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Muthinja MJ, Guelngar CO, Fall M, Jama F, Shuja HA, Nambafu J, Massi DG, Ojo OO, Okubadejo NU, Taiwo FT, Diop AM, de Chacus CJDG, Cissé FA, Cissé A, Hooker J, Sokhi D, Houlden H, Rizig M. An exploration of the genetics of the mutant Huntingtin (mHtt) gene in a cohort of patients with chorea from different ethnic groups in sub-Saharan Africa. Ann Hum Genet 2024. [PMID: 38563088 DOI: 10.1111/ahg.12557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Africans are underrepresented in Huntington's disease (HD) research. A European ancestor was postulated to have introduced the mutant Huntingtin (mHtt) gene to the continent; however, recent work has shown the existence of a unique Htt haplotype in South-Africa specific to indigenous Africans. OBJECTIVE We aimed to investigate the CAG trinucleotide repeats expansion in the Htt gene in a geographically diverse cohort of patients with chorea and unaffected controls from sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS We evaluated 99 participants: 43 patients with chorea, 21 asymptomatic first-degree relatives of subjects with chorea, and 35 healthy controls for the presence of the mHtt. Participants were recruited from 5 African countries. Additional data were collected from patients positive for the mHtt gene; these included demographics, the presence of psychiatric and (or) cognitive symptoms, family history, spoken languages, and ethnic origin. Additionally, their pedigrees were examined to estimate the number of people at risk of developing HD and to trace back the earliest account of the disease in each region. RESULTS HD cases were identified in all countries. Overall, 53.4% of patients with chorea were carriers for the mHTT; median tract size was 45 CAG repeats. Of the asymptomatic relatives, 28.6% (6/21) were carriers for the mHTT; median tract size was 40 CAG. No homozygous carries were identified. Median CAG tract size in controls was 17 CAG repeats. Men and women were equally affected by HD. All patients with HD-bar three who were juvenile onset of <21 years-were defined as adult onset (median age of onset was 40 years). HD transmission followed an autosomal dominant pattern in 84.2% (16/19) of HD families. In familial cases, maternal transmission was higher 52.6% (10/19) than paternal transmission 36.8% (7/19). The number of asymptomatic individuals at risk of developing HD was estimated at ten times more than the symptomatic patients. HD could be traced back to the early 1900s in most African sites. HD cases spread over seven ethnic groups belonging to two distinct linguistic lineages separated from each other approximately 54-16 kya ago: Nilo-Sahara and Niger-Congo. CONCLUSION This is the first study examining HD in multiple sites in sub-Saharan Africa. We demonstrated that HD is found in multiple ethnic groups residing in five sub-Saharan African countries including the first genetically confirmed HD cases from Guinea and Kenya. The prevalence of HD in the African continent, its associated socio-economic impact, and genetic origins need further exploration and reappraisal.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Carlos Othon Guelngar
- Department of Neurology, National Hospital Ignace Deen, University of Conakry, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Maouly Fall
- Centre Hospitalier National de Pikine, Service de Neurologie, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Fatumah Jama
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Huda Aldeen Shuja
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Jamila Nambafu
- Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University Medical College of East Africa, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Daniel Gams Massi
- Doula General Hospital, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Oluwadamilola O Ojo
- Neurology Unit, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Njideka U Okubadejo
- Neurology Unit, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
| | | | | | | | - Fodé Abass Cissé
- Department of Neurology, National Hospital Ignace Deen, University of Conakry, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Amara Cissé
- Department of Neurology, National Hospital Ignace Deen, University of Conakry, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Juzar Hooker
- Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University Medical College of East Africa, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Dilraj Sokhi
- Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University Medical College of East Africa, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Henry Houlden
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Mie Rizig
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
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Waldo JJ, Halmai JANM, Fink KD. Epigenetic editing for autosomal dominant neurological disorders. Front Genome Ed 2024; 6:1304110. [PMID: 38510848 PMCID: PMC10950933 DOI: 10.3389/fgeed.2024.1304110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Epigenetics refers to the molecules and mechanisms that modify gene expression states without changing the nucleotide context. These modifications are what encode the cell state during differentiation or epigenetic memory in mitosis. Epigenetic modifications can alter gene expression by changing the chromatin architecture by altering the affinity for DNA to wrap around histone octamers, forming nucleosomes. The higher affinity the DNA has for the histones, the tighter it will wrap and therefore induce a heterochromatin state, silencing gene expression. Several groups have shown the ability to harness the cell's natural epigenetic modification pathways to engineer proteins that can induce changes in epigenetics and consequently regulate gene expression. Therefore, epigenetic modification can be used to target and treat disorders through the modification of endogenous gene expression. The use of epigenetic modifications may prove an effective path towards regulating gene expression to potentially correct or cure genetic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kyle D. Fink
- Neurology Department, Stem Cell Program and Gene Therapy Center, MIND Institute, UC Davis Health System, Sacramento, CA, United States
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Islam MR, Jony MH, Thufa GK, Akash S, Dhar PS, Rahman MM, Afroz T, Ahmed M, Hemeg HA, Rauf A, Thiruvengadam M, Venkidasamy B. A clinical study and future prospects for bioactive compounds and semi-synthetic molecules in the therapies for Huntington's disease. Mol Neurobiol 2024; 61:1237-1270. [PMID: 37698833 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03604-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
A neurodegenerative disorder (ND) refers to Huntington's disease (HD) which affects memory loss, weight loss, and movement dysfunctions such as chorea and dystonia. In the striatum and brain, HD most typically impacts medium-spiny neurons. Molecular genetics, excitotoxicity, oxidative stress (OS), mitochondrial, and metabolic dysfunction are a few of the theories advanced to explicit the pathophysiology of neuronal damage and cell death. Numerous in-depth studies of the literature have supported the therapeutic advantages of natural products in HD experimental models and other treatment approaches. This article briefly discusses the neuroprotective impacts of natural compounds against HD models. The ability of the discovered natural compounds to suppress HD was tested using either in vitro or in vivo models. Many bioactive compounds considerably lessened the memory loss and motor coordination brought on by 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP). Reduced lipid peroxidation, increased endogenous enzymatic antioxidants, reduced acetylcholinesterase activity, and enhanced mitochondrial energy generation have profoundly decreased the biochemical change. It is significant since histology showed that therapy with particular natural compounds lessened damage to the striatum caused by 3-NP. Moreover, natural products displayed varying degrees of neuroprotection in preclinical HD studies because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, maintenance of mitochondrial function, activation of autophagy, and inhibition of apoptosis. This study highlighted about the importance of bioactive compounds and their semi-synthetic molecules in the treatment and prevention of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Rezaul Islam
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, 1207, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Maruf Hossain Jony
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, 1207, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Gazi Kaifeara Thufa
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, 1207, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Shopnil Akash
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, 1207, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Puja Sutra Dhar
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, 1207, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md Mominur Rahman
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, 1207, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Tahmina Afroz
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, 1207, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Muniruddin Ahmed
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, 1207, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Hassan A Hemeg
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Al-Medinah Al-Monawara, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdur Rauf
- Department of Chemistry, University of Swabi, Swabi, Khyber Pukhtanukha, Pakistan.
| | - Muthu Thiruvengadam
- Department of Applied Bioscience, College of Life and Environmental Science, Konkuk University, Seoul, 05029, South Korea.
| | - Baskar Venkidasamy
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, 600 077, India.
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Ahmad M, Ríos-Anillo MR, Acosta-López JE, Cervantes-Henríquez ML, Martínez-Banfi M, Pineda-Alhucema W, Puentes-Rozo P, Sánchez-Barros C, Pinzón A, Patel HR, Vélez JI, Villarreal-Camacho JL, Pineda DA, Arcos-Burgos M, Sánchez-Rojas M. Uncovering the Genetic and Molecular Features of Huntington's Disease in Northern Colombia. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16154. [PMID: 38003344 PMCID: PMC10671691 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216154] [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: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a genetic disorder caused by a CAG trinucleotide expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. Juan de Acosta, Atlántico, a city located on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, is home to the world's second-largest HD pedigree. Here, we include 291 descendants of this pedigree with at least one family member with HD. Blood samples were collected, and genomic DNA was extracted. We quantified the HTT CAG expansion using an amplicon sequencing protocol. The genetic heterogeneity was measured as the ratio of the mosaicism allele's read peak and the slippage ratio of the allele's read peak from our sequence data. The statistical and bioinformatic analyses were performed with a significance threshold of p < 0.05. We found that the average HTT CAG repeat length in all participants was 21.91 (SD = 8.92). Of the 291 participants, 33 (11.3%, 18 females) had a positive molecular diagnosis for HD. Most affected individuals were adults, and the most common primary and secondary alleles were 17/7 (CAG/CCG) and 17/10 (CAG/CCG), respectively. The mosaicism increased with age in the participants with HD, while the slippage analyses revealed differences by the HD allele type only for the secondary allele. The slippage tended to increase with the HTT CAG repeat length in the participants with HD, but the increase was not statistically significant. This study analyzed the genetic and molecular features of 291 participants, including 33 with HD. We found that the mosaicism increased with age in the participants with HD, particularly for the secondary allele. The most common haplotype was 17/7_17/10. The slippage for the secondary allele varied by the HD allele type, but there was no significant difference in the slippage by sex. Our findings offer valuable insights into HD and could have implications for future research and clinical management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mostapha Ahmad
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
- Life Science Research Center, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
| | - Margarita R Ríos-Anillo
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
- Life Science Research Center, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
- Médica Residente de Neurología, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
| | - Johan E Acosta-López
- Life Science Research Center, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
- Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
| | - Martha L Cervantes-Henríquez
- Life Science Research Center, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
- Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
| | - Martha Martínez-Banfi
- Life Science Research Center, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
- Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
| | - Wilmar Pineda-Alhucema
- Life Science Research Center, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
- Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
| | - Pedro Puentes-Rozo
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
- Life Science Research Center, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
- Grupo de Neurociencias del Caribe, Universidad del Atlántico, Barranquilla 080001, Colombia
| | - Cristian Sánchez-Barros
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
- Life Science Research Center, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
- Departamento de Neurofisiología Clínica Palma de Mallorca, Hospital Juaneda Miramar, Islas Baleares, 07011 Palma, Spain
| | - Andrés Pinzón
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Laboratory, Institute for Genetics, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota 111321, Colombia
| | - Hardip R Patel
- National Centre for Indigenous Genomics, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Jorge I Vélez
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla 081007, Colombia
| | - José Luis Villarreal-Camacho
- Programa de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Libre Seccional Barranquilla, Barranquilla 081007, Colombia
| | - David A Pineda
- Grupo de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Conducta, Universidad de San Buenaventura, Medellin 050010, Colombia
- Grupo de Neurociencias de Antioquia, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin 050010, Colombia
| | - Mauricio Arcos-Burgos
- Grupo de Investigación en Psiquiatría (GIPSI), Departamento de Psiquiatría, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin 050010, Colombia
| | - Manuel Sánchez-Rojas
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia
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Duarte F, Vachey G, Caron NS, Sipion M, Rey M, Perrier AL, Hayden MR, Déglon N. Limitations of Dual-Single Guide RNA CRISPR Strategies for the Treatment of Central Nervous System Genetic Disorders. Hum Gene Ther 2023; 34:958-974. [PMID: 37658843 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2023.109] [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] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by a toxic gain-of-function CAG expansion in the first exon of the huntingtin (HTT) gene. The monogenic nature of HD makes mutant HTT (mHTT) inactivation a promising therapeutic strategy. Single nucleotide polymorphisms frequently associated with CAG expansion have been explored to selectively inactivate mHTT allele using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. One of such allele-selective approaches consists of excising a region flanking the first exon of mHTT by inducing simultaneous double-strand breaks at upstream and downstream positions of the mHTT exon 1. The removal of the first exon of mHTT deletes the CAG expansion and important transcription regulatory sites, leading to mHTT inactivation. However, the frequency of deletion events is yet to be quantified either in vitro or in vivo. Here, we developed accurate quantitative digital polymerase chain reaction-based assays to assess HTT exon 1 deletion in vitro and in fully humanized HU97/18 mice. Our results demonstrate that dual-single guide RNA (sgRNA) strategies are efficient and that 67% of HTT editing events are leading to exon 1 deletion in HEK293T cells. In contrast, these sgRNA actively cleaved HTT in HU97/18 mice, but most editing events do not lead to exon 1 deletion (10% exon 1 deletion). We also showed that the in vivo editing pattern is not affected by CAG expansion but may potentially be due to the presence of multiple copies of wildtype (wt)/mHTT genes HU97/18 mice as well as the slow kinetics of AAV-mediated CRISPR/Cas9 delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fábio Duarte
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies, Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DNC)
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies (LCMN), Neuroscience Research Center (CRN); Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Gabriel Vachey
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies, Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DNC)
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies (LCMN), Neuroscience Research Center (CRN); Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicholas S Caron
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children's Hospital and Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Melanie Sipion
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies, Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DNC)
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies (LCMN), Neuroscience Research Center (CRN); Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Maria Rey
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies, Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DNC)
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies (LCMN), Neuroscience Research Center (CRN); Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anselme L Perrier
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Laboratoire des Maladies Neurodégénératives: mécanismes, thérapies, imagerie, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, Molecular Imaging Research Center, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Michael R Hayden
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children's Hospital and Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nicole Déglon
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies, Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DNC)
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurotherapies (LCMN), Neuroscience Research Center (CRN); Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
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Bao YF, Li XY, Dong Y, Wu ZY. Loss of CAA interruption and intergenerational CAG instability in Chinese patients with Huntington's disease. J Mol Med (Berl) 2023; 101:869-876. [PMID: 37231148 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-023-02329-0] [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: 08/27/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by CAG expansions in huntingtin (HTT) gene, involving motor, cognitive, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. However, genetic modifiers and CAG repeat instability may lead to variations of clinical manifestations, making diagnosis of HD difficult. In this study, we recruited 229 HD individuals from 164 families carrying expanded CAG repeats of HTT, and analyzed loss of CAA interruption (LOI) on the expanded allele and CAG instability during germline transmission. Sanger sequencing and TA cloning were used to determine CAG repeat length and identify LOI variants. Detailed clinical features and genetic testing results were collected. We identified 6 individuals with LOI variants from 3 families, and all probands presented with earlier motor onset age than predicted onset age. In addition, we also presented 2 families with extreme CAG instability during germline transmission. One family showed an expansion from 35 to 66 CAG repeats, while the other family showed both CAG expansion and contraction in lineal three generations. In conclusion, we present the first document of Asian HD population with LOI variant, and we suggest that for symptomatic individuals with intermediate or reduced penetrance allele or negative family history, HTT gene sequencing should be considered in the clinical practice. KEY MESSAGES : We screened the loss of CAA interruption (LOI) variant in a Chinese HD cohort and presented the first document of Asian patients with Huntington's disease carrying LOI variant. We identified 6 individuals with LOI variants from 3 families, and all probands presented with earlier motor onset age than predicted onset age. We presented 2 families with extreme CAG instability during germline transmission. One family showed an expansion from 35 to 66 CAG repeats, while the other family showed both CAG expansion and contraction in lineal three generations. We suggest that for symptomatic individuals with intermediate or reduced penetrance allele or negative family history, HTT gene sequencing should be considered in the clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Feng Bao
- Department of Medical Genetics and Center for Rare Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310009, China
- Department of Neurology and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310009, China
| | - Xiao-Yan Li
- Department of Medical Genetics and Center for Rare Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310009, China
- Department of Neurology and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310009, China
| | - Yi Dong
- Department of Medical Genetics and Center for Rare Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310009, China
- Department of Neurology and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310009, China
| | - Zhi-Ying Wu
- Department of Medical Genetics and Center for Rare Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310009, China.
- Department of Neurology and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, 310009, China.
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Solís-Añez E, Salles PA, Rojas N, Benavides O, Chaná-Cuevas P. Huntington's Disease in Chile: Epidemiological and Genetic Aspects. Neuroepidemiology 2023; 57:176-184. [PMID: 37121230 DOI: 10.1159/000528961] [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: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative, autosomal dominant disabling condition due to an expansion of the CAG trinucleotide in the HTT gene. Motor, psychiatric, and cognitive disorders characterize it. Chilean reports on HD in the era of molecular diagnosis were wanted. METHODS This is a retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort of patients with HD seen at the Center for Movement Disorders (CETRAM) in Chile between 2013 and 2019. Sociodemographic, genotype, and neuropsychiatric features were investigated. RESULTS One hundred three probands with HD were identified. The majority (63.1%) were born in the metropolitan region, followed by the VIII and V regions with 8.73% and 7.76%, respectively. When pedigrees were analyzed, ninety unrelated families encompassing 1,007 individuals were identified; among relatives, other 35 manifested HD, and 106 died of HD. Besides, five hundred seventy-nine individuals were at genetic risk. The minimum estimated prevalence of HD in Chile in 2019 was 0.72 × 100,000 inhabitants. The mean CAG repeats (CAGR) of 47.2 ± 10.74 for the expanded allele and 17.93 ± 2.05 for the normal allele. The mean age of onset was 41.39 ± 13.47 years. Juvenile cases represented 7.8% of this cohort, and 4.9% had a late onset. There was a negative correlation between the age of onset and the CAGR of the expanded allele (r =-0.84 p < 0.0001). Besides, 79.6% had a family history of HD. CONCLUSIONS This is the first report characterizing genetics, motor, and neuropsychiatric features in patients with HD in Chile. The mean length of CAGR expansion of the abnormal allele was similar to previous reports in North America (i.e., Mexico and Canada) and higher than that reported in the neighboring country of Argentina. According to previous estimations, the minimal prevalence of HD in Chile may be lower than expected.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Philippe A Salles
- Center for Movement Disorders CETRAM, University of Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile,
| | - Natalia Rojas
- Center for Movement Disorders CETRAM, University of Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Olga Benavides
- Neurology Department, Dr. Eloisa Díaz La Florida Metropolitan Hospital, Santiago, Chile
| | - Pedro Chaná-Cuevas
- Center for Movement Disorders CETRAM, University of Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Ruiz de Sabando A, Urrutia Lafuente E, Galbete A, Ciosi M, García Amigot F, García Solaesa V, Monckton DG, Ramos-Arroyo MA. Spanish HTT gene study reveals haplotype and allelic diversity with possible implications for germline expansion dynamics in Huntington disease. Hum Mol Genet 2023; 32:897-906. [PMID: 36130218 PMCID: PMC9990985 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddac224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We aimed to determine the genetic diversity and molecular characteristics of the Huntington disease (HD) gene (HTT) in Spain. We performed an extended haplotype and exon one deep sequencing analysis of the HTT gene in a nationwide cohort of population-based controls (n = 520) and families with symptomatic individuals referred for HD genetic testing. This group included 331 HD cases and 140 carriers of intermediate alleles. Clinical and family history data were obtained when available. Spanish normal alleles are enriched in C haplotypes (40.1%), whereas A1 (39.8%) and A2 (31.6%) prevail among intermediate and expanded alleles, respectively. Alleles ≥ 50 CAG repeats are primarily associated with haplotypes A2 (38.9%) and C (32%), which are also present in 50% and 21.4%, respectively, of HD families with large intergenerational expansions. Non-canonical variants of exon one sequence are less frequent, but much more diverse, in alleles of ≥27 CAG repeats. The deletion of CAACAG, one of the six rare variants not observed among smaller normal alleles, is associated with haplotype C and appears to correlate with larger intergenerational expansions and early onset of symptoms. Spanish HD haplotypes are characterized by a high genetic diversity, potentially admixed with other non-Caucasian populations, with a higher representation of A2 and C haplotypes than most European populations. Differences in haplotype distributions across the CAG length range support differential germline expansion dynamics, with A2 and C showing the largest intergenerational expansions. This haplotype-dependent germline instability may be driven by specific cis-elements, such as the CAACAG deletion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ainara Ruiz de Sabando
- Department of Medical Genetics, Hospital Universitario de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona 31008, Spain.,Department of Health Sciences, Universidad Pública de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona 31008, Spain.,Fundación Miguel Servet-Navarrabiomed, IdiSNA, Pamplona 31008, Spain
| | | | - Arkaitz Galbete
- Department of Statistics, Informatics and Mathematics, Universidad Pública de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona 31006, Spain
| | - Marc Ciosi
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Fermín García Amigot
- Department of Medical Genetics, Hospital Universitario de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona 31008, Spain
| | - Virginia García Solaesa
- Department of Medical Genetics, Hospital Universitario de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona 31008, Spain
| | | | - Darren G Monckton
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Maria A Ramos-Arroyo
- Department of Medical Genetics, Hospital Universitario de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona 31008, Spain.,Fundación Miguel Servet-Navarrabiomed, IdiSNA, Pamplona 31008, Spain
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9
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What the Gut Tells the Brain-Is There a Link between Microbiota and Huntington's Disease? Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054477. [PMID: 36901907 PMCID: PMC10003333 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The human intestinal microbiota is a diverse and dynamic microenvironment that forms a complex, bi-directional relationship with the host. The microbiome takes part in the digestion of food and the generation of crucial nutrients such as short chain fatty acids (SCFA), but is also impacts the host's metabolism, immune system, and even brain functions. Due to its indispensable role, microbiota has been implicated in both the maintenance of health and the pathogenesis of many diseases. Dysbiosis in the gut microbiota has already been implicated in many neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, not much is known about the microbiome composition and its interactions in Huntington's disease (HD). This dominantly heritable, incurable neurodegenerative disease is caused by the expansion of CAG trinucleotide repeats in the huntingtin gene (HTT). As a result, toxic RNA and mutant protein (mHTT), rich in polyglutamine (polyQ), accumulate particularly in the brain, leading to its impaired functions. Interestingly, recent studies indicated that mHTT is also widely expressed in the intestines and could possibly interact with the microbiota, affecting the progression of HD. Several studies have aimed so far to screen the microbiota composition in mouse models of HD and find out whether observed microbiome dysbiosis could affect the functions of the HD brain. This review summarizes ongoing research in the HD field and highlights the essential role of the intestine-brain axis in HD pathogenesis and progression. The review also puts a strong emphasis on indicating microbiome composition as a future target in the urgently needed therapy for this still incurable disease.
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10
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Albekairi TH, Kamra A, Bhardwaj S, Mehan S, Giri A, Suri M, Alshammari A, Alharbi M, Alasmari AF, Narula AS, Kalfin R. Beta-Boswellic Acid Reverses 3-Nitropropionic Acid-Induced Molecular, Mitochondrial, and Histopathological Defects in Experimental Rat Model of Huntington's Disease. Biomedicines 2022; 10:2866. [PMID: 36359390 PMCID: PMC9687177 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10112866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 10/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is distinguished by a triple repeat of CAG in exon 1, an increase in poly Q in the Htt gene, and a loss of GABAergic medium spiny neurons (MSN) in the striatum and white matter of the cortex. Mitochondrial ETC-complex dysfunctions are involved in the pathogenesis of HD, including neuronal energy loss, synaptic neurotrophic decline, neuronal inflammation, apoptosis, and grey and white matter destruction. A previous study has demonstrated that beta Boswellic acid (β-BA), a naturally occurring phytochemical, has several neuroprotective properties that can reduce pathogenic factors associated with various neurological disorders. The current investigation aimed to investigate the neuroprotective potential of β-BA at oral doses of 5, 10, and 15 mg/kg alone, as well as in conjunction with the potent antioxidant vitamin E (8 mg/kg, orally) in 3-NP-induced experimental HD rats. Adult Wistar rats were separated into seven groups, and 3-NP, at a dose of 10 mg/kg, was orally administered to each group of adult Wistar rats beginning on day 1 and continuing through day 14. The neurotoxin 3-NP induces neurodegenerative, g, neurochemical, and pathological alterations in experimental animals. Continuous injection of 3-NP, according to our results, aggravated HD symptoms by suppressing ETC-complex-II, succinate dehydrogenase activity, and neurochemical alterations. β-BA, when taken with vitamin E, improved behavioural dysfunctions such as neuromuscular and motor impairments, as well as memory and cognitive abnormalities. Pharmacological treatments with β-BA improved and restored ETC complexes enzymes I, II, and V levels in brain homogenates. β-BA treatment also restored neurotransmitter levels in the brain while lowering inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress biomarkers. β-BA's neuroprotective potential in reducing neuronal death was supported by histopathological findings in the striatum and cortex. As a result, the findings of this research contributed to a better understanding of the potential role of natural phytochemicals β-BA in preventing neurological illnesses such as HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thamer H. Albekairi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Arzoo Kamra
- Department of Pharmacology, Seth G.L. Bihani S.D. College of Technical Education, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research, Sri Ganganagar 335001, Rajasthan, India
| | - Sudeep Bhardwaj
- Department of Pharmacology, Seth G.L. Bihani S.D. College of Technical Education, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research, Sri Ganganagar 335001, Rajasthan, India
| | - Sidharth Mehan
- Division of Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy (An Autonomous College), Moga 142001, Punjab, India
| | - Aditi Giri
- Division of Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy (An Autonomous College), Moga 142001, Punjab, India
| | - Manisha Suri
- Division of Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy (An Autonomous College), Moga 142001, Punjab, India
| | - Abdulrahman Alshammari
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Metab Alharbi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah F. Alasmari
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Acharan S Narula
- Narula Research, LLC, 107 Boulder Bluff, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA
| | - Reni Kalfin
- Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev St., Block 23, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
- Department of Healthcare, South-West University “NeofitRilski”, Ivan Mihailov St. 66, 2700 Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
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11
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Bains M, Kaur J, Akhtar A, Kuhad A, Sah SP. Anti-inflammatory effects of ellagic acid and vanillic acid against quinolinic acid-induced rat model of Huntington's disease by targeting IKK-NF-κB pathway. Eur J Pharmacol 2022; 934:175316. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2022.175316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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12
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Dawson J, Baine-Savanhu FK, Ciosi M, Maxwell A, Monckton DG, Krause A. A probable cis-acting genetic modifier of Huntington disease frequent in individuals with African ancestry. HGG ADVANCES 2022; 3:100130. [PMID: 35935919 PMCID: PMC9352962 DOI: 10.1016/j.xhgg.2022.100130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD)is a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion of a polyglutamine encoding CAG repeat in the huntingtin gene. Recently, it has been established that disease severity in HD is best predicted by the number of pure CAG repeats rather than total glutamines encoded. Along with uncovering DNA repair gene variants as trans-acting modifiers of HD severity, these data reveal somatic expansion of the CAG repeat as a key driver of HD onset. Using high-throughput DNA sequencing, we have determined the precise sequence and somatic expansion profiles of the HTT repeat tract of 68 HD-affected and 158 HD-unaffected African ancestry individuals. A high level of HTT repeat sequence diversity was observed, with three likely African-specific alleles identified. In the most common disease allele (30 out of 68), the typical proline-encoding CCGCCA sequence was absent. This CCGCCA-loss disease allele was associated with an earlier age of diagnosis of approximately 7.1 years and occurred exclusively on haplotype B2. Although somatic expansion was associated with an earlier age of diagnosis in the study overall, the CCGCCA-loss disease allele displayed reduced somatic expansion relative to the typical HTT expansions in blood DNA. We propose that the CCGCCA loss occurring on haplotype B2 is an African cis-acting modifier that appears to alter disease diagnosis of HD through a mechanism that is not driven by somatic expansion. The assessment of a group of individuals from an understudied population has highlighted population-specific differences that emphasize the importance of studying genetically diverse populations in the context of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Dawson
- Division of Human Genetics, National Health Laboratory Service and School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
| | - Fiona K. Baine-Savanhu
- Division of Human Genetics, National Health Laboratory Service and School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
| | - Marc Ciosi
- Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Alastair Maxwell
- Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Darren G. Monckton
- Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Amanda Krause
- Division of Human Genetics, National Health Laboratory Service and School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
- Corresponding author
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13
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Furby H, Siadimas A, Rutten-Jacobs L, Rodrigues FB, Wild EJ. Natural History and Burden of Huntington's Disease in the UK: A Population-Based Cohort Study. Eur J Neurol 2022; 29:2249-2257. [PMID: 35514071 PMCID: PMC9542098 DOI: 10.1111/ene.15385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington's disease (HD) is a rare neurodegenerative disease that presents with progressive psychological, cognitive and motor impairment. These diverse symptoms place a high burden on the patient, families and the healthcare systems they rely on. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology and clinical burden in individuals with HD compared with controls from the general population. METHODS This cohort study utilised data from general practitioner (GP) medical records to estimate the prevalence and incidence of HD between Jan 2000 and Dec 2018. A cohort of incident HD cases were matched 1:3 to controls from the general population, in whom common clinical diagnoses, medications and healthcare interventions were compared at the time of first recorded diagnosis and at a time close to death. Incidence rates of common diagnoses and mortality were compared with matched controls in the time following HD diagnosis. RESULTS Prevalence of HD increased between 2000 and 2018, whilst incidence remained stable. Prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses and symptomatic treatments were higher in HD cases than controls. A higher relative risk of psychotic disorders, depression, insomnia, dementia, weight loss, pneumonia and falls was observed in HD cases. Risk of death was >4 times higher in HD, with a median survival of ~12 years from first recorded diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the significant and progressive clinical burden in individuals up to 18 years after first recorded diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Filipe B Rodrigues
- Huntington's Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Edward J Wild
- Huntington's Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
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14
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Abstract
At fifteen different genomic locations, the expansion of a CAG/CTG repeat causes a neurodegenerative or neuromuscular disease, the most common being Huntington's disease and myotonic dystrophy type 1. These disorders are characterized by germline and somatic instability of the causative CAG/CTG repeat mutations. Repeat lengthening, or expansion, in the germline leads to an earlier age of onset or more severe symptoms in the next generation. In somatic cells, repeat expansion is thought to precipitate the rate of disease. The mechanisms underlying repeat instability are not well understood. Here we review the mammalian model systems that have been used to study CAG/CTG repeat instability, and the modifiers identified in these systems. Mouse models have demonstrated prominent roles for proteins in the mismatch repair pathway as critical drivers of CAG/CTG instability, which is also suggested by recent genome-wide association studies in humans. We draw attention to a network of connections between modifiers identified across several systems that might indicate pathway crosstalk in the context of repeat instability, and which could provide hypotheses for further validation or discovery. Overall, the data indicate that repeat dynamics might be modulated by altering the levels of DNA metabolic proteins, their regulation, their interaction with chromatin, or by direct perturbation of the repeat tract. Applying novel methodologies and technologies to this exciting area of research will be needed to gain deeper mechanistic insight that can be harnessed for therapies aimed at preventing repeat expansion or promoting repeat contraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa C. Wheeler
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA,Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Correspondence to: Vanessa C. Wheeler, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts Hospital, Boston MAA 02115, USA. E-mail: . and Vincent Dion, UK Dementia Research Institute at Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, CF24 4HQ Cardiff, UK. E-mail:
| | - Vincent Dion
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff, UK,Correspondence to: Vanessa C. Wheeler, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts Hospital, Boston MAA 02115, USA. E-mail: . and Vincent Dion, UK Dementia Research Institute at Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, CF24 4HQ Cardiff, UK. E-mail:
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15
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Maden SF, Acuner SE. Mapping Transcriptome Data to Protein-Protein Interaction Networks of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Reveals Disease-Specific Subnetworks. Front Genet 2021; 12:688447. [PMID: 34484291 PMCID: PMC8416454 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.688447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is the common name for chronic disorders associated with the inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. IBD is triggered by environmental factors in genetically susceptible individuals and has a significant number of incidences worldwide. Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the two distinct types of IBD. While involvement in ulcerative colitis is limited to the colon, Crohn’s disease may involve the whole gastrointestinal tract. Although these two disorders differ in macroscopic inflammation patterns, they share various molecular pathogenesis, yet the diagnosis can remain unclear, and it is important to reveal their molecular signatures in the network level. Improved molecular understanding may reveal disease type-specific and even individual-specific targets. To this aim, we determine the subnetworks specific to UC and CD by mapping transcriptome data to protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks using two different approaches [KeyPathwayMiner (KPM) and stringApp] and perform the functional enrichment analysis of the resulting disease type-specific subnetworks. TP63 was identified as the hub gene in the UC-specific subnet and p63 tumor protein, being in the same family as p53 and p73, has been studied in literature for the risk associated with colorectal cancer and IBD. APP was identified as the hub gene in the CD-specific subnet, and it has an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This relation suggests that some similar genetic factors may be effective in both AD and CD. Last, in order to understand the biological meaning of these disease-specific subnets, they were functionally enriched. It is important to note that chemokines—special types of cytokines—and antibacterial response are important in UC-specific subnets, whereas cytokines and antimicrobial responses as well as cancer-related pathways are important in CD-specific subnets. Overall, these findings reveal the differences between IBD subtypes at the molecular level and can facilitate diagnosis for UC and CD as well as provide potential molecular targets that are specific to disease subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sefika Feyza Maden
- Department of Bioengineering, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Saliha Ece Acuner
- Department of Bioengineering, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Turkey
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16
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Han R, Liang J, Zhou B. Glucose Metabolic Dysfunction in Neurodegenerative Diseases-New Mechanistic Insights and the Potential of Hypoxia as a Prospective Therapy Targeting Metabolic Reprogramming. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:5887. [PMID: 34072616 PMCID: PMC8198281 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Glucose is the main circulating energy substrate for the adult brain. Owing to the high energy demand of nerve cells, glucose is actively oxidized to produce ATP and has a synergistic effect with mitochondria in metabolic pathways. The dysfunction of glucose metabolism inevitably disturbs the normal functioning of neurons, which is widely observed in neurodegenerative disease. Understanding the mechanisms of metabolic adaptation during disease progression has become a major focus of research, and interventions in these processes may relieve the neurons from degenerative stress. In this review, we highlight evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction, decreased glucose uptake, and diminished glucose metabolism in different neurodegeneration models such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Huntington's disease (HD). We also discuss how hypoxia, a metabolic reprogramming strategy linked to glucose metabolism in tumor cells and normal brain cells, and summarize the evidence for hypoxia as a putative therapy for general neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongrong Han
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Big Data-Based Precision Medicine, Interdisciplinary Innovation Institute of Medicine and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China; (R.H.); (J.L.)
| | - Jing Liang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Big Data-Based Precision Medicine, Interdisciplinary Innovation Institute of Medicine and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China; (R.H.); (J.L.)
| | - Bing Zhou
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Big Data-Based Precision Medicine, Interdisciplinary Innovation Institute of Medicine and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China; (R.H.); (J.L.)
- School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
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17
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Kabir MT, Uddin MS, Abdeen A, Ashraf GM, Perveen A, Hafeez A, Bin-Jumah MN, Abdel-Daim MM. Evidence Linking Protein Misfolding to Quality Control in Progressive Neurodegenerative Diseases. Curr Top Med Chem 2021; 20:2025-2043. [PMID: 32552649 DOI: 10.2174/1568026620666200618114924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 04/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Several proteolytic systems including ubiquitin (Ub)-proteasome system (UPS), chaperonemediated autophagy (CMA), and macroautophagy are used by the mammalian cells to remove misfolded proteins (MPs). UPS mediates degradation of most of the MPs, where Ub-conjugated substrates are deubiquitinated, unfolded, and passed through the proteasome's narrow chamber, and eventually break into smaller peptides. It has been observed that the substrates that show a specific degradation signal, the KFERQ sequence motif, can be delivered to and go through CMA-mediated degradation in lysosomes. Macroautophagy can help in the degradation of substrates that are prone to aggregation and resistant to both the CMA and UPS. In the aforesaid case, cargoes are separated into autophagosomes before lysosomal hydrolase-mediated degradation. Even though the majority of the aggregated and MPs in the human proteome can be removed via cellular protein quality control (PQC), some mutant and native proteins tend to aggregate into β-sheet-rich oligomers that exhibit resistance to all identified proteolytic processes and can, therefore, grow into extracellular plaques or inclusion bodies. Indeed, the buildup of protease-resistant aggregated and MPs is a usual process underlying various protein misfolding disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) for example Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and prion diseases. In this article, we have focused on the contribution of PQC in the degradation of pathogenic proteins in NDs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Md Sahab Uddin
- Department of Pharmacy, Southeast University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.,Pharmakon Neuroscience Research Network, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Ahmed Abdeen
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Toukh 13736, Egypt
| | - Ghulam Md Ashraf
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Asma Perveen
- Glocal School of Life Sciences, Glocal University, Saharanpur, India
| | - Abdul Hafeez
- Glocal School of Pharmacy, Glocal University, Saharanpur, India
| | - May N Bin-Jumah
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11474, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohamed M Abdel-Daim
- Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt.,Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
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18
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The known burden of Huntington disease in the North of Scotland: prevalence of manifest and identified pre-symptomatic gene expansion carriers in the molecular era. J Neurol 2021; 268:4170-4177. [PMID: 33856548 PMCID: PMC8505295 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-021-10505-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington disease prevalence was first estimated in Grampian, northern Scotland in 1984. Molecular testing has since increased ascertainment. OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of manifest Huntington disease and identified pre-symptomatic gene expansion carriers (IPGEC) in northern Scotland, and estimate the magnitude of biases in prevalence studies that rely upon routine coding in primary care records. METHODS Cases were ascertained using North of Scotland genetic laboratory, clinic, and hospital records. Prevalence was calculated for manifest and IPGEC on 01/07/2016 and 01/01/2020 and compared with local published data. RESULTS The prevalence of manifest Huntington disease in northern Scotland in 2020 was 14.6 (95% CI 14.3-15.3) per 100,000, and of IPGEC was 8.3 (95% CI 7.8-9.2) per 100,000. Whilst the population of northern Scotland decreased by 0.05% between 2016 and 2020, the number of manifest and identified pre-symptomatic gene expansion carriers increased by 7.4% and 23.3%, respectively. Manifest disease in Grampian increased by 45.9% between 1984 and 2020. More women than men had a diagnosis. General Practice coding underestimated symptomatic molecularly confirmed prevalence by 2.2 per 100,000 people. CONCLUSION Even in an area with previously high ascertainment, there has been a 45.9% increase in manifest Huntington disease over the last 30 years. Within our catchment area, prevalence varies between health board regions with similar community-based services. Such variation in prevalence could have major drug cost and service delivery implications, especially if expensive, complexly administered therapies prove successful. Health services should gather accurate population-based data on a regional basis to inform service planning.
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19
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Muroni A, Murru MR, Ulgheri L, Sechi M, Ercoli T, Marrosu F, Scaglione CL, Bentivoglio AR, Petracca M, Soliveri P, Cocco E, Cuccu S, Deriu M, Zuccato C, Defazio G. Geographic differences in the incidence of Huntington's disease in Sardinia, Italy. Neurol Sci 2021; 42:5177-5181. [PMID: 33792825 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-021-05217-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The frequency of Huntington's disease (HD) may vary considerably, with higher estimates in non-Asian populations. We have recently examined the prevalence of HD in the southern part of Sardinia, a large Italian Mediterranean island that is considered a genetic isolate. We observed regional microgeographic differences in the prevalence of HD across the study area similar to those recently reported in other studies conducted in European countries. To explore the basis for this variability, we undertook a study of the incidence of HD in Sardinia over a 10-year period, 2009 to 2018. METHODS Our research was conducted in the 5 administrative areas of Sardinia island. Case patients were ascertained through multiple sources in Sardinia and Italy. RESULTS During the incidence period 53 individuals were diagnosed with clinically manifested HD. The average annual incidence rate 2009-2018 was 2.92 per 106 persons-year (95% CI, 2.2 to 3.9). The highest incidence rate was observed in South Sardinia (6.3; 95% CI, 4.2-9.5). This rate was significantly higher (p<0.01) than the rates from Cagliari, Oristano, and Sassari provinces but did not significantly differ (p = 0.38) from the Nuoro rate. CONCLUSIONS The overall incidence of HD in Sardinia is close to the correspondent estimates in Mediterranean countries. Our findings highlight also the possibility of local microgeographic variations in the epidemiology of HD that might reflect several factors, including a possible founder effect in the rural areas of South Sardinia and Nuoro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Muroni
- Institute of Neurology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Cagliari, 09124, Cagliari, Italy.
| | - Maria R Murru
- Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Binaghi Hospital, ASSL Cagliari, ATS Sardegna, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Lucia Ulgheri
- S.S.D. di Genetica e Biologia dello Sviluppo, University Hospital, Sassari, Italy
| | - Margherita Sechi
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Tommaso Ercoli
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Francesco Marrosu
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Cesa L Scaglione
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Martina Petracca
- Institute of Neurology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Soliveri
- Unit of Neurology I, Parkinson and Movement Disorders Unit, Fondazione IRCSS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Basta, Milan, Italy.,Parkinson Institute - CTO, Milan, Italy
| | - Eleonora Cocco
- Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Binaghi Hospital, ASSL Cagliari, ATS Sardegna, Cagliari, Italy.,Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Stefania Cuccu
- Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Binaghi Hospital, ASSL Cagliari, ATS Sardegna, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Marcello Deriu
- Neurology Service, Nostra Signora della Mercede Hospital, ATS Sardegna, San Gavino Monreale, Italy
| | - Chiara Zuccato
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, Italy
| | - Giovanni Defazio
- Institute of Neurology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Cagliari, 09124, Cagliari, Italy.,Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
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20
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Aslesh T, Yokota T. Development of Antisense Oligonucleotide Gapmers for the Treatment of Huntington's Disease. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2176:57-67. [PMID: 32865782 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0771-8_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The field of neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases has been revolutionized by the advent of genetics and molecular biology to evaluate the pathogenicity, thereby providing considerable insight to develop suitable therapies. With the successful translation of antisense oligonucleotides (AOs) from in vitro into animal models and clinical practice, modifications are being continuously made to the AOs to improve the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. In order to activate RNase H-mediated cleavage of the target mRNA, as well as to increase the binding affinity and specificity, gapmer AOs are designed to have a phosphorothioate (PS) backbone flanked with the modified AOs on both sides. Antisense-mediated knockdown of mutated huntingtin is a promising therapeutic approach for Huntington's disease (HD), a devastating disorder affecting the motor and cognitive abilities. This chapter focuses on the modified gapmer AOs for the treatment of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tejal Aslesh
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Toshifumi Yokota
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. .,The Friends of Garrett Cumming Research and Muscular Dystrophy Canada HM Toupin Neurological Science Research Chair, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
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Apolinário TA, Rodrigues DC, Lemos MB, Antão Paiva CL, Agostinho LA. Distribution of the HTT Gene A1 and A2 Haplotypes Worldwide: A Systematic Review. Clin Med Res 2020; 18:145-152. [PMID: 32878904 PMCID: PMC7735449 DOI: 10.3121/cmr.2020.1523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Revised: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington's disease (HD)(MIM:143100) is an severe autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by the dynamic expansion of CAG trinucleotides (> 35) in the HTT gene [Genomic Coordinates- (GRCh38):4:3,074,680-3,243,959]. OBJECTIVES The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the reported associations between the frequencies of the A1 and A2 haplotypes in HD-affected and non-affected populations from different countries on different continents, in order to demonstrate the overall profile of these haplotypes worldwide, pointing towards the most frequent haplotypes that could be useful for HTT mutant-specific allele silencing in different populations. METHODS Publications in MEDLINE (PubMed) and Embase from the last 10 years (PROSPERO CRD42018115282) were assessed. RESULTS A total of 20 articles from 113 were selected for evaluation in their entirety, and eight were eligible for this study. CONCLUSION Regardless of the size of the CAG tract, the articles included in this review demonstrate that populations with high HD prevalence present higher frequencies of the A1 or A2 haplotypes than populations exhibiting low HD prevalence, even when similar average CAG numbers are noted. Based on the presented articles, we suggest that the haplotypic profile is more closely related to the ancestral origin than to the size of the CAG tract. The identification of populations presenting a higher frequency of high-risk genotypes can contribute to more accurate genetic counseling, in addition to providing knowledge on HD epidemiology. According to the continued progress in the development of specific genetic silencing therapies by different research groups and pharmaceutical companies, such as haplotype targeting strategies for allele-specific HTT suppression, we conclude that the definition of haplotypes in phase with CAG expansions will contribute to the design of gene-silencing drugs specific for different populations worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thays Andrade Apolinário
- Graduate Program in Neurology, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Dionatan Costa Rodrigues
- Graduate Program in Neurology, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Mayra Braga Lemos
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Instituto Bimédico, UNIRIO, RJ, Brazil
| | - Carmen Lúcia Antão Paiva
- Graduate Program in Neurology, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Instituto Bimédico, UNIRIO, RJ, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, UNIRIO, RJ, Brazil
| | - Luciana Andrade Agostinho
- Graduate Program in Neurology, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- University Center UNIFAMINAS - UNIFAMINAS, Muriaé, MG, Brazil
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Sienes Bailo P, Lahoz R, Sánchez Marín JP, Izquierdo Álvarez S. Incidence of Huntington disease in a northeastern Spanish region: a 13-year retrospective study at tertiary care centre. BMC MEDICAL GENETICS 2020; 21:233. [PMID: 33228555 PMCID: PMC7684714 DOI: 10.1186/s12881-020-01174-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Background Despite the progress in the knowledge of Huntington disease (HD) in recent years, the epidemiology continues uncertain, so the study of incidence becomes relevant. This is important since various factors (type of population, diagnostic criteria, disease-modifying factors, etc.) make these data highly variable. Therefore, the genetic diagnosis of these patients is important, since it unequivocally allows the detection of new cases. Methods Descriptive retrospective study with 179 individuals. Incidence of HD was calculated from the ratio of number of symptomatic cases newly diagnosed per 100,000 inhabitants per year during the period 2007–2019 in Aragon (Spain). Results 50 (27.9%) incident cases of HD (CAG repeat length ≥ 36) were identified from a total of 179 persons studied. The remaining 129/179 (72.1%) were HD negative (CAG repeat length < 36). 29 (58.0%) females and 21 (42.0%) males were confirmed as HD cases. The overall incidence was 0.648 per 100,000 patient-years. 11/50 positive HD cases (22.0%) were identified by performing a predictive test, without clinical symptoms. The minimum number of CAG repeats found was 9 and the most common CAG length among HD negative individuals was 16. Conclusions Our incidence lied within the range reported for other Caucasian populations. Implementation of new techniques has allowed to determine the exact number of CAG repeats, which is especially important in patients with triplet expansions in an HD intermediate and/or incomplete penetrance allele, both in diagnostic, predictive and prenatal tests. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12881-020-01174-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Sienes Bailo
- Departamento de Genética. Servicio de Bioquímica Clínica, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet. C/ Padre Arrupe, s/n. Consultas Externas. Planta 3ª. 50009, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Raquel Lahoz
- Departamento de Genética. Servicio de Bioquímica Clínica, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet. C/ Padre Arrupe, s/n. Consultas Externas. Planta 3ª. 50009, Zaragoza, Spain.
| | - Juan Pelegrín Sánchez Marín
- Departamento de Genética. Servicio de Bioquímica Clínica, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet. C/ Padre Arrupe, s/n. Consultas Externas. Planta 3ª. 50009, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Silvia Izquierdo Álvarez
- Departamento de Genética. Servicio de Bioquímica Clínica, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet. C/ Padre Arrupe, s/n. Consultas Externas. Planta 3ª. 50009, Zaragoza, Spain
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Muroni A, Murru MR, Sechi M, Ercoli T, Marrosu F, Bentivoglio AR, Petracca M, Maria Scaglione CL, Soliveri P, Cocco E, Pedron M, Murgia M, Deriu M, Cuccu S, Ulgheri L, Zuccato C, Defazio G. Prevalence of Huntington's disease in Southern Sardinia, Italy. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2020; 80:54-57. [PMID: 32956974 DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2020.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The frequency of Huntington's disease (HD) may vary considerably, with higher estimates in non Asian populations. In Italy, two recent studies performed in Ferrara county and Molise provided different prevalence estimates, varying from 4.2 × 105 to 10.8 × 105. Here we present a study performed in the Southern part of Sardinia, a large Italian mediterranean island that is considered a genetic isolate. METHODS The study area included the two neighbouring counties of South Sardinia and Cagliari with 353,830 and 431,955 inhabitants respectively on December 31st, 2017 (prevalence date). Case-patients were ascertained through multiple sources in Sardinia and Italy. RESULTS We identified 54 individuals with HD, of whom 47 were alive on prevalence date. The resulting prevalence rate was 5.98 × 105 in the overall study area, however with marked variations between South Sardinia and Cagliari (9.6 × 105 vs. 3.0 × 105, p = 0.02). In the two study areas, we found similar CAG repeat length in normal alleles (17.5 ± 2.1 vs. 17.7 ± 2.2, p = 0.5). CONCLUSIONS The overall prevalence of HD in Sardinia is close to the correspondent estimates in Europeans. Our findings also highlighted the possibility of local microgeographic variations in the epidemiology of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Muroni
- Neurology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Cagliari, Italy.
| | - Maria Rita Murru
- Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Binaghi Hospital, ASSL Cagliari, ATS Sardegna, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Margherita Sechi
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Tommaso Ercoli
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Francesco Marrosu
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | | | - Martina Petracca
- Institute of Neurology, Università Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Paola Soliveri
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Unit of Neurology I - Parkinson and Movement Disorders Unit, Milan, Italy
| | - Eleonora Cocco
- Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Binaghi Hospital, ASSL Cagliari, ATS Sardegna, Cagliari, Italy; Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Monica Pedron
- Medical Services Management, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Moreno Murgia
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Marcello Deriu
- Neurology Service, Nostra Signora Della Mercede Hospital, ATS Sardegna, S. Gavino Monreale, Italy
| | - Stefania Cuccu
- Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Binaghi Hospital, ASSL Cagliari, ATS Sardegna, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Lucia Ulgheri
- S.S.D. di Genetica e Biologia Dello Sviluppo, University Hospital, Sassari, Italy
| | - Chiara Zuccato
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy, Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo Ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, Italy
| | - Giovanni Defazio
- Neurology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Cagliari, Italy; Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
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Chen SJ, Lee BC, Lee NC, Chien YH, Hwu WL, Lin CH. Clinical, radiological, and genetic characteristics in patients with Huntington's disease in a Taiwanese cohort. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2020; 183:352-359. [PMID: 32643304 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Characteristics of Huntington's disease (HD) differ among various ethnicities. Few studies have explored the relationship between phenotypes and genotypes of HD in Asians. We evaluated the relationship between integrated clinical and imaging phenotypes and genotypes in a Taiwanese HD cohort, enrolling 123 HD patients genetically diagnosed between August 1994 and February 2019. The clinical presentations and brain magnetic resonance imaging characteristics were analyzed from 67 patients and examined the correlation with genetic findings. Chorea was the most common initial manifestation (66.1%), especially in patients with late-onset disease (onset age > 60 years old), followed by psychiatric symptoms (25%) and cognitive impairment (14.3%). Compared to patients with adult-onset HD, the prevalence of parkinsonism was significantly higher in juvenile-onset HD patients (onset age < 20 years old, p = .007). Disease burden, which was measured by CAG repeats and age, was significantly associated with atrophy in caudate nucleus (p = .004), followed by putamen (p = .029), nucleus accumbens (p = .002), thalamus (p = .003), and total cortical volume (p = .001) after correcting for total intracranial volume. Our findings, that provided the first series of Taiwanese HD patients, delineated the clinical, radiological, and genetic characteristics in Asian HD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szu-Ju Chen
- Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Bei-Hu Branch, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Bo-Chin Lee
- Department of Medical Imaging, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ni-Chung Lee
- Department of Medical Genetics and Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yin-Hsiu Chien
- Department of Medical Genetics and Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wuh-Liang Hwu
- Department of Medical Genetics and Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chin-Hsien Lin
- Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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26
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Tracing the mutated HTT and haplotype of the African ancestor who spread Huntington disease into the Middle East. Genet Med 2020; 22:1903-1908. [PMID: 32661355 DOI: 10.1038/s41436-020-0895-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE We aimed to determine the origin and genetic characteristics of Huntington disease (HD) in the Middle East. METHODS We performed genetic and genealogical analyses to establish the ancestral origin of the HTT pathgenic variant from a large kindred from Oman (hereafter called the OM-HD-01 pedigree) by single-nucleotide polymorphism and dense haplotype analysis genotyping. RESULTS We traced the oldest ancestry of the largest, eight-generation, OM-HD-01 pedigree (n = 302 subjects, with 54 showing manifest HD) back to sub-Saharan Africa and identified a unique HD haplotype carried by all pedigree members, which consisted of portions of the C6 and C9 haplotypes and was carried by all affected members. Such a unique HD haplotype was of African origin and appeared to be associated with large CAG repeat expansions on average and high frequency of juvenile-onset HD. Three other families from the same area were also identified and found carrying a Caucasian HD haplotype A, also shared by most families of Arab ancestry. CONCLUSION Mutated HTT spread into Middle East with a unique haplotype of African origin, appeared to be associated with juvenile-onset, a HD condition frequently occurring in Black Africans, and may have a significant impact on further development of novel targeted genetic therapies.
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Apolinário TA, da Silva IDS, Agostinho LDA, Paiva CLA. Investigation of intermediate CAG alleles of the HTT in the general population of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in comparison with a sample of Huntington disease-affected families. Mol Genet Genomic Med 2020; 8:e1181. [PMID: 32067426 PMCID: PMC7196456 DOI: 10.1002/mgg3.1181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington disease (HD) (MIM: 143100) is a severe autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by the expansion of CAG trinucleotides (>35) in the HTT. OBJECTIVE To investigate the frequency of intermediate CAG alleles (IAs) in individuals residing in Rio de Janeiro city with no familial history of HD (general population, GP) in comparison with a sample of individuals from families presenting with HD who were previously investigated by our group (affected sample, AS). RESULTS The frequency of normal CAG alleles was 96.2%, while that of IAs was 3.6%, and that of reduced penetrance alleles was 0.2% in the GP (n = 470 chromosomes); 7.2% (17/235 individuals) of the GP presented an IA in heterozygosis with a normal allele. There was no statistically significant difference between the frequencies of the IAs in the GP and in the AS (p = .9). The most frequent haplotype per normal allele was (CAG)17-(CCG)7 (101/461) and per IA was (CAG)27-(CCG)7 (6/17) in the GP. These haplotypes were also the most frequent in the normal and IA chromosomes of the AS, respectively. CONCLUSION The genetic profiles of the IAs obtained from GP and AS were rather similar. It is important to investigate the frequencies of the IAs because expansions arise from a step-by-step mechanism in which, during intergenerational transmission, large normal alleles can generate IAs, which are then responsible for generating de novo HD mutations. The genetic investigation of IAs in the GP was also important because it was focused on the population of Rio de Janeiro, an understudied group. CCG7 was the most frequent CCG allele in linkage disequilibrium with normal, intermediate, and expanded CAG alleles, similar to the Western Europe population. However, a more robust investigation, in conjunction with haplogroup determination (A, B, or C), will be required to elucidate the ancestral origin of the HTT mutations in Brazilians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thays A. Apolinário
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em NeurologiaUniversidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO)Rio de JaneiroRJBrazil
| | - Iane dos Santos da Silva
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Biologia Molecular e CelularUniversidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO)Rio de JaneiroRJBrazil
| | - Luciana de Andrade Agostinho
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em NeurologiaUniversidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO)Rio de JaneiroRJBrazil
- Centro Universitário FAMINAS – UNIFAMINASMuriaéMGBrazil
- Fundação Cristiano Varella‐Hospital do CâncerMuriaéMGBrazil
| | - Carmen L. A. Paiva
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em NeurologiaUniversidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO)Rio de JaneiroRJBrazil
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Biologia Molecular e CelularUniversidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO)Rio de JaneiroRJBrazil
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Caron NS, Southwell AL, Brouwers CC, Cengio LD, Xie Y, Black HF, Anderson LM, Ko S, Zhu X, van Deventer SJ, Evers MM, Konstantinova P, Hayden MR. Potent and sustained huntingtin lowering via AAV5 encoding miRNA preserves striatal volume and cognitive function in a humanized mouse model of Huntington disease. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:36-54. [PMID: 31745548 PMCID: PMC7145682 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by a pathogenic expansion of a CAG repeat in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. There are no disease-modifying therapies for HD. Artificial microRNAs targeting HTT transcripts for degradation have shown preclinical promise and will soon enter human clinical trials. Here, we examine the tolerability and efficacy of non-selective HTT lowering with an AAV5 encoded miRNA targeting human HTT (AAV5-miHTT) in the humanized Hu128/21 mouse model of HD. We show that intrastriatal administration of AAV5-miHTT results in potent and sustained HTT suppression for at least 7 months post-injection. Importantly, non-selective suppression of huntingtin was generally tolerated, however high dose AAV5-miHTT did induce astrogliosis. We observed an improvement of select behavioural and modest neuropathological HD-like phenotypes in Hu128/21 mice, suggesting a potential therapeutic benefit of miRNA-mediated non-selective HTT lowering. Finally, we also observed that potent reduction of wild type HTT (wtHTT) in Hu21 control mice was tolerated up to 7 months post-injection but may induce impairment of motor coordination and striatal atrophy. Taken together, our data suggests that in the context of HD, the therapeutic benefits of mHTT reduction may outweigh the potentially detrimental effects of wtHTT loss following non-selective HTT lowering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas S Caron
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Amber L Southwell
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Cynthia C Brouwers
- Department of Research & Development, uniQure biopharma B.V., Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Louisa Dal Cengio
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Yuanyun Xie
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Hailey Findlay Black
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Lisa M Anderson
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Seunghyun Ko
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Xiang Zhu
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Sander J van Deventer
- Department of Research & Development, uniQure biopharma B.V., Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Melvin M Evers
- Department of Research & Development, uniQure biopharma B.V., Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Pavlina Konstantinova
- Department of Research & Development, uniQure biopharma B.V., Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Michael R Hayden
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Akhter Y, Nabi J, Hamid H, Tabassum N, Pottoo FH, Sharma A. Protein Quality Control in Neurodegeneration and Neuroprotection. QUALITY CONTROL OF CELLULAR PROTEIN IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS 2020. [DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-1317-0.ch001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Proteostasis is essential for regulating the integrity of the proteome. Disruption of proteostasis under some rigorous conditions leads to the aggregation and accumulation of misfolded toxic proteins, which plays a central role in the pathogenesis of protein conformational disorders. The protein quality control (PQC) system serves as a multi-level security system to shield cells from abnormal proteins. The intrinsic PQC systems maintaining proteostasis include the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), chaperon-mediated autophagy (CMA), and autophagy-lysosome pathway (ALP) that serve to target misfolded proteins for unfolding, refolding, or degradation. Alterations of PQC systems in neurons have been implicated in the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative disorders. This chapter provides an overview of PQC pathways to set a framework for discussion of the role of PQC in neurodegenerative disorders. Additionally, various pharmacological approaches targeting PQC are summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmeena Akhter
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacology Division), Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Jahangir Nabi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacology Division), Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Hinna Hamid
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacology Division), Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Nahida Tabassum
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacology Division), Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Faheem Hyder Pottoo
- Department of Pharmaology, College of Clinical Pharmacy, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aashish Sharma
- Centre for Research in Medical Devices (CURAM), National University of Ireland, Ireland & School of Medical and Allied Sciences, GD Goenka University, Gurgaon, India
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Epidemiology and health care utilization of patients suffering from Huntington's disease in Germany: real world evidence based on German claims data. BMC Neurol 2019; 19:318. [PMID: 31823737 PMCID: PMC6905058 DOI: 10.1186/s12883-019-1556-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington's disease (HD) is a rare, genetic, neurodegenerative and ultimately fatal disease with no cure or progression-delaying treatment currently available. HD is characterized by a triad of cognitive, behavioural and motor symptoms. Evidence on epidemiology and management of HD is limited, especially for Germany. This study aims to estimate the incidence and prevalence of HD and analyze the current routine care based on German claims data. METHODS The source of data was a sample of the Institute for Applied Health Research Berlin (InGef) Research Database, comprising data of approximately four million insured persons from approximately 70 German statutory health insurances. The study was conducted in a retrospective cross-sectional design using 2015 and 2016 as a two-year observation period. At least two outpatient or inpatient ICD-10 codes for HD (ICD-10: G10) during the study period were required for case identification. Patients were considered incident if no HD diagnoses in the 4 years prior to the year of case identification were documented. Information on outpatient drug dispensations, medical aids and remedies were considered to describe the current treatment situation of HD patients. RESULTS A 2-year incidence of 1.8 per 100,000 persons (95%-Confidence interval (CI): 1.4-2.4) and a 2-year period prevalence of 9.3 per 100,000 persons (95%-CI: 8.3-10.4) was observed. The prevalence of HD increased with advancing age, peaking at 60-69 years (16.8 per 100,000 persons; 95%-CI: 13.4-21.0) and decreasing afterwards. The most frequently observed comorbidities and disease-associated symptoms in HD patients were depression (42.9%), dementia (37.7%), urinary incontinence (32.5%), extrapyramidal and movement disorders (30.5%), dysphagia (28.6%) and disorders of the lipoprotein metabolism (28.2%). The most common medications in HD patients were antipsychotics (66.9%), followed by antidepressants (45.1%). Anticonvulsants (16.6%), opioids (14.6%) and hypnotics (9.7%) were observed less frequently. Physical therapy was the most often used medical aid in HD patients (46.4%). Nursing services and speech therapy were used by 27.9 and 22.7% of HD patients, respectively, whereas use of psychotherapy was rare (3.2%). CONCLUSIONS Based on a representative sample, this study provides new insights into the epidemiology and routine care of HD patients in Germany, and thus, may serve as a starting point for further research.
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Kay C, Collins JA, Caron NS, Agostinho LDA, Findlay-Black H, Casal L, Sumathipala D, Dissanayake VHW, Cornejo-Olivas M, Baine F, Krause A, Greenberg JL, Paiva CLA, Squitieri F, Hayden MR. A Comprehensive Haplotype-Targeting Strategy for Allele-Specific HTT Suppression in Huntington Disease. Am J Hum Genet 2019; 105:1112-1125. [PMID: 31708117 PMCID: PMC6904807 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2019.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by a gain-of-function mutation in HTT. Suppression of mutant HTT has emerged as a leading therapeutic strategy for HD, with allele-selective approaches targeting HTT SNPs now in clinical trials. Haplotypes associated with the HD mutation (A1, A2, A3a) represent panels of allele-specific gene silencing targets for efficient treatment of individuals with HD of Northern European and indigenous South American ancestry. Here we extend comprehensive haplotype analysis of the HD mutation to key populations of Southern European, South Asian, Middle Eastern, and admixed African ancestry. In each of these populations, the HD mutation occurs predominantly on the A2 HTT haplotype. Analysis of HD haplotypes across all affected population groups enables rational selection of candidate target SNPs for development of allele-selective gene silencing therapeutics worldwide. Targeting SNPs on the A1 and A2 haplotypes in parallel is essential to achieve treatment of the most HD-affected subjects in populations where HD is most prevalent. Current allele-specific approaches will leave a majority of individuals with HD untreated in populations where the HD mutation occurs most frequently on the A2 haplotype. We further demonstrate preclinical development of potent and selective ASOs targeting SNPs on the A2 HTT haplotype, representing an allele-specific treatment strategy for these individuals. On the basis of comprehensive haplotype analysis, we show the maximum proportion of HD-affected subjects that may be treated with three or four allele targets in different populations worldwide, informing current allele-specific HTT silencing strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Kay
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z4H4, Canada
| | - Jennifer A Collins
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z4H4, Canada
| | - Nicholas S Caron
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z4H4, Canada
| | - Luciana de Andrade Agostinho
- PPGNEURO, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ 20270-004, Brazil; Centro Universitário UNIFAMINAS, Muriaé, MG 36880-000, Brazil; Hospital do Câncer de Muriaé, Muriaé, MG 36880-000, Brazil
| | - Hailey Findlay-Black
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z4H4, Canada
| | - Lorenzo Casal
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z4H4, Canada
| | | | | | - Mario Cornejo-Olivas
- Neurogenetics Research Center, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurologicas, Lima 15003, Peru; Center for Global Health, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 15102, Peru
| | - Fiona Baine
- Division of Human Genetics, National Health Laboratory Service and School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2001, South Africa; Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, University of Cape Town, Observatory 7925, South Africa
| | - Amanda Krause
- Division of Human Genetics, National Health Laboratory Service and School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2001, South Africa
| | - Jacquie L Greenberg
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, University of Cape Town, Observatory 7925, South Africa
| | - Carmen Lúcia Antão Paiva
- PPGNEURO, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ 20270-004, Brazil
| | - Ferdinando Squitieri
- Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy
| | - Michael R Hayden
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z4H4, Canada.
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Zhao M, Cheah FSH, Tan ASC, Lian M, Phang GP, Agarwal A, Chong SS. Robust Preimplantation Genetic Testing of Huntington Disease by Combined Triplet-Primed PCR Analysis of the HTT CAG Repeat and Multi-Microsatellite Haplotyping. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16481. [PMID: 31712634 PMCID: PMC6848083 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-52769-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is a lethal neurodegenerative disorder caused by expansion of a CAG repeat within the huntingtin (HTT) gene. Disease prevention can be facilitated by preimplantation genetic testing for this monogenic disorder (PGT-M). We developed a strategy for HD PGT-M, involving whole genome amplification (WGA) followed by combined triplet-primed PCR (TP-PCR) for HTT CAG repeat expansion detection and multi-microsatellite marker genotyping for disease haplotype phasing. The strategy was validated and tested pre-clinically in a simulated PGT-M case before clinical application in five cycles of a PGT-M case. The assay reliably and correctly diagnosed all embryos, even where allele dropout (ADO) occurred at the HTT CAG repeat locus or at one or more linked markers. Ten of the 27 embryos analyzed were diagnosed as unaffected. Four embryo transfers were performed, two of which involved fresh cycle double embryo transfers and two were frozen-thawed single embryo transfers. Pregnancies were achieved from each of the frozen-thawed single embryo transfers and confirmed to be unaffected by amniocentesis, culminating in live births at term. This strategy enhances diagnostic confidence for PGT-M of HD and can also be employed in situations where disease haplotype phase cannot be established prior to the start of PGT-M.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingjue Zhao
- Department of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Felicia Siew Hong Cheah
- Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Center, Khoo Teck Puat - National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Arnold Sia Chye Tan
- Department of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Center, Khoo Teck Puat - National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mulias Lian
- Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Center, Khoo Teck Puat - National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Gui Ping Phang
- Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Center, Khoo Teck Puat - National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Anupriya Agarwal
- Clinic for Human Reproduction, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National University Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Samuel S Chong
- Department of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore. .,Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Center, Khoo Teck Puat - National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore. .,Molecular Diagnosis Center and Clinical Cytogenetics Service, Department of Laboratory Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
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Southwell AL, Kordasiewicz HB, Langbehn D, Skotte NH, Parsons MP, Villanueva EB, Caron NS, Østergaard ME, Anderson LM, Xie Y, Cengio LD, Findlay-Black H, Doty CN, Fitsimmons B, Swayze EE, Seth PP, Raymond LA, Frank Bennett C, Hayden MR. Huntingtin suppression restores cognitive function in a mouse model of Huntington's disease. Sci Transl Med 2019; 10:10/461/eaar3959. [PMID: 30282695 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aar3959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Revised: 05/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by a mutation in the huntingtin (HTT) protein, resulting in acquisition of toxic functions. Previous studies have shown that lowering mutant HTT has the potential to be broadly beneficial. We previously identified HTT single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) tightly linked to the HD mutation and developed antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) targeting HD-SNPs that selectively suppress mutant HTT. We tested allele-specific ASOs in a mouse model of HD. Both early and late treatment reduced cognitive and behavioral impairments in mice. To determine the translational potential of the treatment, we examined the effect of ASO administration on HTT brain expression in nonhuman primates. The treatment induced robust HTT suppression throughout the cortex and limbic system, areas implicated in cognition and psychiatric function. The results suggest that ASOs specifically targeting mutated HTT might have therapeutic effects on HD-mediated cognitive impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber L Southwell
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | | | - Douglas Langbehn
- Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Niels H Skotte
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Matthew P Parsons
- Department of Psychiatry, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Erika B Villanueva
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Nicholas S Caron
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | | | - Lisa M Anderson
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Yuanyun Xie
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Louisa Dal Cengio
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Hailey Findlay-Black
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Crystal N Doty
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Lynn A Raymond
- Department of Psychiatry, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | | | - Michael R Hayden
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4H4, Canada.
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Li XY, Zhang YB, Xu M, Cheng HR, Dong Y, Ni W, Li HL, Wu ZY. Effect of Apolipoprotein E Genotypes on Huntington's Disease Phenotypes in a Han Chinese Population. Neurosci Bull 2019; 35:756-762. [PMID: 30887245 PMCID: PMC6616567 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-019-00360-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant degenerative disease that mainly encompasses movement, cognition, and behavioral symptoms. The apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene is thought to be associated with many neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we enrolled a cohort of 223 unrelated Han Chinese patients with HD and 1241 unrelated healthy controls in Southeastern China and analyzed the correlation between APOE genotypes and HD phenotypes. The results showed that the frequency of the E4 allele (7.1%) in HD patients was statistically less than that in controls (12.0%) (P =0.004). In addition, we divided patients into motor-onset and non-motor-onset groups, and analyzed the relationship with APOE genotypes. The results, however, were negative. Furthermore, the age at onset (AAO), defined as the age at the onset of motor symptoms, was compared in each APOE genotype subgroup and multivariate regression analysis was used to exclude the interference of CAG repeat length on AAO, but no association was found between APOE genotypes and AAO. Finally, we analyzed adult-onset HD to exclude the interference caused by juvenile HD (n = 13), and the results were negative. Therefore, our study suggests that APOE may not be a genetic modifier for HD, especially for adult-onset HD among Chinese of Han ethnicity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of the correlation between APOE genotypes and HD phenotypes in a Han Chinese population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Yan Li
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in the Second Affiliated Hospital, and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China
| | - Yan-Bin Zhang
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350005, China
| | - Miao Xu
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200041, China
| | - Hong-Rong Cheng
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in the Second Affiliated Hospital, and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China
| | - Yi Dong
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in the Second Affiliated Hospital, and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China
| | - Wang Ni
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in the Second Affiliated Hospital, and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China
| | - Hong-Lei Li
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in the Second Affiliated Hospital, and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China.
| | - Zhi-Ying Wu
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in the Second Affiliated Hospital, and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China.
- Joint Institute for Genetics and Genome Medicine between Zhejiang University and University of Toronto, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China.
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Abstract
Introduction: Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative condition for which there are no disease-modifying treatments. The availability of early genetic diagnosis makes HD an ideal candidate for early intervention. Growing understanding of pathogenesis has led to the identification of new therapeutic targets for which some compounds are now in clinical trials. Areas covered: A detailed review of medical databases and clinical trial registries was performed. Recent clinical trials aimed to establish disease-modification were included. Focus was assigned to RNA and DNA-based therapies aimed at lowering mutant huntingtin (mHTT) including antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), RNA interference (RNAi), zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) and the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Modulation of mHTT and immunotherapies is also covered. Expert opinion: Targeting HD pathogenesis at its most proximal level is under intense investigation. ASOs are the only HTT-lowering strategy in clinical trials of manifest HD. Safety and efficacy of an allele specific vs. allele non-specific approach has yet to be established. Success will extend to premanifest carriers for which development of clinical and imaging biomarkers will be necessary. Scientific and technological advancement will bolster new methods of treatment delivery. Cumulative experience, collaborative research, and platforms such as ENROLL-HD will facilitate efficient and effective clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassaan Bashir
- Parkinson's Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic, Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , TX , USA
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Ylönen S, Sipilä JOT, Hietala M, Majamaa K. HTT haplogroups in Finnish patients with Huntington disease. NEUROLOGY-GENETICS 2019; 5:e334. [PMID: 31086827 PMCID: PMC6481225 DOI: 10.1212/nxg.0000000000000334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Objective To study genetic causes of the low frequency of Huntington disease (HD) in the Finnish population, we determined HTT haplogroups in the population and patients with HD and analyzed intergenerational Cytosine-Adenosine-Guanosine (CAG) stability. Methods A national cohort of patients with HD was used to identify families with mutant HTT (mHTT). HTT haplogroups were determined in 225 archival samples from patients and from 292 population samples. CAG repeats were phased with HTT haplotypes using data from parent-offspring pairs and other mHTT carriers in the family. Results The allele frequencies of HTT haplotypes in the Finnish population differed from those in 411 non-Finnish European subjects (p < 0.00001). The frequency of haplogroup A was lower than that in Europeans and haplogroup C was higher. Haplogroup A alleles were significantly more common in patients than in controls. Among patients with HD haplotypes A1 and A2 were more frequent than among the controls (p = 0.003). The mean size of the CAG repeat change was +1.38 units in paternal transmissions being larger than that (−0.17) in maternal transmissions (p = 0.008). CAG repeats on haplogroup A increased by 3.18 CAG units in paternal transmissions, but only by 0.11 units in maternal transmissions (p = 0.008), whereas haplogroup C repeat lengths decreased in both paternal and maternal transmissions. Conclusions The low frequency of HD in Finland is partly explained by the low frequency of the HD-associated haplogroup A in the Finnish population. There were remarkable differences in intergenerational CAG repeat dynamics that depended on HTT haplotype and parent gender.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Ylönen
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience (S.Y., K.M.), Neurology, University of Oulu; Department of Neurology and Medical Research Center (S.Y., K.M.), Oulu University Hospital; Department of Neurology (J.O.T.S.), North Karelia Central Hospital, Siun Sote, Joensuu; Division of Clinical Neurosciences (J.O.T.S.), Turku University Hospital; Neurology (J.O.T.S.), University of Turku; Department of Clinical Genetics (M.H.), Turku University Hospital; and Institute of Biomedicine (M.H.), University of Turku, Finland
| | - Jussi O T Sipilä
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience (S.Y., K.M.), Neurology, University of Oulu; Department of Neurology and Medical Research Center (S.Y., K.M.), Oulu University Hospital; Department of Neurology (J.O.T.S.), North Karelia Central Hospital, Siun Sote, Joensuu; Division of Clinical Neurosciences (J.O.T.S.), Turku University Hospital; Neurology (J.O.T.S.), University of Turku; Department of Clinical Genetics (M.H.), Turku University Hospital; and Institute of Biomedicine (M.H.), University of Turku, Finland
| | - Marja Hietala
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience (S.Y., K.M.), Neurology, University of Oulu; Department of Neurology and Medical Research Center (S.Y., K.M.), Oulu University Hospital; Department of Neurology (J.O.T.S.), North Karelia Central Hospital, Siun Sote, Joensuu; Division of Clinical Neurosciences (J.O.T.S.), Turku University Hospital; Neurology (J.O.T.S.), University of Turku; Department of Clinical Genetics (M.H.), Turku University Hospital; and Institute of Biomedicine (M.H.), University of Turku, Finland
| | - Kari Majamaa
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience (S.Y., K.M.), Neurology, University of Oulu; Department of Neurology and Medical Research Center (S.Y., K.M.), Oulu University Hospital; Department of Neurology (J.O.T.S.), North Karelia Central Hospital, Siun Sote, Joensuu; Division of Clinical Neurosciences (J.O.T.S.), Turku University Hospital; Neurology (J.O.T.S.), University of Turku; Department of Clinical Genetics (M.H.), Turku University Hospital; and Institute of Biomedicine (M.H.), University of Turku, Finland
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Herzog–Krzywoszanska R, Krzywoszanski L. Sleep Disorders in Huntington's Disease. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:221. [PMID: 31031659 PMCID: PMC6474183 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's chorea (Huntington's disease, HD) is a genetic disorder caused by autosomal dominant mutation, leading to progressive neurodegenerative changes in the central nervous system. Involuntary movements such as chorea occur typically in HD patients, accompanied by progressive cognitive and psychiatric disturbances. Other common symptoms of HD are circadian and sleep abnormalities, which are observed from the earliest stages of the disease or even before the occurrence of clinical symptoms. The most common sleep problems reported by HD patients include insomnia, difficulties in falling asleep, frequent nocturnal awakenings, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Also, specific changes in sleep architecture have been identified in HD. In this paper, we review studies on sleep and circadian rhythm disorders in HD. We outline findings concerning sleep patterns and disturbances of circadian rhythms in HD patients, as well as the role of psychiatric disorders and motor disorders in HD patients' sleep problems. We also discuss problems related to the different methods of diagnosing sleep disorders in HD. Furthermore, the adverse effects of medication used for the treatment of core HD symptoms as one of the sources of sleep disturbances in HD are emphasized. In conclusion, the diversity and complexity of the determinants of sleep and circadian rhythm disorders in HD are highlighted. Finally, the relevance of effective treatment to improve patients' functioning and quality of life as well as the potential relief of their cognitive and emotional symptoms is addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lukasz Krzywoszanski
- Neurocognitive Psychology Unit, Chair of Psychology, Faculty of Pedagogy, Pedagogical University of Krakow, Krakow, Poland
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Costa IPD, Almeida BC, Sequeiros J, Amorim A, Martins S. A Pipeline to Assess Disease-Associated Haplotypes in Repeat Expansion Disorders: The Example of MJD/SCA3 Locus. Front Genet 2019; 10:38. [PMID: 30804982 PMCID: PMC6370646 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
At least 40 human diseases are associated with repeat expansions; yet, the mutational origin and instability mechanisms remain unknown for most of them. Previously, genetic epidemiology and predisposing backgrounds for the instability of some expanding loci have been studied in different populations through the analysis of diversity flanking the respective pathogenic repeats. Here, we aimed at developing a pipeline to assess disease-associated haplotypes at oligonucleotide repeat loci, combining analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and short tandem repeats (STRs). Machado-Joseph disease (MJD/SCA3), the most frequent dominant ataxia worldwide, was used as an example of a detailed procedure. Thus, to identify genetic backgrounds that segregate with expanded/mutated alleles in MJD, we selected a set of 26 SNPs and 7 STRs flanking the causative CAG repeat. Key criteria and steps for this selection are described, and included (1) haplotype blocks minimizing the occurrence of recombination (for SNPs); and (2) match scores to increase potential for polymorphic information content of repetitive sequences found in Tandem Repeats Finder (for STRs). To directly assess SNP haplotypes in phase with MJD expansions, we optimized a strategy with preferential amplification of normal over expanded alleles, in addition to SNP allele-specific amplifications; this allowed the identification of disease-associated SNP haplotypes, even when only the proband is available in a given family. To infer STR haplotypes, we optimized a multiplex PCR, including 7 STRs plus the MJD_CAG repeat, followed by analysis of segregation or the use of the PHASE software. This protocol is a ready-to-use tool to assess MJD haplotypes in different populations. The pipeline designed can be used to assess disease-associated haplotypes in other repeat-expansion diseases. This should be of great utility to study (1) genetic epidemiology (population-of-origin, age and spreading routes of mutations) and (2) mechanisms responsible for de novo expansions, in these neurological diseases; (3) to detect predisposing haplotypes and (4) phenotype modifiers; (5) to help solving cases of apparent homoallelism (two same-size normal alleles) in diagnosis; and (6) to identify the best targets for the development of allele-specific therapies in ethnically diverse patient populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês P. D. Costa
- i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- IPATIMUP – Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Beatriz C. Almeida
- i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- IPATIMUP – Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Jorge Sequeiros
- i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- IBMC – Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS – Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - António Amorim
- i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- IPATIMUP – Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sandra Martins
- i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- IPATIMUP – Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
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39
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Testa CM, Jankovic J. Huntington disease: A quarter century of progress since the gene discovery. J Neurol Sci 2019; 396:52-68. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2018.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Revised: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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40
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Abstract
The 25 years since the identification of the gene responsible for Huntington disease (HD) have stood witness to profound discoveries about the nature of the disease and its pathogenesis. Despite this progress, however, the development of disease-modifying therapies has thus far been slow. Preclinical validation of the therapeutic potential of disrupted pathways in HD has led to the advancement of pharmacological agents, both novel and repurposed, for clinical evaluation. The most promising therapeutic approaches include huntingtin (HTT) lowering and modification as well as modulation of neuroinflammation and synaptic transmission. With clinical trials for many of these approaches imminent or currently ongoing, the coming years are promising not only for HD but also for more prevalent neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer and Parkinson disease, in which many of these pathways have been similarly implicated.
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Bahlo M, Bennett MF, Degorski P, Tankard RM, Delatycki MB, Lockhart PJ. Recent advances in the detection of repeat expansions with short-read next-generation sequencing. F1000Res 2018; 7:F1000 Faculty Rev-736. [PMID: 29946432 PMCID: PMC6008857 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.13980.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Short tandem repeats (STRs), also known as microsatellites, are commonly defined as consisting of tandemly repeated nucleotide motifs of 2-6 base pairs in length. STRs appear throughout the human genome, and about 239,000 are documented in the Simple Repeats Track available from the UCSC (University of California, Santa Cruz) genome browser. STRs vary in size, producing highly polymorphic markers commonly used as genetic markers. A small fraction of STRs (about 30 loci) have been associated with human disease whereby one or both alleles exceed an STR-specific threshold in size, leading to disease. Detection of repeat expansions is currently performed with polymerase chain reaction-based assays or with Southern blots for large expansions. The tests are expensive and time-consuming and are not always conclusive, leading to lengthy diagnostic journeys for patients, potentially including missed diagnoses. The advent of whole exome and whole genome sequencing has identified the genetic cause of many genetic disorders; however, analysis pipelines are focused primarily on the detection of short nucleotide variations and short insertions and deletions (indels). Until recently, repeat expansions, with the exception of the smallest expansion (SCA6), were not detectable in next-generation short-read sequencing datasets and would have been ignored in most analyses. In the last two years, four analysis methods with accompanying software (ExpansionHunter, exSTRa, STRetch, and TREDPARSE) have been released. Although a comprehensive comparative analysis of the performance of these methods across all known repeat expansions is still lacking, it is clear that these methods are a valuable addition to any existing analysis pipeline. Here, we detail how to assess short-read data for evidence of expansions, reviewing all four methods and outlining their strengths and weaknesses. Implementation of these methods should lead to increased diagnostic yield of repeat expansion disorders for known STR loci and has the potential to detect novel repeat expansions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Bahlo
- Population Health and Immunity Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mark F Bennett
- Population Health and Immunity Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Epilepsy Research Centre, Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peter Degorski
- Population Health and Immunity Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Rick M Tankard
- Mathematics and Statistics, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia
| | - Martin B Delatycki
- Bruce Lefroy Centre for Genetic Health Research, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Services, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Paul J Lockhart
- Bruce Lefroy Centre for Genetic Health Research, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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42
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Farrell M, Lichtenstein M, Crowley JJ, Filmyer DM, Lázaro-Muñoz G, Shaughnessy RA, Mackenzie IR, Hirsch-Reinshagen V, Stowe R, Evans JP, Berg JS, Szatkiewicz J, Josiassen RC, Sullivan PF. Developmental Delay, Treatment-Resistant Psychosis, and Early-Onset Dementia in a Man With 22q11 Deletion Syndrome and Huntington's Disease. Am J Psychiatry 2018; 175:400-407. [PMID: 29712475 PMCID: PMC5935124 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17060638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martilias Farrell
- From the Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the Department of Neurology, Geisinger Health System, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Translational Neuroscience, Conshohocken, Pa.; the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; and the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
| | - Maya Lichtenstein
- From the Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the Department of Neurology, Geisinger Health System, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Translational Neuroscience, Conshohocken, Pa.; the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; and the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
| | - James J Crowley
- From the Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the Department of Neurology, Geisinger Health System, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Translational Neuroscience, Conshohocken, Pa.; the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; and the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
| | - Dawn M Filmyer
- From the Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the Department of Neurology, Geisinger Health System, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Translational Neuroscience, Conshohocken, Pa.; the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; and the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
| | - Gabriel Lázaro-Muñoz
- From the Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the Department of Neurology, Geisinger Health System, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Translational Neuroscience, Conshohocken, Pa.; the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; and the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
| | - Rita A Shaughnessy
- From the Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the Department of Neurology, Geisinger Health System, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Translational Neuroscience, Conshohocken, Pa.; the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; and the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
| | - Ian R Mackenzie
- From the Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the Department of Neurology, Geisinger Health System, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Translational Neuroscience, Conshohocken, Pa.; the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; and the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
| | - Veronica Hirsch-Reinshagen
- From the Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the Department of Neurology, Geisinger Health System, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Translational Neuroscience, Conshohocken, Pa.; the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; and the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
| | - Robert Stowe
- From the Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the Department of Neurology, Geisinger Health System, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Translational Neuroscience, Conshohocken, Pa.; the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; and the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
| | - James P Evans
- From the Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the Department of Neurology, Geisinger Health System, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Translational Neuroscience, Conshohocken, Pa.; the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; and the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
| | - Jonathan S Berg
- From the Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the Department of Neurology, Geisinger Health System, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Translational Neuroscience, Conshohocken, Pa.; the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; and the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
| | - Jin Szatkiewicz
- From the Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the Department of Neurology, Geisinger Health System, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Translational Neuroscience, Conshohocken, Pa.; the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; and the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
| | - Richard C Josiassen
- From the Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the Department of Neurology, Geisinger Health System, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Translational Neuroscience, Conshohocken, Pa.; the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; and the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
| | - Patrick F Sullivan
- From the Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the Department of Neurology, Geisinger Health System, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Translational Neuroscience, Conshohocken, Pa.; the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; and the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
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43
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Kay C, Collins JA, Wright GEB, Baine F, Miedzybrodzka Z, Aminkeng F, Semaka AJ, McDonald C, Davidson M, Madore SJ, Gordon ES, Gerry NP, Cornejo-Olivas M, Squitieri F, Tishkoff S, Greenberg JL, Krause A, Hayden MR. The molecular epidemiology of Huntington disease is related to intermediate allele frequency and haplotype in the general population. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2018; 177:346-357. [PMID: 29460498 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is the most common monogenic neurodegenerative disorder in populations of European ancestry, but occurs at lower prevalence in populations of East Asian or black African descent. New mutations for HD result from CAG repeat expansions of intermediate alleles (IAs), usually of paternal origin. The differing prevalence of HD may be related to the rate of new mutations in a population, but no comparative estimates of IA frequency or the HD new mutation rate are available. In this study, we characterize IA frequency and the CAG repeat distribution in fifteen populations of diverse ethnic origin. We estimate the HD new mutation rate in a series of populations using molecular IA expansion rates. The frequency of IAs was highest in Hispanic Americans and Northern Europeans, and lowest in black Africans and East Asians. The prevalence of HD correlated with the frequency of IAs by population and with the proportion of IAs found on the HD-associated A1 haplotype. The HD new mutation rate was estimated to be highest in populations with the highest frequency of IAs. In European ancestry populations, one in 5,372 individuals from the general population and 7.1% of individuals with an expanded CAG repeat in the HD range are estimated to have a molecular new mutation. Our data suggest that the new mutation rate for HD varies substantially between populations, and that IA frequency and haplotype are closely linked to observed epidemiological differences in the prevalence of HD across major ancestry groups in different countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Kay
- Centre for Molecular Medicine Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jennifer A Collins
- Centre for Molecular Medicine Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Galen E B Wright
- Centre for Molecular Medicine Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Fiona Baine
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, University of Cape Town, South Africa.,Division of Human Genetics, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Zosia Miedzybrodzka
- Medical Genetics Group, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Folefac Aminkeng
- Centre for Molecular Medicine Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
| | - Alicia J Semaka
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Cassandra McDonald
- Centre for Molecular Medicine Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Mark Davidson
- Medical Genetics Group, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Steven J Madore
- Molecular Biology Group, Coriell Institute for Medical Research, Camden, New Jersey
| | - Erynn S Gordon
- Molecular Biology Group, Coriell Institute for Medical Research, Camden, New Jersey
| | - Norman P Gerry
- Molecular Biology Group, Coriell Institute for Medical Research, Camden, New Jersey
| | - Mario Cornejo-Olivas
- Neurogenetics Research Center, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurologicas, Lima, Peru
| | - Ferdinando Squitieri
- IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza Hospital, Huntington and Rare Diseases Unit (CSS-Mendel Rome), San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Sarah Tishkoff
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Jacquie L Greenberg
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, University of Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Amanda Krause
- Division of Human Genetics, National Health Laboratory Service and School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Michael R Hayden
- Centre for Molecular Medicine Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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44
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Demetriou CA, Heraclides A, Salafori C, Tanteles GA, Christodoulou K, Christou Y, Zamba-Papanicolaou E. Epidemiology of Huntington disease in Cyprus: A 20-year retrospective study. Clin Genet 2018; 93:656-664. [PMID: 29105741 DOI: 10.1111/cge.13168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Revised: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is most prevalent among populations of western European descent and isolated populations where founder effects may operate. The aim of this study was to examine the epidemiology of HD in Cyprus, an island in southern Europe with extensive western European colonization in the past. All registered HD patients in the Cyprus, since 1994, were included. Detailed pedigrees and clinical information were recorded and maps, showing the geographic distribution of HD, were constructed. Requests for genetic testing were also examined. The project identified 58 clinically manifested cases of HD belonging to 19 families. The 16 families of Cypriot origin were concentrated in a confined geographical cluster in southeast Cyprus. In 2015, prevalence of symptomatic HD was 4.64/100 000 population, while incidence was 0.12/100 000 person-years. Prevalence displayed a marked increase during the past 20 years. Disease characteristics of HD patients were similar to those reported in western European populations. Lastly, the uptake of predictive and/or prenatal testing was limited. HD disease characteristics, incidence and prevalence in Cyprus were comparable to western European populations. Together with the geographical clustering observed, these results support the possibility for a relatively recent founder effect of HD in Cyprus, potentially of western European origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- C A Demetriou
- Neurology Clinic D, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus.,The Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - A Heraclides
- Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University of Nicosia Medical School, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - C Salafori
- The Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - G A Tanteles
- Clinical Genetics Clinic, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - K Christodoulou
- The Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus.,Neurogenetics Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Y Christou
- Neurology Clinic D, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - E Zamba-Papanicolaou
- Neurology Clinic D, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus.,The Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus
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45
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Abstract
This chapter describes the potential use of viral-mediated gene transfer in the central nervous system for genome editing in the context of Huntington's disease. Here, we provide protocols that cover the design of various genome editing strategies, the cloning of CRISPR/Cas9 elements into lentiviral vectors, and the assessment of cleavage efficiency, as well as potential unwanted effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Vachey
- Laboratory of Neurotherapies and Neuromodulation (LNCM), Neuroscience Research Center (CRN), Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicole Déglon
- Laboratory of Neurotherapies and Neuromodulation (LNCM), Neuroscience Research Center (CRN), Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland.
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46
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Abstract
Trinucleotide repeat disorders comprise a variable group of inherited neurodegenerative diseases, with a large range in prevalence figures. There is a broad range in clinical presentations, but many of these diseases lead to some form of ataxia or other movement disorders, which are frequently combined with cognitive or psychiatric disturbances. This group can be divided into CAG- versus non-CAG-repeat diseases. Apart from spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 and 12 (SCA6 and SCA12), these CAG-repeat diseases, as well as Huntington disease-like 2 (HDL2) and SCA8, can be neuropathologically identified using 1C2 polyglutamine antibodies. In fragile X-associated tremor and ataxia, SCA6 and SCA12 ubiquitin/p62-positive and 1C2-negative inclusion bodies can be observed. In the other diseases proteinaceous inclusions are not found. For definite diagnosis genetic analysis is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- W F A Den Dunnen
- Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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47
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Roos AK, Wiklund L, Laurell K. Discrepancy in prevalence of Huntington's disease in two Swedish regions. Acta Neurol Scand 2017; 136:511-515. [PMID: 28393354 DOI: 10.1111/ane.12762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. The prevalence varies between different geographical regions with an estimated average in Europe of about 6/100 000. Parts of northern Sweden are known to have an accumulation of HD, but no prevalence studies have been undertaken for 50 years. OBJECT The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of HD in the two different Swedish counties of Jämtland and Uppsala and compare them with the reported prevalence in Europe. METHOD Patients registered with the diagnosis of HD were identified through medical records in each county. Presymptomatic patients were excluded. We also compared the annual number of individuals with HD registered in the database of the National Board of Health and Welfare in these regions, with all of Sweden. RESULTS The prevalence of HD was found to be 22.1/100 000 in Jämtland and 4.9/100 000 in Uppsala county. The mean age was 62.2 years and 61.8 years, respectively. The annual average of patients with HD registered at inpatient care was 1.5/100 000 in Jämtland, 0.44/100 000 in Uppsala county, and 0.56/100 000 in all of Sweden. CONCLUSION The prevalence of patients with the diagnosis of HD is four times higher in the county of Jämtland than in the county of Uppsala, where the prevalence is more similar to the average in Europe. Our results support earlier findings of regional variations of HD prevalence with an accumulation in certain parts of northern Sweden.
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Affiliation(s)
- A-K. Roos
- Unit of Neurology; Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience; Umeå University; Östersund Sweden
| | - L. Wiklund
- Unit of Neurology; Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience; Umeå University; Östersund Sweden
| | - K. Laurell
- Unit of Neurology; Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience; Umeå University; Östersund Sweden
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48
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Mendizabal A, Ngo Vu AT, Thibault D, Gonzalez-Alegre P, Willis A. Hospitalizations of Children with Huntington's Disease in the United States. Mov Disord Clin Pract 2017; 4:682-688. [PMID: 30363491 DOI: 10.1002/mdc3.12506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Revised: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Juvenile Huntington's disease (JHD) is a childhood-onset neurodegenerative disorder. Although it is caused by the same pathologic expansion of CGA repeats as adult-onset Huntington's disease, JHD has distinct clinical features. Most clinical research in HD focuses in the adult-onset disease; therefore, little is known about acute care outcomes for patients with JHD. Methods The Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) was used to examine hospitalizations of children with JHD and to determine the diagnoses and procedures associated with inpatient care for JHD. Regression models were built to examine acute care outcomes, including death, length of stay, and disposition at discharge in patients with JHD compared with patients in the general KID data. Results The proportion of JHD cases among hospitalized children was 1.23 per 100,000 KID inpatient stays. Seizures/convulsions (58.5%) and psychiatric conditions (26.1%) were the most common primary or secondary diagnoses among JHD patient hospitalizations. The most common procedure was percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube placement (8.6%). Compared with hospitalizations of the general population, hospitalizations of patients with JHD had a lower odds of discharge to home (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.14-0.37) and an increased likelihood of death (AOR, 8.03; 95% CI, 2.98-21.60) or discharge to a short-term care facility (AOR, 4.44; 95% CI, 2.59-7.61). A diagnosis of JHD was associated with increased length of stay (7.04 vs. 3.75 days; P < 0.01). Conclusions Children with JHD have unique acute care patterns. Future studies are needed to determine the extent to which coordinated care may impact inpatient and disposition needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adys Mendizabal
- Department of Neurology University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia Pennsylvania
| | - Anh-Thu Ngo Vu
- Department of Neurology Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta Georgia
| | - Dylan Thibault
- Department of Neurology University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia Pennsylvania.,Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia Pennsylvania
| | - Pedro Gonzalez-Alegre
- Department of Neurology University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia Pennsylvania.,The Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Philadelphia Pennsylvania
| | - Allison Willis
- Department of Neurology University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia Pennsylvania.,Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia Pennsylvania.,Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia Pennsylvania.,Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia Pennsylvania
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49
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Haplotype-based stratification of Huntington's disease. Eur J Hum Genet 2017; 25:1202-1209. [PMID: 28832564 DOI: 10.1038/ejhg.2017.125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Revised: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by expansion of a CAG trinucleotide repeat in HTT, resulting in an extended polyglutamine tract in huntingtin. We and others have previously determined that the HD-causing expansion occurs on multiple different haplotype backbones, reflecting more than one ancestral origin of the same type of mutation. In view of the therapeutic potential of mutant allele-specific gene silencing, we have compared and integrated two major systems of HTT haplotype definition, combining data from 74 sequence variants to identify the most frequent disease-associated and control chromosome backbones and revealing that there is potential for additional resolution of HD haplotypes. We have used the large collection of 4078 heterozygous HD subjects analyzed in our recent genome-wide association study of HD age at onset to estimate the frequency of these haplotypes in European subjects, finding that common genetic variation at HTT can distinguish the normal and CAG-expanded chromosomes for more than 95% of European HD individuals. As a resource for the HD research community, we have also determined the haplotypes present in a series of publicly available HD subject-derived fibroblasts, induced pluripotent cells, and embryonic stem cells in order to facilitate efforts to develop inclusive methods of allele-specific HTT silencing applicable to most HD patients. Our data providing genetic guidance for therapeutic gene-based targeting will significantly contribute to the developments of rational treatments and implementation of precision medicine in HD.
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50
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Carrassi E, Pugliatti M, Govoni V, Sensi M, Casetta I, Granieri E. Epidemiological Study of Huntington's Disease in the Province of Ferrara, Italy. Neuroepidemiology 2017; 49:18-23. [PMID: 28803251 DOI: 10.1159/000479697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by the abnormal expansion of CAG triplet repeat. We aimed to reappraise HD epidemiology in a northern Italian population, in relation to introduction of genetic testing. METHODS Through ICD-9M code 333.4 and medical fare exemption code RF0080, HD cases were identified from administrative health data and medical records from the Units of Neurology and Genetics, Ferrara University Hospital, and from other provincial neurological structures. RESULTS HD mean annual incidence rate in 1990-2009 was 0.3 per 100,000 (95% CI 0.2-0.5). All incident cases were found to have symptoms of the disease's classic form, and neither juvenile nor the rigid Westphal variant was detected. The mean (SD) age at onset was 50.2 (12.7 years; range 32-82 years), 54.9 (14.6) for men and 45.8 (9.4) for women. On prevalence day, December 31, 2014, HD prevalence was 4.2 per 100,000 (95% CI 2.4-7.0), with a male:female ratio of 1:2. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence and incidence of HD in our population were lower than the prevalence and incidence reported for other European and Italian populations, but higher compared to those of Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe. Compared to previous studies, HD incidence and prevalence did not change significantly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Carrassi
- Department of Biomedical and Specialty Surgery, Section of Neurology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
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