LGMD1H) have been mapped/identified to date. Mutations are known for six among the eight mapped autosomal dominant forms: LGMD1A (myotilin), LGMD1B (lamin A/C), LGMD1C (caveolin-3), LGMD1D (desmin), LGMD1E (DNAJB6), and more recently for LGMD1F (transportin-3). Our group previously mapped the LGMD1G gene at 4q21 in a Caucasian-Brazilian family. We now mapped a Uruguayan family with patients displaying a similar LGMD1G phenotype at the same locus. Whole genome sequencing identified, in both families, mutations in the HNRPDL gene. HNRPDL is a heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein family member, which participates in mRNA biogenesis and metabolism. Functional studies performed in S. cerevisiae showed that the loss of HRP1 (yeast orthologue) had pronounced effects on both protein levels and cell localizations, and yeast proteome revealed dramatic reorganization of proteins involved in RNA-processing pathways. In vivo analysis showed that hnrpdl is important for muscle development in zebrafish, causing a myopathic phenotype when knocked down. The present study presents a novel association between a muscular disorder and a RNA-related gene and reinforces the importance of RNA binding/processing proteins in muscle development and muscle disease. Understanding the role of these proteins in muscle might open new therapeutic approaches for muscular dystrophies.

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophies: where next after six decades from the first proposal (Review)

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMD) are a heterogeneous group of disorders, which has led to certain investigators disputing its rationality. The mutual feature of LGMD is limb-girdle affection. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), perioral skin biopsies, blood-based assays, reverse-protein arrays, proteomic analyses, gene chips and next generation sequencing are the leading diagnostic techniques for LGMD and gene, cell and pharmaceutical treatments are the mainstay therapies for these genetic disorders. Recently, more highlights have been shed on disease biomarkers to follow up disease progression and to monitor therapeutic responsiveness in future trials. In this study, we review LGMD from a variety of aspects, paying specific attention to newly evolving research, with the purpose of bringing this information into the clinical setting to aid the development of novel therapeutic strategies for this hereditary disease. In conclusion, substantial progress in our ability to diagnose and treat LGMD has been made in recent decades, however enhancing our understanding of the detailed pathophysiology of LGMD may enhance our ability to improve disease outcome in subsequent years.

A practical approach to molecular diagnostic testing in neuromuscular diseases

Molecular diagnosis is an important aspect in the care of patients with neuromuscular disorders. Because of the rapidly evolving nature of the field, the approach to obtaining a molecular diagnosis may be challenging. This article provides a general approach to molecular diagnostic testing while reviewing the principles of genetics and genetic disorders and the indications and limitations of testing methods in common hereditary neuromuscular disorders.

Exome sequencing reveals DNAJB6 mutations in dominantly-inherited myopathy

OBJECTIVE

To identify the causative gene in an autosomal dominant limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) with skeletal muscle vacuoles.

METHODS

Exome sequencing was used to identify candidate mutations in the studied pedigree. Genome-wide linkage was then used to narrow the list of candidates to a single disease-associated mutation. Additional pedigrees with dominant or sporadic myopathy were screened for mutations in the same gene (DNAJB6) using exome sequencing. Skeletal muscle from affected patients was evaluated with histochemistry and immunohistochemical stains for dystrophy-related proteins, SMI-31, TDP43, and DNAJB6.

RESULTS

Exome analysis in 3 affected individuals from a family with dominant LGMD and vacuolar pathology identified novel candidate mutations in 22 genes. Linkage analysis excluded all variants except a Phe93Leu mutation in the G/F domain of the DNAJB6 gene, which resides within the LGMD locus at 7q36. Analysis of exome sequencing data from other pedigrees with dominant myopathy identified a second G/F domain mutation (Pro96Arg) in DNAJB6. Affected muscle showed mild dystrophic changes, vacuoles, and abnormal aggregation of proteins, including TDP-43 and DNAJB6 itself.

INTERPRETATION

Mutations within the G/F domain of DNAJB6 are a novel cause of dominantly-inherited myopathy. DNAJB6 is a member of the HSP40/DNAJ family of molecular co-chaperones tasked with protecting client proteins from irreversible aggregation during protein synthesis or during times of cellular stress. The abnormal accumulation of several proteins in patient muscle, including DNAJB6 itself, suggest that DNAJB6 function is compromised by the identified G/F domain mutations.