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Jang W, Ha DJ, Nahm CH, Park J, Kim SJ, Lee JE, Moon Y. Identification of a novel splice variant in SEC23B gene in a patient with concomitant presence of congenital dyserythropoietic anemia II and Gilbert's syndrome. Hematology 2024; 29:2343163. [PMID: 38655690 DOI: 10.1080/16078454.2024.2343163] [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: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia Ⅱ (CDA Ⅱ) is a rare inherited disorder of defective erythropoiesis caused by SEC23B gene mutation. CDA Ⅱ is often misdiagnosed as a more common type of clinically related anemia, or it remains undiagnosed due to phenotypic variability caused by the coexistence of inherited liver diseases, including Gilbert's syndrome (GS) and hereditary hemochromatosis. METHODS We describe the case of a boy with genetically undetermined severe hemolytic anemia, hepatosplenomegaly, and gallstones whose diagnosis was achieved by targeted next generation sequencing. RESULTS Molecular analysis revealed a maternally inherited novel intronic variant and a paternally inherited missense variant, c.[994-3C > T];[1831C > T] in the SEC23B gene, confirming diagnosis of CDA Ⅱ. cDNA analysis verified that the splice acceptor site variant results in two mutant transcripts, one with an exon 9 skip and one in which exons 9 and 10 are deleted. SEC23B mRNA levels in the patient were lower than those in healthy controls. The patient was also homozygous for the UGT1A1*6 allele, consistent with GS. CONCLUSION Identification of the novel splice variant in this study further expands the spectrum of known SEC23B gene mutations. Molecular genetic approaches can lead to accurate diagnosis and management of CDA Ⅱ patients, particularly for those with GS coexisting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Woori Jang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Korea
- Northwest Gyeonggi Regional Center for Rare Disease, Incheon, Korea
| | - Dong Jun Ha
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Korea
| | - Chung Hyun Nahm
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Korea
| | - Jisun Park
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Korea
- Northwest Gyeonggi Regional Center for Rare Disease, Incheon, Korea
| | - Su Jin Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Korea
- Northwest Gyeonggi Regional Center for Rare Disease, Incheon, Korea
| | - Ji-Eun Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Korea
- Northwest Gyeonggi Regional Center for Rare Disease, Incheon, Korea
| | - Yeonsook Moon
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Korea
- Northwest Gyeonggi Regional Center for Rare Disease, Incheon, Korea
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2
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Bursakov SA, Kovaleva AV, Brigida AV, Zaripov OG. Functional analysis of the GPAT4 gene mutation predicted to affect splicing. Anim Biotechnol 2024; 35:2269210. [PMID: 37906284 DOI: 10.1080/10495398.2023.2269210] [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: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
The GPAT4 gene is considered as a potential functional candidate for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) studies in dairy cattle breeding due to its association with dairy performance in cattle by encoding an enzyme responsible for the presence of diacylglycerols and triacylglycerols in milk. Using the example of the GPAT4 gene, we applied the minigene splicing assay to analyze the functional consequences of its variant that was predicted to affect normal splicing. The results of functional analysis revealed the sequence variations (rs442541537), transfection experiments in a wild type and mutant cell line model system demonstrated that the investigated mutation in the second intron of the GPAT4 gene was responsible for the presence of a second exon in mature messenger RNA (mRNA). The cases of its absence in the spliced mature mRNA transcript resulted in a truncated dysfunctional protein due to the appearance of a stop codon. Thus, the discovered SNP led to alternative splicing in pre-mRNA by the 'cassette exon' ('exon skipping') mechanism. The studied mutation can potentially be a molecular genetic marker for alternative splicing for the GPAT4 gene and, therefore contributes to economic benefits in cattle breeding programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey A Bursakov
- Institution of Innovative Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry - A Branch of the Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry Named After Academy Member L.K. Ernst, Moscow, Russia
- Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "All-Russia Research Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology", Moscow, Russia
| | - Anastasia V Kovaleva
- Institution of Innovative Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry - A Branch of the Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry Named After Academy Member L.K. Ernst, Moscow, Russia
| | - Artyom V Brigida
- Institution of Innovative Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry - A Branch of the Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry Named After Academy Member L.K. Ernst, Moscow, Russia
| | - Oleg G Zaripov
- Institution of Innovative Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry - A Branch of the Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry Named After Academy Member L.K. Ernst, Moscow, Russia
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3
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Alary B, Cintas P, Claude C, Dellis O, Thèze C, Van Goethem C, Cossée M, Krahn M, Delague V, Bartoli M. Store-operated calcium entry dysfunction in CRAC channelopathy: Insights from a novel STIM1 mutation. Clin Immunol 2024; 265:110306. [PMID: 38977117 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2024.110306] [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: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) plays a crucial role in maintaining cellular calcium homeostasis. This mechanism involves proteins, such as stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) and ORAI1. Mutations in the genes encoding these proteins, especially STIM1, can lead to various diseases, including CRAC channelopathies associated with severe combined immunodeficiency. Herein, we describe a novel homozygous mutation, NM_003156 c.792-3C > G, in STIM1 in a patient with a clinical profile of CRAC channelopathy, including immune system deficiencies and muscle weakness. Functional analyses revealed three distinct spliced forms in the patient cells: wild-type, exon 7 skipping, and intronic retention. Calcium influx analysis revealed impaired SOCE in the patient cells, indicating a loss of STIM1 function. We developed an antisense oligonucleotide treatment that improves STIM1 splicing and highlighted its potential as a therapeutic approach. Our findings provide insights into the complex effects of STIM1 mutations and shed light on the multifaceted clinical presentation of the patient.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pascal Cintas
- Centre de Référence Maladies Rares Neuromusculaire, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | | | | | - Corinne Thèze
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, CHU Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Mireille Cossée
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, CHU Montpellier, Montpellier, France; PhyMedExp (Physiologie et Médecine Expérimentale du Cœur et des Muscles), Université de Montpellier, Inserm U1046, CNRS UMR9214, Montpellier, France
| | - Martin Krahn
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, MMG, U1251 Marseille, France; Département de Génétique Médicale, Hôpital Timone Enfants, APHM, Marseille, France
| | | | - Marc Bartoli
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, MMG, U1251 Marseille, France; CNRS, Marseille, France
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4
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Wang J, Wang Y, Jiang Y, Li S, Jia X, Xiao X, Sun W, Wang P, Zhang Q. Datasets-Based IMPDH1 Revisited: Heterozygous Missense Variants for Dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa While Truncation Variants Are Likely Non-Pathogenic. Curr Eye Res 2024; 49:853-861. [PMID: 38604988 DOI: 10.1080/02713683.2024.2336158] [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: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Heterozygous variants of IMPDH1 are associated with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP). The current study aims to investigate the characteristics of the adRP-associated variants. METHODS IMPDH1 variants from our exome sequencing dataset were retrieved and systemically evaluated through multiple online prediction tools, comparative genomics (in-house dataset, HGMD, and gnomAD), and phenotypic association. Potential pathogenic variants (PPVs) were further confirmed by Sanger sequencing and segregation analysis. RESULTS In total, seven heterozygous PPVs (six missenses and one inframe) were identified in 10 families with RP, in which six of the seven might be classified as pathogenic or likely pathogenic while one others as variants of uncertain significance. IMPDH1 variants contributed to 0.7% (10/1519) of RP families in our cohort, ranking the top four genes implicated in adRP. These adRP-associated variants were located in exons 8-10, a region within or downstream of the CBS domain. All these variants were predicted to be damaged by at least three of the six online prediction tools. Two truncation variants were considered non-pathogenic. Hitherto, 41 heterozygous variants of IMPDH1 were detected in 110 families in published literature, including 33 missenses, two inframes, and six truncations (including a synonymous variant affecting splicing). Of the 35 missense and inframe variants, most were clustered in exons 8-10 (77.1%, 27/35), including 18 (51.4%, 18/35) in exon 10 accounting for 70.9% (78/110) of the families. However, truncation variants were enriched in the general population with a pLI value of 0 (tolerated), and the reported variants in patients with RP did not cluster in specific region. CONCLUSIONS Our data together with comprehensive analysis of existing datasets suggest that causative variants of IMPDH1 are usually missense and mostly clustered in exons 8-10. Conversely, most missense variants outside this region and truncation variants should be interpreted with great care in clinical gene test.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junwen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guang-dong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Ophthalmology, The Central Hospital of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Enshi, Hubei, China
| | - Yingwei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guang-dong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yi Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guang-dong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shiqiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guang-dong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyun Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guang-dong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xueshan Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guang-dong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenmin Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guang-dong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou, China
| | - Panfeng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guang-dong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qingjiong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guang-dong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangzhou, China
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5
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Natera-de Benito D, Pugliese A, Polavarapu K, Guergueltcheva V, Tournev I, Todorova A, Afonso Ribeiro J, Fernández-Mayoralas DM, Ortez C, Martorell L, Estévez-Arias B, Matalonga L, Laurie S, Jou C, Lau J, Thompson R, Shen X, Engel AG, Nascimento A, Lochmüller H, Selcen D. Advancing the Understanding of Vesicle-Associated Membrane Protein 1-Related Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome: Phenotypic Insights, Favorable Response to 3,4-Diaminopyridine, and Clinical Characterization of Five New Cases. Pediatr Neurol 2024; 157:5-13. [PMID: 38833907 PMCID: PMC11257830 DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2024.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS) are a group of inherited neuromuscular junction (NMJ) disorders arising from gene variants encoding diverse NMJ proteins. Recently, the VAMP1 gene, responsible for encoding the vesicle-associated membrane protein 1 (VAMP1), has been associated with CMS. METHODS This study presents a characterization of five new individuals with VAMP1-related CMS, providing insights into the phenotype. RESULTS The individuals with VAMP1-related CMS exhibited early disease onset, presenting symptoms prenatally or during the neonatal period, alongside severe respiratory involvement and feeding difficulties. Generalized weakness at birth was a common feature, and none of the individuals achieved independent walking ability. Notably, all cases exhibited scoliosis. The clinical course remained stable, without typical exacerbations seen in other CMS types. The response to anticholinesterase inhibitors and salbutamol was only partial, but the addition of 3,4-diaminopyridine (3,4-DAP) led to significant and substantial improvements, suggesting therapeutic benefits of 3,4-DAP for managing VAMP1-related CMS symptoms. Noteworthy is the identification of the VAMP1 (NM_014231.5): c.340delA; p.Ile114SerfsTer72 as a founder variant in the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America. CONCLUSIONS This study contributes valuable insights into VAMP1-related CMS, emphasizing their early onset, arthrogryposis, facial and generalized weakness, respiratory involvement, and feeding difficulties. Furthermore, the potential efficacy of 3,4-DAP as a useful therapeutic option warrants further exploration. The findings have implications for clinical management and genetic counseling in affected individuals. Additional research is necessary to elucidate the long-term outcomes of VAMP1-related CMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Natera-de Benito
- Neuromuscular Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain; Applied Research in Neuromuscular Diseases, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Alessia Pugliese
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", Neurology Unit, Messina, Italy
| | - Kiran Polavarapu
- Children' s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Velina Guergueltcheva
- Clinic of Neurology, University Hospital Sofiamed, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Ivailo Tournev
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital "Alexandrovska", Medical University, Sofia, Bulgaria; Department of Cognitive Science and Psychology, New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Albena Todorova
- Genetic Medico-Diagnostic Laboratory "Genica", Sofia, Bulgaria; Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Sofia Medical University, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | | | | | - Carlos Ortez
- Neuromuscular Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain; Applied Research in Neuromuscular Diseases, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Loreto Martorell
- Department of Genetic and Molecular Medicine-IPER, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Berta Estévez-Arias
- Neuromuscular Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain; Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Molecular Medicine-IPER, Sant Joan de Deu Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Steven Laurie
- Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristina Jou
- Applied Research in Neuromuscular Diseases, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Pathology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jarred Lau
- Children' s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rachel Thompson
- Children' s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Xinming Shen
- Department of Neurology and Neuromuscular Research Laboratory, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Andrew G Engel
- Department of Neurology and Neuromuscular Research Laboratory, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Andres Nascimento
- Neuromuscular Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain; Applied Research in Neuromuscular Diseases, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Hanns Lochmüller
- Children' s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Molecular Medicine-IPER, Sant Joan de Deu Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain; Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; Department of Neuropediatrics and Muscle Disorders, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Duygu Selcen
- Department of Neurology and Neuromuscular Research Laboratory, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
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Maya-González C, Delgado-Vega AM, Taylan F, Lagerstedt Robinson K, Hansson L, Pal N, Fagman H, Puls F, Wessman S, Stenman J, Georgantzi K, Fransson S, Díaz De Ståhl T, Ek T, Palmer R, Tesi B, Kogner P, Martinsson T, Nordgren A. Occurrence of cancer in Marfan syndrome: Report of two patients with neuroblastoma and review of the literature. Am J Med Genet A 2024:e63812. [PMID: 38990105 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.63812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 06/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
Marfan syndrome (MFS) is an autosomal dominant connective tissue disorder caused by pathogenic variants in FBN1, with a hitherto unknown association with cancer. Here, we present two females with MFS who developed pediatric neuroblastoma. Patient 1 presented with neonatal MFS and developed an adrenal neuroblastoma with unfavorable tumor genetics at 10 months of age. Whole genome sequencing revealed a germline de novo missense FBN1 variant (NP_000129.3:p.(Asp1322Asn)), resulting in intron 32 inclusion and exon 32 retention. Patient 2 was diagnosed with classic MFS, caused by a germline de novo frameshift variant in FBN1 (NP_000129.3:p.(Cys805Ter)). At 18 years, she developed high-risk neuroblastoma with a somatic ALK pathogenic variant (NP_004295.2:p.(Arg1275Gln)). We identified 32 reported cases of MFS with cancer in PubMed, yet none with neuroblastoma. Among patients, we observed an early cancer onset and high frequency of MFS complications. We also queried cancer databases for somatic FBN1 variants, finding 49 alterations reported in PeCan, and variants in 2% of patients in cBioPortal. In conclusion, we report the first two patients with MFS and neuroblastoma and highlight an early age at cancer diagnosis in reported patients with MFS. Further epidemiological and functional studies are needed to clarify the growing evidence linking MFS and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Maya-González
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Angelica Maria Delgado-Vega
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Genetics and Genomics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Fulya Taylan
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Genetics and Genomics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kristina Lagerstedt Robinson
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Genetics and Genomics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lina Hansson
- Department of Oncology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Niklas Pal
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Henrik Fagman
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Florian Puls
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Sandra Wessman
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Pathology and Cancer Diagnostics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jakob Stenman
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kleopatra Georgantzi
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Susanne Fransson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Genetics and Genomics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Teresita Díaz De Ståhl
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Pathology and Cancer Diagnostics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Torben Ek
- Children Cancer Center, Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ruth Palmer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Bianca Tesi
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Genetics and Genomics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Per Kogner
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tommy Martinsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Genetics and Genomics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ann Nordgren
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Genetics and Genomics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Genetics and Genomics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
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7
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Shirguppe S, Gapinske M, Swami D, Gosstola N, Acharya P, Miskalis A, Joulani D, Szkwarek MG, Bhattacharjee A, Elias G, Stilger M, Winter J, Woods WS, Anand D, Lim CKW, Gaj T, Perez-Pinera P. In vivo CRISPR base editing for treatment of Huntington's disease. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.05.602282. [PMID: 39005280 PMCID: PMC11245100 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.05.602282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited and ultimately fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expanded polyglutamine-encoding CAG repeat within exon 1 of the huntingtin (HTT) gene, which produces a mutant protein that destroys striatal and cortical neurons. Importantly, a critical event in the pathogenesis of HD is the proteolytic cleavage of the mutant HTT protein by caspase-6, which generates fragments of the N-terminal domain of the protein that form highly toxic aggregates. Given the role that proteolysis of the mutant HTT protein plays in HD, strategies for preventing this process hold potential for treating the disorder. By screening 141 CRISPR base editor variants targeting splice elements in the HTT gene, we identified platforms capable of producing HTT protein isoforms resistant to caspase-6-mediated proteolysis via editing of the splice acceptor sequence for exon 13. When delivered to the striatum of a rodent HD model, these base editors induced efficient exon skipping and decreased the formation of the N-terminal fragments, which in turn reduced HTT protein aggregation and attenuated striatal and cortical atrophy. Collectively, these results illustrate the potential for CRISPR base editing to decrease the toxicity of the mutant HTT protein for HD.
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8
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McDonnell AF, Plech M, Livesey BJ, Gerasimavicius L, Owen LJ, Hall HN, FitzPatrick DR, Marsh JA, Kudla G. Deep mutational scanning quantifies DNA binding and predicts clinical outcomes of PAX6 variants. Mol Syst Biol 2024; 20:825-844. [PMID: 38849565 PMCID: PMC11219921 DOI: 10.1038/s44320-024-00043-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Nonsense and missense mutations in the transcription factor PAX6 cause a wide range of eye development defects, including aniridia, microphthalmia and coloboma. To understand how changes of PAX6:DNA binding cause these phenotypes, we combined saturation mutagenesis of the paired domain of PAX6 with a yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) assay in which expression of a PAX6-GAL4 fusion gene drives antibiotic resistance. We quantified binding of more than 2700 single amino-acid variants to two DNA sequence elements. Mutations in DNA-facing residues of the N-terminal subdomain and linker region were most detrimental, as were mutations to prolines and to negatively charged residues. Many variants caused sequence-specific molecular gain-of-function effects, including variants in position 71 that increased binding to the LE9 enhancer but decreased binding to a SELEX-derived binding site. In the absence of antibiotic selection, variants that retained DNA binding slowed yeast growth, likely because such variants perturbed the yeast transcriptome. Benchmarking against known patient variants and applying ACMG/AMP guidelines to variant classification, we obtained supporting-to-moderate evidence that 977 variants are likely pathogenic and 1306 are likely benign. Our analysis shows that most pathogenic mutations in the paired domain of PAX6 can be explained simply by the effects of these mutations on PAX6:DNA association, and establishes Y1H as a generalisable assay for the interpretation of variant effects in transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander F McDonnell
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Marcin Plech
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Benjamin J Livesey
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Lukas Gerasimavicius
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Liusaidh J Owen
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Hildegard Nikki Hall
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - David R FitzPatrick
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Joseph A Marsh
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Grzegorz Kudla
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK.
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9
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Morales-Romero B, Muñoz-Pujol G, Artuch R, García-Cazorla A, O'Callaghan M, Sykut-Cegielska J, Campistol J, Moreno-Lozano PJ, Oud MM, Wevers RA, Lefeber DJ, Esteve-Codina A, Yepez VA, Gagneur J, Wortmann SB, Prokisch H, Ribes A, García-Villoria J, Tort F. Genome and RNA sequencing were essential to reveal cryptic intronic variants associated to defective ATP6AP1 mRNA processing. Mol Genet Metab 2024; 142:108511. [PMID: 38878498 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2024.108511] [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: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
The diagnosis of Mendelian disorders has notably advanced with integration of whole exome and genome sequencing (WES and WGS) in clinical practice. However, challenges in variant interpretation and uncovered variants by WES still leave a substantial percentage of patients undiagnosed. In this context, integrating RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) improves diagnostic workflows, particularly for WES inconclusive cases. Additionally, functional studies are often necessary to elucidate the impact of prioritized variants on gene expression and protein function. Our study focused on three unrelated male patients (P1-P3) with ATP6AP1-CDG (congenital disorder of glycosylation), presenting with intellectual disability and varying degrees of hepatopathy, glycosylation defects, and an initially inconclusive diagnosis through WES. Subsequent RNA-seq was pivotal in identifying the underlying genetic causes in P1 and P2, detecting ATP6AP1 underexpression and aberrant splicing. Molecular studies in fibroblasts confirmed these findings and identified the rare intronic variants c.289-233C > T and c.289-289G > A in P1 and P2, respectively. Trio-WGS also revealed the variant c.289-289G > A in P3, which was a de novo change in both patients. Functional assays expressing the mutant alleles in HAP1 cells demonstrated the pathogenic impact of these variants by reproducing the splicing alterations observed in patients. Our study underscores the role of RNA-seq and WGS in enhancing diagnostic rates for genetic diseases such as CDG, providing new insights into ATP6AP1-CDG molecular bases by identifying the first two deep intronic variants in this X-linked gene. Additionally, our study highlights the need to integrate RNA-seq and WGS, followed by functional validation, in routine diagnostics for a comprehensive evaluation of patients with an unidentified molecular etiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blai Morales-Romero
- Section of Inborn Errors of Metabolism-IBC, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Department, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERER, ISCIII, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Gerard Muñoz-Pujol
- Section of Inborn Errors of Metabolism-IBC, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Department, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERER, ISCIII, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Rafael Artuch
- Clinical Biochemistry Department, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, CIBERER, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Angels García-Cazorla
- Neurology Department, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Institut de Recerca Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, CIBERER and MetabERN, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Mar O'Callaghan
- Neurology Department, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Institut de Recerca Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, CIBERER and MetabERN, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Jolanta Sykut-Cegielska
- Department of Inborn Errors of Metabolism and Pediatrics, Institute of Mother and Child, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jaume Campistol
- Neurology Department, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Institut de Recerca Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, CIBERER and MetabERN, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Pedro Juan Moreno-Lozano
- Inherited Metabolic Diseases and Muscle Disorders' Research Group, Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Machteld M Oud
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Ron A Wevers
- Department of Human Genetics, Translational Metabolic Laboratory (TML), Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; United for Metabolic Diseases, The Netherlands.
| | - Dirk J Lefeber
- Department of Human Genetics, Translational Metabolic Laboratory (TML), Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Anna Esteve-Codina
- Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Vicente A Yepez
- Institute of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany; TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany.
| | - Julien Gagneur
- Institute of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany; TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany.
| | - Saskia B Wortmann
- University Children's Hospital Salzburg, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Amalia Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Holger Prokisch
- Institute of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany; Institute of Neurogenomics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
| | - Antonia Ribes
- Section of Inborn Errors of Metabolism-IBC, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Department, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERER, ISCIII, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Judit García-Villoria
- Section of Inborn Errors of Metabolism-IBC, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Department, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERER, ISCIII, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Frederic Tort
- Section of Inborn Errors of Metabolism-IBC, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Department, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERER, ISCIII, Barcelona, Spain.
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10
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Lin YJ, Menon AS, Hu Z, Brenner SE. Variant Impact Predictor database (VIPdb), version 2: Trends from 25 years of genetic variant impact predictors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.25.600283. [PMID: 38979289 PMCID: PMC11230257 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.25.600283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Background Variant interpretation is essential for identifying patients' disease-causing genetic variants amongst the millions detected in their genomes. Hundreds of Variant Impact Predictors (VIPs), also known as Variant Effect Predictors (VEPs), have been developed for this purpose, with a variety of methodologies and goals. To facilitate the exploration of available VIP options, we have created the Variant Impact Predictor database (VIPdb). Results The Variant Impact Predictor database (VIPdb) version 2 presents a collection of VIPs developed over the past 25 years, summarizing their characteristics, ClinGen calibrated scores, CAGI assessment results, publication details, access information, and citation patterns. We previously summarized 217 VIPs and their features in VIPdb in 2019. Building upon this foundation, we identified and categorized an additional 186 VIPs, resulting in a total of 403 VIPs in VIPdb version 2. The majority of the VIPs have the capacity to predict the impacts of single nucleotide variants and nonsynonymous variants. More VIPs tailored to predict the impacts of insertions and deletions have been developed since the 2010s. In contrast, relatively few VIPs are dedicated to the prediction of splicing, structural, synonymous, and regulatory variants. The increasing rate of citations to VIPs reflects the ongoing growth in their use, and the evolving trends in citations reveal development in the field and individual methods. Conclusions VIPdb version 2 summarizes 403 VIPs and their features, potentially facilitating VIP exploration for various variant interpretation applications. Availability VIPdb version 2 is available at https://genomeinterpretation.org/vipdb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Jen Lin
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Center for Computational Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Arul S. Menon
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- College of Computing, Data Science, and Society, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Zhiqiang Hu
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Currently at: Illumina, Foster City, California 94404, USA
| | - Steven E. Brenner
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Center for Computational Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- College of Computing, Data Science, and Society, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
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11
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Naiisseh B, Papasavva PL, Papaioannou NY, Tomazou M, Koniali L, Felekis X, Constantinou CG, Sitarou M, Christou S, Kleanthous M, Lederer CW, Patsali P. Context base editing for splice correction of IVSI-110 β-thalassemia. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2024; 35:102183. [PMID: 38706633 PMCID: PMC11068610 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2024.102183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
β-Thalassemia is brought about by defective β-globin (HBB [hemoglobin subunit β]) formation and, in severe cases, requires regular blood transfusion and iron chelation for survival. Genome editing of hematopoietic stem cells allows correction of underlying mutations as curative therapy. As potentially safer alternatives to double-strand-break-based editors, base editors (BEs) catalyze base transitions for precision editing of DNA target sites, prompting us to reclone and evaluate two recently published adenine BEs (ABEs; SpRY and SpG) with relaxed protospacer adjacent motif requirements for their ability to correct the common HBBIVSI-110(G>A) splice mutation. Nucleofection of ABE components as RNA into patient-derived CD34+ cells achieved up to 90% editing of upstream sequence elements critical for aberrant splicing, allowing full characterization of the on-target base-editing profile of each ABE and the detection of differences in on-target insertions and deletions. In addition, this study identifies opposing effects on splice correction for two neighboring context bases, establishes the frequency distribution of multiple BE editing events in the editing window, and shows high-efficiency functional correction of HBBIVSI-110(G>A) for our ABEs, including at the levels of RNA, protein, and erythroid differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basma Naiisseh
- Molecular Genetics of Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics, 6 Iroon Avenue, Agios Dometios, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Panayiota L. Papasavva
- Molecular Genetics of Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics, 6 Iroon Avenue, Agios Dometios, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Nikoletta Y. Papaioannou
- Molecular Genetics of Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics, 6 Iroon Avenue, Agios Dometios, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Marios Tomazou
- Bioinformatics Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics, Agios Dometios, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Lola Koniali
- Molecular Genetics of Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics, 6 Iroon Avenue, Agios Dometios, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Xenia Felekis
- Molecular Genetics of Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics, 6 Iroon Avenue, Agios Dometios, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Constantina G. Constantinou
- Molecular Genetics of Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics, 6 Iroon Avenue, Agios Dometios, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Maria Sitarou
- Thalassemia Clinic Larnaca, State Health Services Organization, Larnaca 6301, Cyprus
| | - Soteroula Christou
- Thalassemia Clinic Nicosia, State Health Services Organization, Strovolos, Nicosia 2012, Cyprus
| | - Marina Kleanthous
- Molecular Genetics of Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics, 6 Iroon Avenue, Agios Dometios, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Carsten W. Lederer
- Molecular Genetics of Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics, 6 Iroon Avenue, Agios Dometios, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Petros Patsali
- Molecular Genetics of Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics, 6 Iroon Avenue, Agios Dometios, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
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12
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Milibari D, Nowilaty SR, Ba-Abbad R. The Clinical and Mutational Spectrum of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome in Saudi Arabia. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:762. [PMID: 38927698 PMCID: PMC11202873 DOI: 10.3390/genes15060762] [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: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 06/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The retinal features of Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) are insufficiently characterized in Arab populations. This retrospective study investigated the retinal features and genotypes of BBS in Saudi patients managed at a single tertiary eye care center. Data analysis of the identified 46 individuals from 31 families included visual acuity (VA), systemic manifestations, multimodal retinal imaging, electroretinography (ERG), family pedigrees, and genotypes. Patients were classified to have cone-rod, rod-cone, or generalized photoreceptor dystrophy based on the pattern of macular involvement on the retinal imaging. Results showed that nyctalopia and subnormal VA were the most common symptoms with 76% having VA ≤ 20/200 at the last visit (age: 5-35). Systemic features included obesity 91%, polydactyly 56.5%, and severe cognitive impairment 33%. The predominant retinal phenotype was cone-rod dystrophy 75%, 10% had rod-cone dystrophy and 15% had generalized photoreceptor dystrophy. ERGs were undetectable in 95% of patients. Among the 31 probands, 61% had biallelic variants in BBSome complex genes, 32% in chaperonin complex genes, and 6% had biallelic variants in ARL6; including six previously unreported variants. Interfamilial and intrafamilial variabilities were noted, without a clear genotype-phenotype correlation. Most BBS patients had advanced retinopathy and were legally blind by early adulthood, indicating a narrow therapeutic window for rescue strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doaa Milibari
- Vitreoretinal Division, King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh 12211, Saudi Arabia; (D.M.); (S.R.N.)
- Department of Ophthalmology, King Abdullah Medical City, Makkah 24211, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sawsan R. Nowilaty
- Vitreoretinal Division, King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh 12211, Saudi Arabia; (D.M.); (S.R.N.)
| | - Rola Ba-Abbad
- Vitreoretinal Division, King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh 12211, Saudi Arabia; (D.M.); (S.R.N.)
- Ocular Genetics Services, King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh 12211, Saudi Arabia
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13
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Shchagina O, Murtazina A, Chausova P, Orlova M, Dadali E, Kurbatov S, Kutsev S, Polyakov A. Genetic Landscape of SH3TC2 variants in Russian patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Front Genet 2024; 15:1381915. [PMID: 38903759 PMCID: PMC11187259 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1381915] [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: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 4C (CMT4C) OMIM#601596 stands out as one of the most prevalent forms of recessive motor sensory neuropathy worldwide. This disorder results from biallelic pathogenic variants in the SH3TC2 gene. Methods Within a cohort comprising 700 unrelated Russian patients diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, we conducted a gene panel analysis encompassing 21 genes associated with hereditary neuropathies. Among the cohort, 394 individuals exhibited demyelinating motor and sensory neuropathy. Results and discussion Notably, 10 cases of CMT4C were identified within this cohort. The prevalence of CMT4C among Russian demyelinating CMT patients lacking the PMP22 duplication is estimated at 2.5%, significantly differing from observations in European populations. In total, 4 novel and 9 previously reported variants in the SH3TC2 gene were identified. No accumulation of a major variant was detected. Three previously reported variants, c.2860C>T p. (Arg954*), p. (Arg658Cys) and c.279G>A p. (Lys93Lys), recurrently detected in unrelated families. Nucleotide alteration p. (Arg954*) is present in most of our patients (30%).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mariya Orlova
- Research Centre for Medical Genetics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena Dadali
- Research Centre for Medical Genetics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergei Kurbatov
- Research Institute of Experimental Biology and Medicine, Voronezh State Medical University named After N.N. Burdenko, Voronezh, Russia
- Saratov State Medical University, Saratov, Russia
| | - Sergey Kutsev
- Research Centre for Medical Genetics, Moscow, Russia
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Charfi Triki C, Zouari Mallouli S, Ben Jdila M, Ben Said M, Kamoun Feki F, Weckhuysen S, Masmoudi S, Fakhfakh F. First report of Tunisian patients with CDKL5-related encephalopathy. Epilepsia Open 2024; 9:906-917. [PMID: 37701975 PMCID: PMC11145601 DOI: 10.1002/epi4.12824] [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: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Mutations in the cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 gene (CDKL5) are associated with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations. Early-onset epileptic encephalopathy (EOEE) is the most recognized phenotype. Here we describe phenotypic features in eight Tunisian patients with CDKL5-related encephalopathy. METHODS We included all cases with clinical features consistent with CDKL5-related encephalopathy: infantile epileptic spasm, acquired microcephaly, movement disorders and visual impairment. We collected data about seizure types, electroencephalogram, magnetic resonance imaging, and metabolic analysis. The diagnosis of CDKL5 mutation was made thanks to Sanger sequencing with an ABI PRISM 3100-Avant automated DNA sequencer using a Big Dye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Reaction Kit v1.1. and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) since the development of a gene panel responsible for DEE within the framework of "Strengthening the Sfax University Expertise for diagnosis and management of epileptic encephalopathies". RESULTS We collected four boys and four girls aged meanly 6 years old with confirmed mutation on CDKL5 gene. Overall, we identified five de novo CDKL5 mutations including three Frame-shift mutations, one missense mutation, and a splicing variant. The mean age at first seizure onset was 4 months. The first seizure type was infantile epileptic spasm (4/8) followed by tonic (2/8) and myoclonic seizures (2/8). Out of eight cases, four exhibited two stages epileptic course while epilepsy in three other patients progressed on three stages. Regarding development, most cases (6/8) had psychomotor retardation from the start whilst the two others showed psychomotor regression with the onset of seizures. Additional clinical features included visual impairment (7/8), tone abnormalities (7/8), stereotypies (7/8), and acquired microcephaly (6/8). SIGNIFICANCE Our present report delineates an unusual phenotype of CDKL5-related encephalopathy with male gender predominance and delayed onset epilepsy. It interestingly described new phenotypic features and uncommon benign developmental profiles in boys, different patterns of CDKL5-epilepsy, neuroimaging findings, and CDKL5 mutational spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chahnez Charfi Triki
- Child Neurology Department, Hedi Chaker Sfax University Hospital, and Research Laboratory LR19ES15University of SfaxSfaxTunisia
| | - Salma Zouari Mallouli
- Child Neurology Department, Hedi Chaker Sfax University Hospital, and Research Laboratory LR19ES15University of SfaxSfaxTunisia
| | - Marwa Ben Jdila
- Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Genetics, Faculty of Science of SfaxUniversity of SfaxSfaxTunisia
| | - Mariem Ben Said
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Screening Processes (LPCMC), Center of Biotechnology of SfaxUniversity of SfaxSfaxTunisia
| | - Fatma Kamoun Feki
- Child Neurology Department, Hedi Chaker Sfax University Hospital, and Research Laboratory LR19ES15University of SfaxSfaxTunisia
| | - Sarah Weckhuysen
- Applied & Translational Neurogenomics Group, VIB Center for Molecular Neurology, VIBUniversity of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
- Department of NeurologyAntwerp University HospitalAntwerpBelgium
- Translational Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health ScienceUniversity of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
| | - Sabeur Masmoudi
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Screening Processes (LPCMC), Center of Biotechnology of SfaxUniversity of SfaxSfaxTunisia
| | - Faiza Fakhfakh
- Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Genetics, Faculty of Science of SfaxUniversity of SfaxSfaxTunisia
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15
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Han JH, Rodenburg K, Hayman T, Calzetti G, Kaminska K, Quinodoz M, Marra M, Wallerich S, Allon G, Nagy ZZ, Knézy K, Li Y, Chen R, Barboni MTS, Yang P, Pennesi ME, van den Born LI, Varsányi B, Szabó V, Sharon D, Banin E, Ben-Yosef T, Roosing S, Koenekoop RK, Rivolta C. Loss-of-function variants in UBAP1L cause autosomal recessive retinal degeneration. Genet Med 2024; 26:101106. [PMID: 38420906 DOI: 10.1016/j.gim.2024.101106] [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: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) are a group of monogenic conditions that can lead to progressive blindness. Their missing heritability is still considerable, due in part to the presence of disease genes that await molecular identification. The purpose of this work was to identify novel genetic associations with IRDs. METHODS Patients underwent a comprehensive ophthalmological evaluation using standard-of-care tests, such as detailed retinal imaging (macular optical coherence tomography and short-wavelength fundus autofluorescence) and electrophysiological testing. Exome and genome sequencing, as well as computer-assisted data analysis were used for genotyping and detection of DNA variants. A minigene-driven splicing assay was performed to validate the deleterious effects of 1 of such variants. RESULTS We identified 8 unrelated families from Hungary, the United States, Israel, and The Netherlands with members presenting with a form of autosomal recessive and nonsyndromic retinal degeneration, predominantly described as rod-cone dystrophy but also including cases of cone/cone-rod dystrophy. Age of disease onset was very variable, with some patients experiencing first symptoms during their fourth decade of life or later. Myopia greater than 5 diopters was present in 5 of 7 cases with available refractive data, and retinal detachment was reported in 2 cases. All ascertained patients carried biallelic loss-of-function variants in UBAP1L (HGNC: 40028), a gene with unknown function and with homologies to UBAP1, encoding a protein involved in ubiquitin metabolism. One of these pathogenic variants, the intronic NM_001163692.2:c.910-7G>A substitution, was identified in 5 unrelated families. Minigene-driven splicing assays in HEK293T cells confirmed that this DNA change is responsible for the creation of a new acceptor splice site, resulting in aberrant splicing. CONCLUSION We identified UBAP1L as a novel IRD gene. Although its function is currently unknown, UBAP1L is almost exclusively expressed in photoreceptors and the retinal pigment epithelium, hence possibly explaining the link between pathogenic variants in this gene and an ocular phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Hoon Han
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), Basel, Switzerland; Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kim Rodenburg
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Tamar Hayman
- Department of Ophthalmology, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Giacomo Calzetti
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), Basel, Switzerland; Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Karolina Kaminska
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), Basel, Switzerland; Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mathieu Quinodoz
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), Basel, Switzerland; Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Molly Marra
- Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
| | - Sandrine Wallerich
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), Basel, Switzerland; Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Gilad Allon
- Department of Ophthalmology, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel
| | - Zoltán Z Nagy
- Department of Ophthalmology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Krisztina Knézy
- Department of Ophthalmology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Yumei Li
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Rui Chen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | | | - Paul Yang
- Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
| | - Mark E Pennesi
- Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
| | | | - Balázs Varsányi
- Department of Ophthalmology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Viktória Szabó
- Department of Ophthalmology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dror Sharon
- Department of Ophthalmology, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Eyal Banin
- Department of Ophthalmology, Hadassah Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Tamar Ben-Yosef
- Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Susanne Roosing
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Robert K Koenekoop
- Departments of Pediatric Surgery, Human Genetics and Ophthalmology, Montreal Children's Hospital, McGill University and McGill University Health Center Research Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Carlo Rivolta
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), Basel, Switzerland; Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom.
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16
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Bhatnager R, Gaba K, Dang AS. Comprehensive Analysis of Damage Associated SNPs of Luteinizing Hormone and Its Receptor: A Computational Approach. Am J Reprod Immunol 2024; 91:e13886. [PMID: 39031603 DOI: 10.1111/aji.13886] [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: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024] Open
Abstract
PROBLEM The luteinizing hormone (LH), produced by gonadal and nongonadal cells in the anterior pituitary gland play a critical role in human sexual development and reproduction. It is required for the induction of ovulation in females and sex steroid hormone production in both males and females. It is also an important player in early pregnancy events in oviducts and in absence of LH signalling, the uterus cannot initiate pregnancy. LH works through its receptor LHCGR. Therefore, it is quite important to figure out those mutations that have the potential to affect the structure and function of both LH and LHR. MATERIALS AND METHODS Various in silico tools were employed in the study for the data mining of SNPs and predicting their possible impact on the structure and function of the protein. ConSurf analysis predicted V454I and I161K are exposed residues in the 2D structure of protein and highly conserved in protein structure. PSIPRED and Swiss Modeller were employed to predict the 2D and 3D structure of mutated receptor protein. FT site server predicted both substitutions were involved in the ligand-binding site RESULTS: By present analysis, we have found that R59G in LHα, Q74R and T78N in LHβ and V454I and I161K in LHCGR are the most deleterious nsSNPs affecting the structure and function of the protein. CONCLUSION These SNPs are still uncharacterised; hence providing a baseline for validation of their association with the susceptibility of diseases and develop personalised therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kajal Gaba
- Centre for Medical Biotechnology, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, India
| | - Amita Suneja Dang
- Centre for Medical Biotechnology, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, India
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Polavarapu K, O'Neil D, Thompson R, Spendiff S, Nandeesh B, Vengalil S, Huddar A, Baskar D, Arunachal G, Kotambail A, Bhatia S, Tumulu SK, Matalonga L, Töpf A, Laurie S, Zeldin J, Nashi S, Unnikrishnan G, Nalini A, Lochmüller H. Partial loss of desmin expression due to a leaky splice site variant in the human DES gene is associated with neuromuscular transmission defects. Neuromuscul Disord 2024; 39:10-18. [PMID: 38669730 DOI: 10.1016/j.nmd.2024.03.011] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Recessive desminopathies are rare and often present as severe early-onset myopathy. Here we report a milder phenotype in three unrelated patients from southern India (2 M, 1F) aged 16, 21, and 22 years, who presented with childhood-onset, gradually progressive, fatigable limb-girdle weakness, ptosis, speech and swallowing difficulties, without cardiac involvement. Serum creatine kinase was elevated, and repetitive nerve stimulation showed decrement in all. Clinical improvement was noted with pyridostigmine and salbutamol in two patients. All three patients had a homozygous substitution in intron 5: DES(NM_001927.4):c.1023+5G>A, predicted to cause a donor splice site defect. Muscle biopsy with ultrastructural analysis suggested myopathy with myofibrillar disarray, and immunohistochemistry showed partial loss of desmin with some residual staining, while western blot analysis showed reduced desmin. RT-PCR of patient muscle RNA revealed two transcripts: a reduced normal desmin transcript and a larger abnormal transcript suggesting leaky splicing at the intron 5 donor site. Sequencing of the PCR products confirmed the inclusion of intron 5 in the longer transcript, predicted to cause a premature stop codon. Thus, we provide evidence for a leaky splice site causing partial loss of desmin associated with a unique phenotypic presentation of a milder form of desmin-related recessive myopathy overlapping with congenital myasthenic syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran Polavarapu
- Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Daniel O'Neil
- Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Rachel Thompson
- Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Sally Spendiff
- Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Bevinahalli Nandeesh
- Department of Neuropathology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Seena Vengalil
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Akshata Huddar
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Dipti Baskar
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Gautham Arunachal
- Department of Human Genetics, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | | | - Saloni Bhatia
- Department of Human Genetics, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Seetam Kumar Tumulu
- Department of Neuroradiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Leslie Matalonga
- Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico, Baldiri Reixac 4, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Ana Töpf
- John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Steven Laurie
- Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico, Baldiri Reixac 4, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Joshua Zeldin
- Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Saraswati Nashi
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | | | - Atchayaram Nalini
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India.
| | - Hanns Lochmüller
- Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada; Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico, Baldiri Reixac 4, Barcelona 08028, Spain; Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Canada; Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; Department of Neuropediatrics and Muscle Disorders, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Germany.
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18
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Freire MV, Martin M, Segers K, Sepulchre E, Leroi N, Coupier J, Kalantari HR, Wolter P, Collignon J, Polus M, Plomteux O, Josse C, Bours V. Digenic Inheritance of Mutations in Homologous Recombination Genes in Cancer Patients. J Pers Med 2024; 14:584. [PMID: 38929805 PMCID: PMC11204488 DOI: 10.3390/jpm14060584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, and CHEK2 are known cancer predisposition genes (CPGs), but tumor risk in patients with simultaneous pathogenic variants (PVs) in CPGs remains largely unknown. In this study, we describe six patients from five families with multiple cancers who coinherited a combination of PVs in these genes. METHODS PVs were identified using NGS DNA sequencing and were confirmed by Sanger. RESULTS Families 1, 2, and 3 presented PVs in BRCA2 and ATM, family 4 in BRCA2 and BRCA1, and family 5 in BRCA2 and CHEK2. PVs were identified using NGS DNA sequencing and were confirmed by Sanger. The first family included patients with kidney, prostate, and breast cancer, in addition to pancreatic adenocarcinomas. In the second family, a female had breast cancer, while a male from the third family had prostate, gastric, and pancreatic cancer. The fourth family included a male with pancreatic cancer, and the fifth family a female with breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS The early age of diagnosis and the development of multiple cancers in the reported patients indicate a very high risk of cancer in double-heterozygous patients associated with PVs in HR-related CPGs. Therefore, in families with patients who differ from other family members in terms of phenotype, age of diagnosis, or type of cancer, the cascade testing needs to include the study of other CPGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Valeria Freire
- Department of Human Genetics, GIGA Research Center, University of Liège and CHU Liège, Av. Hippocrate 1/11, 4000 Liège, Belgium;
| | - Marie Martin
- Department of Human Genetics, CHU Liège, Domaine Universitaire, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (M.M.); (K.S.); (E.S.); (N.L.)
| | - Karin Segers
- Department of Human Genetics, CHU Liège, Domaine Universitaire, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (M.M.); (K.S.); (E.S.); (N.L.)
| | - Edith Sepulchre
- Department of Human Genetics, CHU Liège, Domaine Universitaire, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (M.M.); (K.S.); (E.S.); (N.L.)
| | - Natacha Leroi
- Department of Human Genetics, CHU Liège, Domaine Universitaire, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (M.M.); (K.S.); (E.S.); (N.L.)
| | - Jérôme Coupier
- Department of Human Genetics, CHU Liège, Domaine Universitaire, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (M.M.); (K.S.); (E.S.); (N.L.)
| | | | - Pascal Wolter
- Onco-Hematology Department, St Nikolaus Hospital, Hufengasse 4/8, 4700 Eupen, Belgium;
| | - Joëlle Collignon
- Department of Medical Oncology, GIGA Research Center, University of Liège and CHU Liège, Domaine Universitaire, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (J.C.); (C.J.)
| | - Marc Polus
- Department of Gastroenterology, CHU Liège, Av. Hippocrate 1/11, 4000 Liège, Belgium;
| | - Olivier Plomteux
- Gastro-Enterology Department, CHC, Boulevard Patience et Beaujonc 2, 4000 Liège, Belgium;
| | - Claire Josse
- Department of Medical Oncology, GIGA Research Center, University of Liège and CHU Liège, Domaine Universitaire, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (J.C.); (C.J.)
| | - Vincent Bours
- Department of Human Genetics, GIGA Research Center, University of Liège and CHU Liège, Av. Hippocrate 1/11, 4000 Liège, Belgium;
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19
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Veltra D, Theodorou V, Katsalouli M, Vorgia P, Niotakis G, Tsaprouni T, Pons R, Kosma K, Kampouraki A, Tsoutsou I, Makrythanasis P, Kekou K, Traeger-Synodinos J, Sofocleous C. SCN1A Channels a Wide Range of Epileptic Phenotypes: Report of Novel and Known Variants with Variable Presentations. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5644. [PMID: 38891831 PMCID: PMC11171476 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25115644] [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: 04/03/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
SCN1A, the gene encoding for the Nav1.1 channel, exhibits dominant interneuron-specific expression, whereby variants disrupting the channel's function affect the initiation and propagation of action potentials and neuronal excitability causing various types of epilepsy. Dravet syndrome (DS), the first described clinical presentation of SCN1A channelopathy, is characterized by severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy (SMEI). Variants' characteristics and other genetic or epigenetic factors lead to extreme clinical heterogeneity, ranging from non-epileptic conditions to developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE). This current study reports on findings from 343 patients referred by physicians in hospitals and tertiary care centers in Greece between 2017 and 2023. Positive family history for specific neurologic disorders was disclosed in 89 cases and the one common clinical feature was the onset of seizures, at a mean age of 17 months (range from birth to 15 years old). Most patients were specifically referred for SCN1A investigation (Sanger Sequencing and MLPA) and only five for next generation sequencing. Twenty-six SCN1A variants were detected, including nine novel causative variants (c.4567A>Τ, c.5564C>A, c.2176+2T>C, c.3646G>C, c.4331C>A, c.1130_1131delGAinsAC, c.1574_1580delCTGAGGA, c.4620A>G and c.5462A>C), and are herein presented, along with subsequent genotype-phenotype associations. The identification of novel variants complements SCN1A databases extending our expertise on genetic counseling and patient and family management including gene-based personalized interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danai Veltra
- Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, St. Sophia’s Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (D.V.); (K.K.); (A.K.); (I.T.); (P.M.); (K.K.); (J.T.-S.)
- Research University Institute for the Study and Prevention of Genetic and Malignant Disease of Childhood, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, St. Sophia’s Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Virginia Theodorou
- Pediatric Neurology Department, St. Sophia’s Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (V.T.); (M.K.)
| | - Marina Katsalouli
- Pediatric Neurology Department, St. Sophia’s Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (V.T.); (M.K.)
| | - Pelagia Vorgia
- Agrifood and Life Sciences Institute, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Greece;
| | - Georgios Niotakis
- Pediatric Neurology Department, Venizelion Hospital, 71409 Heraklion, Greece;
| | | | - Roser Pons
- First Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, St. Sophia’s Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece;
| | - Konstantina Kosma
- Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, St. Sophia’s Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (D.V.); (K.K.); (A.K.); (I.T.); (P.M.); (K.K.); (J.T.-S.)
| | - Afroditi Kampouraki
- Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, St. Sophia’s Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (D.V.); (K.K.); (A.K.); (I.T.); (P.M.); (K.K.); (J.T.-S.)
| | - Irene Tsoutsou
- Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, St. Sophia’s Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (D.V.); (K.K.); (A.K.); (I.T.); (P.M.); (K.K.); (J.T.-S.)
| | - Periklis Makrythanasis
- Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, St. Sophia’s Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (D.V.); (K.K.); (A.K.); (I.T.); (P.M.); (K.K.); (J.T.-S.)
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, Medical School, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
- Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Kyriaki Kekou
- Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, St. Sophia’s Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (D.V.); (K.K.); (A.K.); (I.T.); (P.M.); (K.K.); (J.T.-S.)
| | - Joanne Traeger-Synodinos
- Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, St. Sophia’s Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (D.V.); (K.K.); (A.K.); (I.T.); (P.M.); (K.K.); (J.T.-S.)
| | - Christalena Sofocleous
- Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, St. Sophia’s Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; (D.V.); (K.K.); (A.K.); (I.T.); (P.M.); (K.K.); (J.T.-S.)
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20
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Pulli K, Saarimäki-Vire J, Ahonen P, Liu X, Ibrahim H, Chandra V, Santambrogio A, Wang Y, Vaaralahti K, Iivonen AP, Känsäkoski J, Tommiska J, Kemkem Y, Varjosalo M, Vuoristo S, Andoniadou CL, Otonkoski T, Raivio T. A splice site variant in MADD affects hormone expression in pancreatic β cells and pituitary gonadotropes. JCI Insight 2024; 9:e167598. [PMID: 38775154 PMCID: PMC11141940 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.167598] [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: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
MAPK activating death domain (MADD) is a multifunctional protein regulating small GTPases RAB3 and RAB27, MAPK signaling, and cell survival. Polymorphisms in the MADD locus are associated with glycemic traits, but patients with biallelic variants in MADD manifest a complex syndrome affecting nervous, endocrine, exocrine, and hematological systems. We identified a homozygous splice site variant in MADD in 2 siblings with developmental delay, diabetes, congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, and growth hormone deficiency. This variant led to skipping of exon 30 and in-frame deletion of 36 amino acids. To elucidate how this mutation causes pleiotropic endocrine phenotypes, we generated relevant cellular models with deletion of MADD exon 30 (dex30). We observed reduced numbers of β cells, decreased insulin content, and increased proinsulin-to-insulin ratio in dex30 human embryonic stem cell-derived pancreatic islets. Concordantly, dex30 led to decreased insulin expression in human β cell line EndoC-βH1. Furthermore, dex30 resulted in decreased luteinizing hormone expression in mouse pituitary gonadotrope cell line LβT2 but did not affect ontogeny of stem cell-derived GnRH neurons. Protein-protein interactions of wild-type and dex30 MADD revealed changes affecting multiple signaling pathways, while the GDP/GTP exchange activity of dex30 MADD remained intact. Our results suggest MADD-specific processes regulate hormone expression in pancreatic β cells and pituitary gonadotropes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristiina Pulli
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program (STEMM), Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, and
| | - Jonna Saarimäki-Vire
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program (STEMM), Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, and
| | - Pekka Ahonen
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program (STEMM), Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, and
| | - Xiaonan Liu
- Institute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hazem Ibrahim
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program (STEMM), Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, and
| | - Vikash Chandra
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program (STEMM), Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, and
| | - Alice Santambrogio
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Yafei Wang
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program (STEMM), Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, and
| | - Kirsi Vaaralahti
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program (STEMM), Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, and
| | - Anna-Pauliina Iivonen
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program (STEMM), Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, and
| | - Johanna Känsäkoski
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program (STEMM), Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, and
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine
| | - Johanna Tommiska
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program (STEMM), Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, and
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine
| | - Yasmine Kemkem
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Markku Varjosalo
- Institute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sanna Vuoristo
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program (STEMM), Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, and
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; and
- HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Cynthia L. Andoniadou
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Timo Otonkoski
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program (STEMM), Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, and
- New Children’s Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital, Pediatric Research Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Taneli Raivio
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program (STEMM), Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, and
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine
- New Children’s Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital, Pediatric Research Center, Helsinki, Finland
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21
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Wu R, Li X, Meng Z, Li P, He Z, Liang L. Phenotypic and genetic analysis of children with unexplained neurodevelopmental delay and neurodevelopmental comorbidities in a Chinese cohort using trio-based whole-exome sequencing. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2024; 19:205. [PMID: 38764027 PMCID: PMC11103872 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-024-03214-w] [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: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Trio-based whole-exome sequencing (trio-WES) enables identification of pathogenic variants, including copy-number variants (CNVs), in children with unexplained neurodevelopmental delay (NDD) and neurodevelopmental comorbidities (NDCs), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), epilepsy, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Further phenotypic and genetic analysis on trio-WES-tested NDD-NDCs cases may help to identify key phenotypic factors related to higher diagnostic yield of using trio-WES and novel risk genes associated with NDCs in clinical settings. METHODS In this study, we retrospectively performed phenotypic analysis on 163 trio-WES-tested NDD-NDCs children to determine the phenotypic differences between genetically diagnosed and non-genetically diagnosed groups. Additionally, we conducted genetic analysis of ASD genes with the help of Simons Foundation for Autism Research Institute (SFARI) Gene database to identify novel possible ASD-risk genes underlying genetic NDD conditions. RESULTS Among these 163 patients, pathogenic variants were identified in 82 cases (82/163, 50.3%), including 20 cases with CNVs. By comparing phenotypic variables between genetically diagnosed group (82 cases) and non-genetically diagnosed group (81 cases) with multivariate binary logistic regression analysis, we revealed that NDD-NDCs cases presenting with severe-profound NDD [53/82 vs 17/81, adjusted-OR (95%CI): 4.865 (2.213 - 10.694), adjusted-P < 0.001] or having multiple NDCs [26/82 vs 8/81, adjusted-OR (95%CI): 3.731 (1.399 - 9.950), adjusted-P = 0.009] or accompanying ASD [64/82 vs 35/81, adjusted-OR (95%CI): 3.256 (1.479 - 7.168), adjusted-P = 0.003] and head circumference abnormality [33/82 vs 11/81, adjusted-OR (95%CI): 2.788 (1.148 - 6.774), adjusted-P = 0.024] were more likely to have a genetic diagnosis using trio-WES. Moreover, 37 genes with monogenetic variants were identified in 48 patients genetically diagnosed with NDD-ASD, and 15 dosage-sensitive genes were identified in 16 individuals with NDD-ASD carrying CNVs. Most of those genes had been proven to be ASD-related genes. However, some of them (9 genes) were not proven sufficiently to correlate with ASD. By literature review and constructing protein-protein interaction networks among these 9 candidate ASD-risk genes and 102 established ASD genes obtained from the SFARI Gene database, we identified CUL4B, KCNH1, and PLA2G6 as novel possible ASD-risk genes underlying genetic NDD conditions. CONCLUSIONS Trio-WES testing is recommended for patients with unexplained NDD-NDCs that have severe-profound NDD or multiple NDCs, particularly those with accompanying ASD and head circumference abnormality, as these independent factors may increase the likelihood of genetic diagnosis using trio-WES. Moreover, NDD patients with pathogenic variants in CUL4B, KCNH1 and PLA2G6 should be aware of potential risks of developing ASD during their disease courses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruohao Wu
- Department of Children's Neuro-endocrinology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, Guangdong, China
- Children's Medical Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou Guangdong, 510120, China
| | - Xiaojuan Li
- Department of Research and Molecular Diagnostics, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhe Meng
- Department of Children's Neuro-endocrinology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, Guangdong, China
- Children's Medical Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou Guangdong, 510120, China
| | - Pinggan Li
- Department of Children's Neuro-endocrinology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, Guangdong, China
- Children's Medical Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou Guangdong, 510120, China
| | - Zhanwen He
- Department of Children's Neuro-endocrinology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, Guangdong, China.
- Children's Medical Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou Guangdong, 510120, China.
| | - Liyang Liang
- Department of Children's Neuro-endocrinology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, Guangdong, China.
- Children's Medical Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou Guangdong, 510120, China.
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22
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Al-Saei O, Malka S, Owen N, Aliyev E, Vempalli FR, Ocieczek P, Al-Khathlan B, Fakhro K, Moosajee M. Increasing the diagnostic yield of childhood glaucoma cases recruited into the 100,000 Genomes Project. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:484. [PMID: 38755526 PMCID: PMC11097485 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10353-8] [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: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Childhood glaucoma (CG) encompasses a heterogeneous group of genetic eye disorders that is responsible for approximately 5% of childhood blindness worldwide. Understanding the molecular aetiology is key to improving diagnosis, prognosis and unlocking the potential for optimising clinical management. In this study, we investigated 86 CG cases from 78 unrelated families of diverse ethnic backgrounds, recruited into the Genomics England 100,000 Genomes Project (GE100KGP) rare disease cohort, to improve the genetic diagnostic yield. Using the Genomics England/Genomic Medicine Centres (GE/GMC) diagnostic pipeline, 13 unrelated families were solved (13/78, 17%). Further interrogation using an expanded gene panel yielded a molecular diagnosis in 7 more unrelated families (7/78, 9%). This analysis effectively raises the total number of solved CG families in the GE100KGP to 26% (20/78 families). Twenty-five percent (5/20) of the solved families had primary congenital glaucoma (PCG), while 75% (15/20) had secondary CG; 53% of this group had non-acquired ocular anomalies (including iris hypoplasia, megalocornea, ectopia pupillae, retinal dystrophy, and refractive errors) and 47% had non-acquired systemic diseases such as cardiac abnormalities, hearing impairment, and developmental delay. CYP1B1 was the most frequently implicated gene, accounting for 55% (11/20) of the solved families. We identified two novel likely pathogenic variants in the TEK gene, in addition to one novel pathogenic copy number variant (CNV) in FOXC1. Variants that passed undetected in the GE100KGP diagnostic pipeline were likely due to limitations of the tiering process, the use of smaller gene panels during analysis, and the prioritisation of coding SNVs and indels over larger structural variants, CNVs, and non-coding variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omayma Al-Saei
- Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, EC1V 9EL, UK
- Department of Human Genetics, Sidra Medicine, PO Box 26999, Doha, Qatar
| | - Samantha Malka
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, EC1V 2PD, UK
| | - Nicholas Owen
- Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, EC1V 9EL, UK
| | - Elbay Aliyev
- Department of Human Genetics, Sidra Medicine, PO Box 26999, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Paulina Ocieczek
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, EC1V 2PD, UK
| | | | - Khalid Fakhro
- Department of Human Genetics, Sidra Medicine, PO Box 26999, Doha, Qatar
| | - Mariya Moosajee
- Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, EC1V 9EL, UK.
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, EC1V 2PD, UK.
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK.
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23
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Holm LL, Doktor TK, Flugt KK, Petersen US, Petersen R, Andresen B. All exons are not created equal-exon vulnerability determines the effect of exonic mutations on splicing. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:4588-4603. [PMID: 38324470 PMCID: PMC11077056 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
It is now widely accepted that aberrant splicing of constitutive exons is often caused by mutations affecting cis-acting splicing regulatory elements (SREs), but there is a misconception that all exons have an equal dependency on SREs and thus a similar vulnerability to aberrant splicing. We demonstrate that some exons are more likely to be affected by exonic splicing mutations (ESMs) due to an inherent vulnerability, which is context dependent and influenced by the strength of exon definition. We have developed VulExMap, a tool which is based on empirical data that can designate whether a constitutive exon is vulnerable. Using VulExMap, we find that only 25% of all exons can be categorized as vulnerable, whereas two-thirds of 359 previously reported ESMs in 75 disease genes are located in vulnerable exons. Because VulExMap analysis is based on empirical data on splicing of exons in their endogenous context, it includes all features important in determining the vulnerability. We believe that VulExMap will be an important tool when assessing the effect of exonic mutations by pinpointing whether they are located in exons vulnerable to ESMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lise L Holm
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
- Villum Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Thomas K Doktor
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
- Villum Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Katharina K Flugt
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
- Villum Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Ulrika S S Petersen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
- Villum Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Rikke Petersen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
- Villum Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Brage S Andresen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
- Villum Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
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24
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Steyaert W, Sagath L, Demidov G, Yépez VA, Esteve-Codina A, Gagneur J, Ellwanger K, Derks R, Weiss M, den Ouden A, van den Heuvel S, Swinkels H, Zomer N, Steehouwer M, O'Gorman L, Astuti G, Neveling K, Schüle R, Xu J, Synofzik M, Beijer D, Hengel H, Schöls L, Claeys KG, Baets J, Van de Vondel L, Ferlini A, Selvatici R, Morsy H, Saeed Abd Elmaksoud M, Straub V, Müller J, Pini V, Perry L, Sarkozy A, Zaharieva I, Muntoni F, Bugiardini E, Polavarapu K, Horvath R, Reid E, Lochmüller H, Spinazzi M, Savarese M, Matalonga L, Laurie S, Brunner HG, Graessner H, Beltran S, Ossowski S, Vissers LELM, Gilissen C, Hoischen A. Unravelling undiagnosed rare disease cases by HiFi long-read genome sequencing. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.05.03.24305331. [PMID: 38746462 PMCID: PMC11092722 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.03.24305331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Solve-RD is a pan-European rare disease (RD) research program that aims to identify disease-causing genetic variants in previously undiagnosed RD families. We utilised 10-fold coverage HiFi long-read sequencing (LRS) for detecting causative structural variants (SVs), single nucleotide variants (SNVs), insertion-deletions (InDels), and short tandem repeat (STR) expansions in extensively studied RD families without clear molecular diagnoses. Our cohort includes 293 individuals from 114 genetically undiagnosed RD families selected by European Rare Disease Network (ERN) experts. Of these, 21 families were affected by so-called 'unsolvable' syndromes for which genetic causes remain unknown, and 93 families with at least one individual affected by a rare neurological, neuromuscular, or epilepsy disorder without genetic diagnosis despite extensive prior testing. Clinical interpretation and orthogonal validation of variants in known disease genes yielded thirteen novel genetic diagnoses due to de novo and rare inherited SNVs, InDels, SVs, and STR expansions. In an additional four families, we identified a candidate disease-causing SV affecting several genes including an MCF2 / FGF13 fusion and PSMA3 deletion. However, no common genetic cause was identified in any of the 'unsolvable' syndromes. Taken together, we found (likely) disease-causing genetic variants in 13.0% of previously unsolved families and additional candidate disease-causing SVs in another 4.3% of these families. In conclusion, our results demonstrate the added value of HiFi long-read genome sequencing in undiagnosed rare diseases.
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25
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Çıldır ÖŞ, Özmen Ö, Kul S, Rişvanlı A, Özalp G, Sabuncu A, Kul O. Genetic analysis of PALB2 gene WD40 domain in canine mammary tumour patients. Vet Med Sci 2024; 10:e1366. [PMID: 38527110 PMCID: PMC10962921 DOI: 10.1002/vms3.1366] [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: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND DNA repair mechanisms are essential for tumorigenesis and disruption of HR mechanism is an important predisposing factor of human breast cancers (BC). PALB2 is an important part of the HR. There are similarities between canine mammary tumours (CMT) and BCs. As its human counterpart, PALB2 mutations could be a predisposing factor of CMT. OBJECTIVES In this study, we aimed to investigate the impacts of PALB2 variants on tumorigenesis and canine mammary tumor (CMT) malignancy. METHODS We performed Sanger sequencing to detect germline mutations in the WD40 domain of the canine PALB2 gene in CMT patients. We conducted in silico analysis to investigate the variants, and compared the germline PALB2 mutations in humans that cause breast cancer (BC) with the variants detected in dogs with CMT. RESULTS We identified an intronic (c.3096+8C>G) variant, two exonic (p.A1050V and p.R1354R) variants, and a 3' UTR variant (c.4071T>C). Of these, p.R1354R and c.4071T>C novel variants were identified for the first time in this study. We found that the p.A1050V mutation had a significant effect. However, we could not determine sufficient similarity due to the differences in nucleotide/amino acid sequences between two species. Nonetheless, possible variants of human sequences in the exact location as their dog counterparts are associated with several cancer types, implying that the variants could be crucial for tumorigenesis in dogs. Our results did not show any effect of the variants on tumor malignancy. CONCLUSIONS The current project is the first study investigating the relationship between the PALB2 gene WD40 domain and CMTs. Our findings will contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenic mechanism of the PALB2 gene in CMTs. In humans, variant positions in canines have been linked to cancer-related phenotypes such as familial BC, endometrial tumor, and hereditary cancer predisposition syndrome. The results of bioinformatics analyses should be investigated through functional tests or case-control studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Özge Şebnem Çıldır
- Department of GeneticsFaculty of Veterinary MedicineKafkas UniversityKarsTürkiye
- Department of GeneticsFaculty of Veterinary MedicineAnkara UniversityAnkaraTürkiye
| | - Özge Özmen
- Department of GeneticsFaculty of Veterinary MedicineAnkara UniversityAnkaraTürkiye
| | - Selim Kul
- Department of Animal BreedingFaculty of Veterinary MedicineYozgat Bozok UniversityYozgatTürkiye
| | - Ali Rişvanlı
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyFaculty of Veterinary MedicineFırat UniversityElazığTürkiye
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyFaculty of Veterinary MedicineKyrgyz‐Turkish Manas UniversityBishkekKyrgyzstan
| | - Gözde Özalp
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyFaculty of Veterinary MedicineBursa Uludağ UniversityBursaTürkiye
| | - Ahmet Sabuncu
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyFaculty of Veterinary Medicineİstanbul UniversityİstanbulTürkiye
| | - Oğuz Kul
- Department of PathologyFaculty of Veterinary MedicineKırıkkale UniversityKırıkkaleTürkiye
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26
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Damianov A, Lin CH, Huang J, Zhou L, Jami-Alahmadi Y, Peyda P, Wohlschlegel J, Black DL. The splicing regulators RBM5 and RBM10 are subunits of the U2 snRNP engaged with intron branch sites on chromatin. Mol Cell 2024; 84:1496-1511.e7. [PMID: 38537639 PMCID: PMC11057915 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.02.039] [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: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms of pre-mRNA splicing is limited by the technical challenges to examining spliceosomes in vivo. Here, we report the isolation of RNP complexes derived from precatalytic A or B-like spliceosomes solubilized from the chromatin pellet of mammalian cell nuclei. We found that these complexes contain U2 snRNP proteins and a portion of the U2 snRNA bound with protected RNA fragments that precisely map to intronic branch sites across the transcriptome. These U2 complexes also contained the splicing regulators RBM5 and RBM10. We found RBM5 and RBM10 bound to nearly all branch site complexes and not simply those at regulated exons. The deletion of a conserved RBM5/RBM10 peptide sequence, including a zinc finger motif, disrupted U2 interaction and rendered the proteins inactive for the repression of many alternative exons. We propose a model where RBM5 and RBM10 regulate splicing as components of the U2 snRNP complex following branch site base pairing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey Damianov
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Chia-Ho Lin
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jeffrey Huang
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lin Zhou
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yasaman Jami-Alahmadi
- Department of Biological Chemistry, the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Parham Peyda
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - James Wohlschlegel
- Department of Biological Chemistry, the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Douglas L Black
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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27
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Mackeh R, El Bsat Y, Elmi A, Bibawi H, Karim MY, Hassan A, Lo B. Novel Synonymous Variant in IL7R Causes Preferential Expression of the Soluble Isoform. J Clin Immunol 2024; 44:96. [PMID: 38587703 PMCID: PMC11001715 DOI: 10.1007/s10875-024-01688-8] [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: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE The interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R) is primarily expressed on lymphoid cells and plays a crucial role in the development, proliferation, and survival of T cells. Autosomal recessive mutations that disrupt IL-7Rα chain expression give rise to a severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), which is characterized by lymphopenia and a T-B+NK+ phenotype. The objective here was to diagnose two siblings displaying the T-B+NK+ SCID phenotype as initial clinical genetic testing did not detect any variants in known SCID genes. METHODS Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was utilized to identify potential variants causing the SCID phenotype. Splicing prediction tools were employed to assess the deleterious impact of the mutation. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Sanger sequencing, flow cytometry, and ELISA were then used to validate the pathogenicity of the detected mutation. RESULTS We discovered a novel homozygous synonymous mutation in the IL7R gene. Our functional studies indicate that this variant is pathogenic, causing exon 6, which encodes the transmembrane domain, to be preferentially spliced out. CONCLUSION In this study, we identified a novel rare synonymous mutation causing a loss of IL-7Rα expression at the cellular membrane. This case demonstrates the value of reanalyzing genetic data based on the clinical phenotype and highlights the significance of functional studies in determining the pathogenicity of genetic variants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Asha Elmi
- Research Branch, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Hani Bibawi
- Division of Hematopathology, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Mohammed Yousuf Karim
- Division of Hematopathology, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
- College of Medicine, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Amel Hassan
- Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Department, Sidra Medicine, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar
| | - Bernice Lo
- Research Branch, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
- College of Health and Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar.
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28
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Wang Y, Zhai Y, Zhang M, Song C, Zhang Y, Zhang G. Escaping from CRISPR-Cas-mediated knockout: the facts, mechanisms, and applications. Cell Mol Biol Lett 2024; 29:48. [PMID: 38589794 PMCID: PMC11003099 DOI: 10.1186/s11658-024-00565-x] [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: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and associated Cas protein (CRISPR-Cas), a powerful genome editing tool, has revolutionized gene function investigation and exhibits huge potential for clinical applications. CRISPR-Cas-mediated gene knockout has already become a routine method in research laboratories. However, in the last few years, accumulating evidences have demonstrated that genes knocked out by CRISPR-Cas may not be truly silenced. Functional residual proteins could be generated in such knockout organisms to compensate the putative loss of function, termed herein knockout escaping. In line with this, several CRISPR-Cas-mediated knockout screenings have discovered much less abnormal phenotypes than expected. How does knockout escaping happen and how often does it happen have not been systematically reviewed yet. Without knowing this, knockout results could easily be misinterpreted. In this review, we summarize these evidences and propose two main mechanisms allowing knockout escaping. To avoid the confusion caused by knockout escaping, several strategies are discussed as well as their advantages and disadvantages. On the other hand, knockout escaping also provides convenient tools for studying essential genes and treating monogenic disorders such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which are discussed in the end.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wang
- The Cancer Institute, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
- School of Public Health, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yujing Zhai
- The Cancer Institute, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
- School of Public Health, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Mingzhe Zhang
- The Cancer Institute, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Chunlin Song
- The Cancer Institute, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yuqing Zhang
- The Cancer Institute, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Gang Zhang
- The Cancer Institute, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
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29
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Ghasemi S, Mojbafan M, Talebi S, Hooman N, Hoseini R. Genetic analysis of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus patients: A study on the Iranian population. Mol Genet Genomic Med 2024; 12:e2421. [PMID: 38622833 PMCID: PMC11019120 DOI: 10.1002/mgg3.2421] [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: 07/16/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is a rare genetic disease that causes water imbalance. The kidneys play a crucial role in regulating body fluids by controlling water balance through urine excretion. This highlights their essential function in managing the body's water levels, but individuals with NDI may have excess urine production (polyuria), that leads to excessive thirst (polydipsia). Untreated affected individuals may exhibit poor feeding and failure to thrive. This disease is caused by mutations in the AVPR2 and the AQP2 genes which have the X-linked and autosomal recessive/dominant inheritance, respectively. Both of these genes are expressed in the kidney. METHODS Twelve Iranian patients from 10 consanguineous families were studied in this project. DNA was extracted from the whole blood samples of the patients and their parents. All coding exons and exon-intron boundaries of the AVPR2 and AQP2 genes were sequenced in the affected individuals, and the identified variants were investigated in the parents. All variants were analyzed according to the ACMG (American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics) guidelines. RESULTS In this study, 6 different mutations were identified in the patients, including 5 in the AQP2 gene (c.439G>A, c.538G>A, c.140C>T, c.450T>A, and the novel c.668T>C) and 1 in the AVPR2 gene (c.337C>T) in the present study. DISCUSSION As expected, all the detected mutations in this study were missense. According to the ACMG guideline, the identified mutations were categorized as pathogenic or likely pathogenic. Unlike previous studies which showed more than 90% of mutations were in the AVPR2 gene, and only less than 10% of the mutations were in the AQP2 gene, it was found that more than 90% of our identified mutations located in the AQP2 gene, and only one mutation was observed in the AVPR2 gene, which seems it may be a result of the high rate of consanguineous marriages in the Iranian population. We observed genotype-phenotype correlation in some of our affected individuals, and some of the mutations were observed in unrelated families from same ethnicity which could be suggestive of a founder mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeed Ghasemi
- Department of Medical GeneticsSchool of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS)TehranIran
| | - Marzieh Mojbafan
- Department of Medical GeneticsSchool of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS)TehranIran
- Department of Medical GeneticsAli‐Asghar Children's HospitalTehranIran
| | - Saeed Talebi
- Department of Medical GeneticsSchool of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS)TehranIran
- Department of Medical GeneticsAli‐Asghar Children's HospitalTehranIran
| | - Nakysa Hooman
- Department of Pediatric NephrologyAli‐Asghar Children's HospitalTehranIran
- Clinical Research Development CenterIran University of Medical SciencesTehranIran
| | - Rozita Hoseini
- Department of Pediatric NephrologyAli‐Asghar Children's HospitalTehranIran
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30
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Zhang L, Lou H, Huang Y, Dong L, Gong X, Zhang X, Bao W, Xiao R. Identification of Synonymous Pathogenic Variants in Monogenic Disorders by Integrating Exome with Transcriptome Sequencing. J Mol Diagn 2024; 26:267-277. [PMID: 38280421 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2023.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Exome sequencing is becoming a first-tier clinical diagnostic test for Mendelian diseases, drastically reducing the time and cost of diagnostic odyssey and improving the diagnosis rate. Despite its success, exome sequencing faces practical challenges in assessing the pathogenicity of numerous intronic and synonymous variants, leaving a significant proportion of patients undiagnosed. In this study, a whole-blood transcriptome database was constructed that showed the expression profile of 2981 Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man disease genes in blood samples. Meanwhile, a workflow integrating exome sequencing, blood transcriptome sequencing, and in silico prediction tools to identify and validate splicing-altering intronic or synonymous variants was proposed. Following this pipeline, seven synonymous variants in eight patients were discovered. Of these, the functional evidence of c.981G>A (PIGN), c.1161A>G (ALPL), c.858G>A (ATP6AP2), and c.1011G>T (MTHFR) have not been reported previously. RNA sequencing validation confirmed that these variants induced aberrant splicing, expanding the disease-causing variant spectrum of these genes. Overall, this study shows the feasibility of combining multi-omics data to identify splicing-altering variants, especially the power of RNA sequencing. It also reveals that synonymous variants, which often are overlooked in standard diagnostic approaches, comprise an important portion of unresolved genetic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Zhang
- Prenatal Diagnosis Center, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.
| | | | - Yanhong Huang
- Prenatal Diagnosis Center, Liaocheng Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Liaocheng, China
| | - Liping Dong
- Newborn Screening Center, Zibo Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Zibo, China
| | - Xueye Gong
- Department of Medical Genetics and Prenatal Diagnosis, Binzhou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Binzhou, China
| | - Xiaoning Zhang
- Department of the Clinical Laboratory, Binzhou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Binzhou, China
| | - Wenqi Bao
- Becreative Lab Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Rui Xiao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Key Technology of Birth Defect Control and Prevention, Screening and Diagnostic R&D Center, Hangzhou, China
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31
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Speakman E, Gunaratne GH. On a kneading theory for gene-splicing. CHAOS (WOODBURY, N.Y.) 2024; 34:043125. [PMID: 38579148 DOI: 10.1063/5.0199364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
Two well-known facets in protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells are transcription of DNA to pre-RNA in the nucleus and the translation of messenger-RNA (mRNA) to proteins in the cytoplasm. A critical intermediate step is the removal of segments (introns) containing ∼97% of the nucleic-acid sites in pre-RNA and sequential alignment of the retained segments (exons) to form mRNA through a process referred to as splicing. Alternative forms of splicing enrich the proteome while abnormal splicing can enhance the likelihood of a cell developing cancer or other diseases. Mechanisms for splicing and origins of splicing errors are only partially deciphered. Our goal is to determine if rules on splicing can be inferred from data analytics on nucleic-acid sequences. Toward that end, we represent a nucleic-acid site as a point in a plane defined in terms of the anterior and posterior sub-sequences of the site. The "point-set" representation expands analytical approaches, including the use of statistical tools, to characterize genome sequences. It is found that point-sets for exons and introns are visually different, and that the differences can be quantified using a family of generalized moments. We design a machine-learning algorithm that can recognize individual exons or introns with 91% accuracy. Point-set distributions and generalized moments are found to differ between organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan Speakman
- Department of Physics, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, USA
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32
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Pal S, Paladhi P, Dutta S, Mullick RB, Bose G, Ghosh P, Chattopadhyay R, Ghosh S. Novel Mutations Reduce Expression of Meiotic Regulators SYCE1 and BOLL in Testis of Azoospermic Men from West Bengal, India. Reprod Sci 2024; 31:1069-1088. [PMID: 37957469 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-023-01393-8] [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: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the polymorphisms/mutations in synaptonemal complex central element protein 1 (SYCE1) and CDC25A mRNA-binding protein (BOLL) to test whether they increase the risk of azoospermia among Bengali-speaking men from West Bengal, India. Sanger's dideoxy sequencing was used to genotype 140 azoospermic individuals who tested negative for Y chromosome microdeletion and 120 healthy controls. In both cases and controls, qRT-PCR was used to determine the expression summary of SYCE1 and BOLL. The perceived harmful consequences of identified mutations were inferred using in silico analysis. Suitable statistical approaches were used to conduct the association study. We found SYCE1 177insT (ON245141), 10650T > G (ON257012), 10093insT (ON257013), 10653insG (ON292504), rs10857748A > G, rs10857749G > A, and rs10857750T > A and BOLL 7708T > A (ON245141insT), rs72918816T > C, and rs700655C > T variants with the prevalence of azoospermia. Data from qRT-PCR and in silico studies projected that the variations would either disrupt the transcript's natural splice junctions or cause probable damage to the structure of the genes' proteins. SYCE1 gene variants [177insT (ON245141), 10650T > G (ON257012), 10093insT (ON257013), 10653insG (ON292504), rs10857748A > G, rs10857749G > A, rs10857750T > A] and BOLL gene variants [7708T > A (ON245141insT), rs72918816T > C, rs700655C > T] reduce the expression of respective gene in testicular tissue among azoospermic male as revealed from qRT-PCR result. These genetic variations could be utilized as screening tools for male infertility to determine the best course of treatment in routine ART practise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samudra Pal
- Cytogenetics & Genomics Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Taraknath-Palit-Siksha-Prangan, Ballygunge Science College Campus, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700019, India
| | - Pranab Paladhi
- Cytogenetics & Genomics Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Taraknath-Palit-Siksha-Prangan, Ballygunge Science College Campus, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700019, India
| | - Saurav Dutta
- Cytogenetics & Genomics Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Taraknath-Palit-Siksha-Prangan, Ballygunge Science College Campus, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700019, India
| | - Rupam Basu Mullick
- Cytogenetics & Genomics Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Taraknath-Palit-Siksha-Prangan, Ballygunge Science College Campus, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700019, India
| | - Gunja Bose
- Institute of Reproductive Medicine (IRM), HB-36/A/3 1St Cross Rd Bidhannagar, Sector III, Bidhannagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700106, India
| | - Papiya Ghosh
- Department of Zoology, Bijoy Krishna Girls' College Affiliated to University of Calcutta), Howrah, West Bengal, India
| | - Ratna Chattopadhyay
- Institute of Reproductive Medicine (IRM), HB-36/A/3 1St Cross Rd Bidhannagar, Sector III, Bidhannagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700106, India
| | - Sujay Ghosh
- Cytogenetics & Genomics Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Taraknath-Palit-Siksha-Prangan, Ballygunge Science College Campus, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700019, India.
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Chen K, Zhou Y, Ding M, Wang Y, Ren Z, Yang Y. Self-supervised learning on millions of primary RNA sequences from 72 vertebrates improves sequence-based RNA splicing prediction. Brief Bioinform 2024; 25:bbae163. [PMID: 38605640 PMCID: PMC11009468 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbae163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Language models pretrained by self-supervised learning (SSL) have been widely utilized to study protein sequences, while few models were developed for genomic sequences and were limited to single species. Due to the lack of genomes from different species, these models cannot effectively leverage evolutionary information. In this study, we have developed SpliceBERT, a language model pretrained on primary ribonucleic acids (RNA) sequences from 72 vertebrates by masked language modeling, and applied it to sequence-based modeling of RNA splicing. Pretraining SpliceBERT on diverse species enables effective identification of evolutionarily conserved elements. Meanwhile, the learned hidden states and attention weights can characterize the biological properties of splice sites. As a result, SpliceBERT was shown effective on several downstream tasks: zero-shot prediction of variant effects on splicing, prediction of branchpoints in humans, and cross-species prediction of splice sites. Our study highlighted the importance of pretraining genomic language models on a diverse range of species and suggested that SSL is a promising approach to enhance our understanding of the regulatory logic underlying genomic sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Chen
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yue Zhou
- Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Maolin Ding
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | | | - Yuedong Yang
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Machine Intelligence and Advanced Computing (Sun Yat-sen University), Ministry of Education, China
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Zambrano-Román M, Padilla-Gutiérrez JR, Valle Y, Muñoz-Valle JF, Guevara-Gutiérrez E, López-Olmos PA, Sepúlveda-Loza LC, Bautista-Herrera LA, Valdés-Alvarado E. PTCH1 Gene Variants, mRNA Expression, and Bioinformatics Insights in Mexican Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:191. [PMID: 38534460 DOI: 10.3390/biology13030191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Skin cancer is one of the most frequent types of cancer, and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) constitutes 20% of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) cases. PTCH1, a tumor suppressor gene involved in the Sonic hedgehog signaling pathway, plays a crucial role in neoplastic processes. METHODS An analytical cross-sectional study, encompassing 211 cSCC patients and 290 individuals in a control group (CG), was performed. A subgroup of samples was considered for the relative expression analysis, and the results were obtained using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) with TaqMan® probes. The functional, splicing, and disease-causing effects of the proposed variants were explored via bioinformatics. RESULTS cSCC was predominant in men, especially in sun-exposed areas such as the head and neck. No statistically significant differences were found regarding the rs357564, rs2236405, rs2297086, and rs41313327 variants of PTCH1, or in the risk of cSCC, nor in the mRNA expression between the cSCC group and CG. A functional effect of rs357564 and a disease-causing relation to rs41313327 was identified. CONCLUSION The proposed variants were not associated with cSCC risk in this Mexican population, but we recognize the need for analyzing larger population groups to elucidate the disease-causing role of rare variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianela Zambrano-Román
- Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas (IICB), Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44340, Mexico
- Doctorado en Genética Humana, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Genómica, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44340, Mexico
| | - Jorge R Padilla-Gutiérrez
- Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas (IICB), Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44340, Mexico
| | - Yeminia Valle
- Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas (IICB), Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44340, Mexico
| | - José Francisco Muñoz-Valle
- Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas (IICB), Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44340, Mexico
| | - Elizabeth Guevara-Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Dermatología, Instituto Dermatológico de Jalisco "Dr. José Barba Rubio", Secretaría de Salud Jalisco, Zapopan 45190, Mexico
| | - Patricia Aidé López-Olmos
- Departamento de Dermatología, Instituto Dermatológico de Jalisco "Dr. José Barba Rubio", Secretaría de Salud Jalisco, Zapopan 45190, Mexico
| | | | | | - Emmanuel Valdés-Alvarado
- Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas (IICB), Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44340, Mexico
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Xie Z, Liu C, Yu H, Xie Z, Sun C, Zhu Y, Hu X, Bai L, Wei L, Sun P, Lu Y, Lu Y, Zhao Y, Zhang W, Wang Z, Meng L, Yuan Y. Clinical and genetic interpretation of uncertain DMD missense variants: evidence from mRNA and protein studies. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2024; 19:123. [PMID: 38486238 PMCID: PMC10941385 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-024-03128-7] [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: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pathogenic missense variants in the dystrophin (DMD) gene are rarely reported in dystrophinopathies. Most DMD missense variants are of uncertain significance and their pathogenicity interpretation remains complicated. We aimed to investigate whether DMD missense variants would cause aberrant splicing and re-interpret their pathogenicity based on mRNA and protein studies. METHODS Nine unrelated patients who had an elevated serum creatine kinase level with or without muscle weakness were enrolled. They underwent a detailed clinical, imaging, and pathological assessment. Routine genetic testing and muscle-derived mRNA and protein studies of dystrophin and sarcoglycan genes were performed in them. RESULTS Three of the 9 patients presented with a Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) phenotype and the remaining 6 patients had a suspected diagnosis of Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) or sarcoglycanopathy based on their clinical and pathological characteristics. Routine genetic testing detected only 9 predicted DMD missense variants in them, of which 6 were novel and interpreted as uncertain significance. Muscle-derived mRNA studies of sarcoglycan genes didn't reveal any aberrant transcripts in them. Dystrophin mRNA studies confirmed that 3 predicted DMD missense variants (c.2380G > C, c.4977C > G, and c.5444A > G) were in fact splicing and frameshift variants due to aberrant splicing. The 9 DMD variants were re-interpreted as pathogenic or likely pathogenic based on mRNA and protein studies. Therefore, 3 patients with DMD splicing variants and 6 patients with confirmed DMD missense variants were diagnosed with DMD and BMD, respectively. CONCLUSION Our study highlights the importance of muscle biopsy and aberrant splicing for clinical and genetic interpretation of uncertain DMD missense variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiying Xie
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, No. 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Chang Liu
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, No. 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Haiyan Yu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Zhihao Xie
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Chengyue Sun
- Department of Neurology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Ying Zhu
- Department of Radiology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Xiaoyu Hu
- Department of Radiology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Li Bai
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, No. 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Luhua Wei
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, No. 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Peng Sun
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, No. 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Yanyu Lu
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, No. 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Yunlong Lu
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, No. 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Yawen Zhao
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, No. 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, No. 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Zhaoxia Wang
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, No. 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Lingchao Meng
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, No. 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100034, China.
| | - Yun Yuan
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, No. 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100034, China.
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Materna M, Delmonte OM, Bosticardo M, Momenilandi M, Conrey PE, Muylder BCD, Bravetti C, Bellworthy R, Cederholm A, Staels F, Ganoza CA, Darko S, Sayed S, Le Floc’h C, Ogishi M, Rinchai D, Guenoun A, Bolze A, Khan T, Gervais A, Krüger R, Völler M, Palterer B, Sadeghi-Shabestari M, de Septenville AL, Schramm CA, Shah S, Tello-Cajiao JJ, Pala F, Amini K, Campos JS, Lima NS, Eriksson D, Lévy R, Seeleuthner Y, Jyonouchi S, Ata M, Al Ali F, Deswarte C, Pereira A, Mégre t J, Le Voyer T, Bastard P, Berteloot L, Dussiot M, Vladikine N, Cardenas PP, Jouanguy E, Alqahtani M, Hasan A, Thanaraj TA, Rosain J, Al Qureshah F, Sabato V, Alyanakian MA, Leruez-Ville M, Rozenberg F, Haddad E, Regueiro JR, Toribio ML, Kelsen JR, Salehi M, Nasiri S, Torabizadeh M, Rokni-Zadeh H, Changi-Ashtiani M, Vatandoost N, Moravej H, Akrami SM, Mazloomrezaei M, Cobat A, Meyts I, Etsushi T, Nishimura M, Moriya K, Mizukami T, Imai K, Abel L, Malissen B, Al-Mulla F, Alkuraya FS, Parvaneh N, von Bernuth H, Beetz C, Davi F, Douek DC, Cheynier R, Langlais D, Landegren N, Marr N, Morio T, Shahrooei M, Schrijvers R, Henrickson SE, Luche H, Notarangelo LD, Casanova JL, Béziat V. The immunopathological landscape of human pre-TCRα deficiency: From rare to common variants. Science 2024; 383:eadh4059. [PMID: 38422122 PMCID: PMC10958617 DOI: 10.1126/science.adh4059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
We describe humans with rare biallelic loss-of-function PTCRA variants impairing pre-α T cell receptor (pre-TCRα) expression. Low circulating naive αβ T cell counts at birth persisted over time, with normal memory αβ and high γδ T cell counts. Their TCRα repertoire was biased, which suggests that noncanonical thymic differentiation pathways can rescue αβ T cell development. Only a minority of these individuals were sick, with infection, lymphoproliferation, and/or autoimmunity. We also report that 1 in 4000 individuals from the Middle East and South Asia are homozygous for a common hypomorphic PTCRA variant. They had normal circulating naive αβ T cell counts but high γδ T cell counts. Although residual pre-TCRα expression drove the differentiation of more αβ T cells, autoimmune conditions were more frequent in these patients compared with the general population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Materna
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
| | - Ottavia M. Delmonte
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Marita Bosticardo
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Mana Momenilandi
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
| | - Peyton E. Conrey
- Division of Allergy-Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Philadelphia, USA
| | | | - Clotilde Bravetti
- Department of Biological Hematology, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) and Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Sorbonne University, Paris Cancer Institute CURAMUS, INSERM U1138, Paris, France
| | - Rebecca Bellworthy
- Deptartment of Human Genetics, Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Axel Cederholm
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Frederik Staels
- Allergy and Clinical Immunology Research Group, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Samuel Darko
- Human Immunology Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Samir Sayed
- Division of Allergy-Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Philadelphia, USA
| | - Corentin Le Floc’h
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
| | - Masato Ogishi
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, The Rockefeller University, New York, USA
| | - Darawan Rinchai
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, The Rockefeller University, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Taushif Khan
- Research Branch, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
- The Jackson Laboratory, Farmington, USA
| | - Adrian Gervais
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
| | - Renate Krüger
- Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Mirjam Völler
- Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Boaz Palterer
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Mahnaz Sadeghi-Shabestari
- Immunology Research Center, TB and Lung Disease Research Center, Mardaniazar children hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Science, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Anne Langlois de Septenville
- Department of Biological Hematology, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) and Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Chaim A. Schramm
- Human Immunology Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sanjana Shah
- Human Immunology Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - John J. Tello-Cajiao
- Division of Allergy-Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Philadelphia, USA
- Department of Pathology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Francesca Pala
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Kayla Amini
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Jose S. Campos
- Division of Allergy-Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Philadelphia, USA
| | - Noemia Santana Lima
- Human Immunology Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Daniel Eriksson
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University and University Hospital, Section of Clinical Genetics, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Romain Lévy
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
- Pediatric Immunology, Hematology and Rheumatology Unit, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Yoann Seeleuthner
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
| | - Soma Jyonouchi
- Division of Allergy-Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Philadelphia, USA
| | - Manar Ata
- Human Immunology Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Caroline Deswarte
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
| | - Anaïs Pereira
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
| | - Jérôme Mégre t
- Cytometry Core Facility, SFR Necker, INSERM US24-CNRS UAR3633, Paris, France
| | - Tom Le Voyer
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
| | - Paul Bastard
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, The Rockefeller University, New York, USA
- Pediatric Immunology, Hematology and Rheumatology Unit, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Laureline Berteloot
- Department of Pediatric Radiology, University Hospital Necker-Enfants Malades, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Michaël Dussiot
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
- Laboratory of Molecular Mechanisms of Hematological Disorders and Therapeutic Implications, INSERM UMR 1163, Paris, France
| | - Natasha Vladikine
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
| | - Paula P. Cardenas
- Department of Immunology, Complutense University School of Medicine and 12 de Octubre Health Research Institute (imas12), Madrid, Spain
| | - Emmanuelle Jouanguy
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, The Rockefeller University, New York, USA
| | - Mashael Alqahtani
- Department of Translational Genomics, Center for Genomic Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Amal Hasan
- Department of Translational Research, Research Division, Dasman Diabetes Institute, Dasman, Kuwait City, Kuwait
| | - Thangavel Alphonse Thanaraj
- Department of Genetics and Bioinformatics, Research Division, Dasman Diabetes Institute, Dasman, Kuwait City, Kuwait
| | - Jérémie Rosain
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
| | - Fahd Al Qureshah
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, The Rockefeller University, New York, USA
| | - Vito Sabato
- Department of Immunology, Allergology and Rheumatology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium
| | - Marie Alexandra Alyanakian
- Immunology Laboratory, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, France
| | | | - Flore Rozenberg
- University of Paris, Institut Cochin, INSERM U1016, CNRS UMR8104, Paris, France
- Virology, Cochin Hospital, AP-HP, APHP-CUP, Paris, France
| | - Elie Haddad
- Department of Pediatrics, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Montreal, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jose R. Regueiro
- Department of Immunology, Complutense University School of Medicine and 12 de Octubre Health Research Institute (imas12), Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria L. Toribio
- Immune System Development and Function Unit, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Judith R. Kelsen
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
| | - Mansoor Salehi
- Cellular, Molecular and Genetics Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology,Medical School, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Shahram Nasiri
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Children's Medical Center of Abuzar, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Mehdi Torabizadeh
- Golestan Hospital Clinical Research Development Unit, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Hassan Rokni-Zadeh
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences (ZUMS), Zanjan, Iran
| | - Majid Changi-Ashtiani
- School of Mathematics, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran
| | - Nasimeh Vatandoost
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology,Medical School, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- Pediatric Inherited Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-Communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Hossein Moravej
- Neonatal Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Seyed Mohammad Akrami
- Medical Genetics Poursina St., Genetic Deptartment, Medical Faculty, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Dr. Shahrooei Laboratory, 22 Bahman St., Ashrafi Esfahani Blvd, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Aurélie Cobat
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, The Rockefeller University, New York, USA
| | - Isabelle Meyts
- Laboratory for Inborn Errors of Immunity, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospitals Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospitals Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Toyofuku Etsushi
- Department of Pediatrics and Developmental Biology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Madoka Nishimura
- Department of Pediatrics, NHO Kumamoto Medical Center, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Kunihiko Moriya
- Department of Pediatrics, National Defense Medical College, Saitama, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Mizukami
- Department of Pediatrics, NHO Kumamoto Medical Center, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Kohsuke Imai
- Department of Pediatrics, National Defense Medical College, Saitama, Japan
| | - Laurent Abel
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, The Rockefeller University, New York, USA
| | - Bernard Malissen
- Immunology Center of Marseille-Luminy, Aix Marseille University, Inserm, CNRS, Marseille, France
- Immunophenomics Center (CIPHE), Aix Marseille Université, Inserm, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | - Fahd Al-Mulla
- Department of Genetics and Bioinformatics, Research Division, Dasman Diabetes Institute, Dasman, Kuwait City, Kuwait
| | - Fowzan Sami Alkuraya
- Department of Translational Genomics, Center for Genomic Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nima Parvaneh
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Horst von Bernuth
- Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Labor Berlin GmbH, Department of Immunology, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Frédéric Davi
- Department of Biological Hematology, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) and Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Sorbonne University, Paris Cancer Institute CURAMUS, INSERM U1138, Paris, France
| | - Daniel C. Douek
- Human Immunology Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rémi Cheynier
- University of Paris, Institut Cochin, INSERM U1016, CNRS UMR8104, Paris, France
| | - David Langlais
- Deptartment of Human Genetics, Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nils Landegren
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine (Solna), Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nico Marr
- Department of Human Immunology, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
- College of Health and Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Tomohiro Morio
- Department of Pediatrics and Developmental Biology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mohammad Shahrooei
- Dr. Shahrooei Laboratory, 22 Bahman St., Ashrafi Esfahani Blvd, Tehran, Iran
- Clinical and Diagnostic Immunology, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Transplantation, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rik Schrijvers
- Allergy and Clinical Immunology Research Group, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sarah E. Henrickson
- Division of Allergy-Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Philadelphia, USA
- Institute for Immunology and Immune Health, University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, USA
| | - Hervé Luche
- Immunophenomics Center (CIPHE), Aix Marseille Université, Inserm, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | - Luigi D. Notarangelo
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Jean-Laurent Casanova
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
- Human Immunology Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, AP-HP, France
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, USA
| | - Vivien Béziat
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Necker Branch, INSERM, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, University of Paris-Cité, Paris, France
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller Branch, The Rockefeller University, New York, USA
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Singh S, Pandey AK, Malemnganba T, Prajapati VK. Technological advancements in viral vector designing and optimization for therapeutic applications. ADVANCES IN PROTEIN CHEMISTRY AND STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2024; 139:57-87. [PMID: 38448144 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apcsb.2023.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Viral vector engineering is critical to the advancement of several sectors of biotechnology, gene therapy, and vaccine development. These vectors were produced from viruses, were employed to deliver therapeutic genes or to alter biological processes. The potential for viral vectors to improve the precision, safety, and efficiency of therapeutic interventions has boosted their demand. The dynamic interplay between technological advancements and computational tools in establishing the landscape of viral vector engineering and vector optimization for therapeutic reasons is discussed in this chapter. It also emphasizes the importance of in silico techniques in maximizing vector potential for therapeutics and many phases of viral vector engineering, from genomic analysis to computer modelling and advancements to improve precise gene delivery. High-throughput screening propels the expedited process of vector selection, and computational techniques to analyze complex omics data to further enhance vector capabilities have been discussed. As in silico models reveal insights into off-target effects and integration sites, vector safety (biodistribution and toxicity) remains a crucial part and bridges the gap between preclinical and clinical investigations. Despite the limitations, this chapter depicts a future in which technology and computing merge to catapult viral vector therapy into an era of boundless possibilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satyendra Singh
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Central University of Rajasthan, Bandarsindri, Kishangarh, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
| | - Anurag Kumar Pandey
- College of Biotechnology, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | | | - Vijay Kumar Prajapati
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi, India.
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Abid R, Nisar H, Chaudhary SU, Hamid M, Sahibzada KI, Firdous S, Mudassar M, Sadaf S. Association of epilepsy and neurological impairments with homozygous recessive missense mutations found in the genes responsible for ganglioside biosynthesis ( ST3GAL5) and calcium voltage-gated channels ( CACNA1H) - insights through molecular dynamic simulations. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-12. [PMID: 38356142 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2314751] [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: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
With over 2.2 million cases, the incidence rate of epilepsy in Pakistan is far higher than the rest of the world due primarily to the frequent, traditionally imposed cousin marriages. In the present study, comprehensive whole exome sequencing (WES) analyses of a three-generation family with four affected members presenting 'unexplained' childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), seizures and dementia, was performed in a quest to identify heritable, epilepsy-causal gene variants to better aid in carrier screening and genetic counselling. The WES data was generated, analyzed, and validated through Sanger's sequencing, molecular dynamic simulation (MDS) analysis, and molecular mechanics with generalized Born and surface area solvation (MM/GBSA) studies. Two homozygous recessive, missense mutations in ST3GAL5 (c.311A > G, p. His104Arg) and CACNA1H (c.6230G > A, p. Arg2077His) genes, earlier regarded as benign or of uncertain significance, have been identified as a potential etiology. Comparative MDS and free binding energy calculations revealed substantial structural perturbations in mutant forms of ST3GAL5 leading to decreased binding and reduced catalytic activity of the p.His104Arg and two other functional variants (p.Val74Glu and p.Arg288Ter) when compared with wild type. Our findings reinforce that WES analyses may uncover 'hidden', heritable variants and together with MDS and MM/GBSA may provide plausible clues to answer the unexplained causes of epilepsy for an effective management and better patient outcome. Further, revisit of epilepsy-associated mutational landscape in population context is imperative as the variants with 'benign' tags may turn out to be 'non-benign', when exist in combination with other benign.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rizwan Abid
- School of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Haseeb Nisar
- Department of Life-Sciences, University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Safee Ullah Chaudhary
- Biomedical Informatics & Engineering Research Laboratory, Department of Life-Sciences, Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Maham Hamid
- Biomedical Informatics & Engineering Research Laboratory, Department of Life-Sciences, Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Kashif Iqbal Sahibzada
- Department of Health Professional Technologies, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Safia Firdous
- School of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
- Faculty of Rehabilitation and Allied Health Sciences, Riphah International University, Lahore, Pakistan
| | | | - Saima Sadaf
- School of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
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Sangermano R, Gupta P, Price C, Han J, Navarro J, Condroyer C, Place EM, Antonio A, Mukai S, Zanlonghi X, Sahel JA, Duncan JL, Pierce EA, Zeitz C, Audo I, Huckfeldt RM, Bujakowska KM. Coding and non-coding variants in the ciliopathy gene CFAP410 cause early-onset non-syndromic retinal degeneration. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3871956. [PMID: 38405922 PMCID: PMC10889070 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3871956/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Inherited retinal degenerations are blinding genetic disorders characterized by high genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. The implementation of next-generation sequencing in routine diagnostics, together with advanced clinical phenotyping including multimodal retinal imaging, have contributed to the increase of reports describing novel genotype-phenotype associations and phenotypic expansions. In this study, we describe sixteen families with early-onset non-syndromic retinal degenerations in which affected probands carried rare bi-allelic variants in CFAP410, a ciliary gene previously associated with syndromic recessive Jeune syndrome. The most common retinal phenotypes were cone-rod and rod-cone dystrophies, but the clinical presentations were unified by their early onset as well as the severe impact on central visual function. Twelve variants were detected (three pathogenic, seven likely pathogenic, two of uncertain significance), eight of which were novel. One deep intronic change, c.373+91A>G, led to the creation of a cryptic splice acceptor site in intron four, followed by the inclusion of a 200- base pair pseudoexon and subsequent premature stop codon formation. To our knowledge this is the first likely pathogenic deep-intronic variant identified in this gene. Meta-analysis of all published and novel CFAP410 variants revealed no clear correlation between the severity of the CFAP410-associated phenotypes and the identified causal variants. This is supported by the fact that the frequently encountered missense variant p.(Arg73Pro), often found in syndromic cases, was also associated with non-syndromic retinal degeneration. This study expands the current knowledge of CFAP410-associated ciliopathy by enriching its mutational landscape and supports its association with non-syndromic retinal degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Sangermano
- Ocular Genomics Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Priya Gupta
- Ocular Genomics Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cherrell Price
- Ocular Genomics Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jinu Han
- Institute of Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Julien Navarro
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | | | - Emily M. Place
- Ocular Genomics Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aline Antonio
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Shizuo Mukai
- Retina Service, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xavier Zanlonghi
- Centre de compétence maladies rares, Service d’Ophtalmologie, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France
| | - José-Alain Sahel
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
- Centre Hospitalier National d’Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, Centre de Référence Maladies Rares REFERET and INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, Paris, France
- Vision Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and School of Medicine, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jacque L. Duncan
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Eric A. Pierce
- Ocular Genomics Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christina Zeitz
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Audo
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
- Centre Hospitalier National d’Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, Centre de Référence Maladies Rares REFERET and INSERM-DGOS CIC 1423, Paris, France
| | - Rachel M. Huckfeldt
- Ocular Genomics Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kinga M. Bujakowska
- Ocular Genomics Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Wayhelova M, Vallova V, Broz P, Mikulasova A, Smetana J, Dynkova Filkova H, Machackova D, Handzusova K, Gaillyova R, Kuglik P. Exome sequencing improves the molecular diagnostics of paediatric unexplained neurodevelopmental disorders. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2024; 19:41. [PMID: 38321498 PMCID: PMC10845791 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-024-03056-6] [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: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and/or associated multiple congenital abnormalities (MCAs) represent a genetically heterogeneous group of conditions with an adverse prognosis for the quality of intellectual and social abilities and common daily functioning. The rapid development of exome sequencing (ES) techniques, together with trio-based analysis, nowadays leads to up to 50% diagnostic yield. Therefore, it is considered as the state-of-the-art approach in these diagnoses. RESULTS In our study, we present the results of ES in a cohort of 85 families with 90 children with severe NDDs and MCAs. The interconnection of the in-house bioinformatic pipeline and a unique algorithm for variant prioritization resulted in a diagnostic yield of up to 48.9% (44/90), including rare and novel causative variants (41/90) and intragenic copy-number variations (CNVs) (3/90). Of the total number of 47 causative variants, 53.2% (25/47) were novel, highlighting the clinical benefit of ES for unexplained NDDs. Moreover, trio-based ES was verified as a reliable tool for the detection of rare CNVs, ranging from intragenic exon deletions (GRIN2A, ZC4H2 genes) to a 6-Mb duplication. The functional analysis using PANTHER Gene Ontology confirmed the involvement of genes with causative variants in a wide spectrum of developmental processes and molecular pathways, which form essential structural and functional components of the central nervous system. CONCLUSION Taken together, we present one of the first ES studies of this scale from the central European region. Based on the high diagnostic yield for paediatric NDDs in this study, 48.9%, we confirm trio-based ES as an effective and reliable first-tier diagnostic test in the genetic evaluation of children with NDDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marketa Wayhelova
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
- Centre of Molecular Biology and Genetics, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Vladimira Vallova
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Centre of Molecular Biology and Genetics, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Broz
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University Prague and University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Aneta Mikulasova
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - Jan Smetana
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Dynkova Filkova
- Centre of Molecular Biology and Genetics, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Dominika Machackova
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kristina Handzusova
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Renata Gaillyova
- Department of Medical Genetics and Genomics, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Kuglik
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Centre of Molecular Biology and Genetics, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
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Hipólito A, Xavier R, Brito C, Tomás A, Lemos I, Cabaço LC, Silva F, Oliva A, Barral DC, Vicente JB, Gonçalves LG, Pojo M, Serpa J. BRD9 status is a major contributor for cysteine metabolic remodeling through MST and EAAT3 modulation in malignant melanoma. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2024; 1870:166983. [PMID: 38070581 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2023.166983] [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: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is the most aggressive skin cancer, showing globally increasing incidence. Hereditary CM accounts for a significant percentage (5-15 %) of all CM cases. However, most familial cases remain without a known genetic cause. Even though, BRD9 has been associated to CM as a susceptibility gene. The molecular events following BRD9 mutagenesis are still not completely understood. In this study, we disclosed BRD9 as a key regulator in cysteine metabolism and associated altered BRD9 to increased cell proliferation, migration and invasiveness, as well as to altered melanin levels, inducing higher susceptibility to melanomagenesis. It is evident that BRD9 WT and mutated BRD9 (c.183G>C) have a different impact on cysteine metabolism, respectively by inhibiting and activating MPST expression in the metastatic A375 cell line. The effect of the mutated BRD9 variant was more evident in A375 cells than in the less invasive WM115 line. Our data point out novel molecular and metabolic mechanisms dependent on BRD9 status that potentially account for the increased risk of developing CM and enhancing CM aggressiveness. Moreover, our findings emphasize the role of cysteine metabolism remodeling in melanoma progression and open new queues to follow to explore the role of BRD9 as a melanoma susceptibility or cancer-related gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Hipólito
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS, FCM, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, 130, 1169-056 Lisboa, Portugal; Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil (IPOLFG), Rua Prof Lima Basto, 1099-023 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Renato Xavier
- Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil (IPOLFG), Rua Prof Lima Basto, 1099-023 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Cheila Brito
- Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil (IPOLFG), Rua Prof Lima Basto, 1099-023 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana Tomás
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS, FCM, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, 130, 1169-056 Lisboa, Portugal; Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil (IPOLFG), Rua Prof Lima Basto, 1099-023 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Isabel Lemos
- Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil (IPOLFG), Rua Prof Lima Basto, 1099-023 Lisboa, Portugal; Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Tecnológica (ITQB) António Xavier da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Luís C Cabaço
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS, FCM, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, 130, 1169-056 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Fernanda Silva
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS, FCM, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, 130, 1169-056 Lisboa, Portugal; Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil (IPOLFG), Rua Prof Lima Basto, 1099-023 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Abel Oliva
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Tecnológica (ITQB) António Xavier da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Duarte C Barral
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS, FCM, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, 130, 1169-056 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - João B Vicente
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Tecnológica (ITQB) António Xavier da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Luís G Gonçalves
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Tecnológica (ITQB) António Xavier da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Marta Pojo
- Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil (IPOLFG), Rua Prof Lima Basto, 1099-023 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Jacinta Serpa
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS, FCM, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, 130, 1169-056 Lisboa, Portugal; Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil (IPOLFG), Rua Prof Lima Basto, 1099-023 Lisboa, Portugal.
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Wu K, Bu F, Wu Y, Zhang G, Wang X, He S, Liu MF, Chen R, Yuan H. Exploring noncoding variants in genetic diseases: from detection to functional insights. J Genet Genomics 2024; 51:111-132. [PMID: 38181897 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2024.01.001] [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: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
Previous studies on genetic diseases predominantly focused on protein-coding variations, overlooking the vast noncoding regions in the human genome. The development of high-throughput sequencing technologies and functional genomics tools has enabled the systematic identification of functional noncoding variants. These variants can impact gene expression, regulation, and chromatin conformation, thereby contributing to disease pathogenesis. Understanding the mechanisms that underlie the impact of noncoding variants on genetic diseases is indispensable for the development of precisely targeted therapies and the implementation of personalized medicine strategies. The intricacies of noncoding regions introduce a multitude of challenges and research opportunities. In this review, we introduce a spectrum of noncoding variants involved in genetic diseases, along with research strategies and advanced technologies for their precise identification and in-depth understanding of the complexity of the noncoding genome. We will delve into the research challenges and propose potential solutions for unraveling the genetic basis of rare and complex diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Wu
- Institute of Rare Diseases, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Fengxiao Bu
- Institute of Rare Diseases, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Yang Wu
- Institute of Rare Diseases, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Gen Zhang
- Institute of Rare Diseases, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Xin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310024, China
| | - Shunmin He
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Mo-Fang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310024, China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Andrology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
| | - Runsheng Chen
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Huijun Yuan
- Institute of Rare Diseases, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China.
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Wei X, Li H, Zhu T, Sun Z, Sui R. Genotype-Phenotype Associations in an X-Linked Retinoschisis Patient Cohort: The Molecular Dynamic Insight and a Promising SD-OCT Indicator. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2024; 65:17. [PMID: 38324300 PMCID: PMC10854265 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.65.2.17] [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: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose This study investigated a three-dimensional indicator in spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and established phenotype-genotype correlation in X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS). Methods Thirty-seven patients with XLRS underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examinations, including visual acuity (VA), fundus examination, electroretinogram (ERG), and SD-OCT. SD-OCT parameters of central foveal thickness (CFT), cyst cavity volume (CCV), and photoreceptor outer segment length were assessed. CCV was defined as the sum of the areas of cyst cavities in uential B-scans, measured automatically by self-developed software (OCT-CCSEG). Structural changes of the protein associated with missense variants were quantified by molecular dynamics (MD). The correlation between genotype and phenotype was analyzed. Results Twenty-seven different RS1 variants were identified, including a novel variant c.336_337insT(p.L113Sfs*8). The average age of onset was 14.76 ± 15.75 years, and the mean VA was 0.84 ± 0.43 logMAR. The mean CCV was 1.69 ± 1.87 mm3, correlating significantly with CFT (R = 0.66; P < 0.01). In the genotype-phenotype analysis of missense variants, CCV significantly correlated with the structural effect on the protein of mutational changes referred to as wild type, including root-mean-square deviation (R = 0.34; P = 0.04), solvent accessible surface area (R = 0.38; P = 0.02), and surface hydrophobic area (R = 0.37; P = 0.03). The amplitude of scotopic 3.0 ERG a-waves and b-waves significantly correlated with the percentage change of the β-strand in the secondary structure (a-wave: R = -0.58, P < 0.01; b-wave: R = -0.53, P < 0.01). Conclusions CCV is a promising indicator to quantify the structural disorganization of XLRS retina. The OCT-CCSEG software calculated CCV automatically, potentially facilitating prognosis assessment and development of personalized treatment. Moreover, MD-involved genotype-phenotype analysis suggests an association between protein structural alterations and XLRS severity measured by CCV and ERG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Wei
- Department of Ophthalmology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Ophthalmology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Tian Zhu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Zixi Sun
- Department of Ophthalmology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ruifang Sui
- Department of Ophthalmology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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Sun L, Yang X, Khan A, Yu X, Zhang H, Han S, Habulieti X, Sun Y, Wang R, Zhang X. Panoramic variation analysis of a family with neurodevelopmental disorders caused by biallelic loss-of-function variants in TMEM141, DDHD2, and LHFPL5. Front Med 2024; 18:81-97. [PMID: 37837560 DOI: 10.1007/s11684-023-1006-x] [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: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023]
Abstract
Highly clinical and genetic heterogeneity of neurodevelopmental disorders presents a major challenge in clinical genetics and medicine. Panoramic variation analysis is imperative to analyze the disease phenotypes resulting from multilocus genomic variation. Here, a Pakistani family with parental consanguinity was presented, characterized with severe intellectual disability (ID), spastic paraplegia, and deafness. Homozygosity mapping, integrated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array, whole-exome sequencing, and whole-genome sequencing were performed, and homozygous variants in TMEM141 (c.270G>A, p.Trp90*), DDHD2 (c.411+767_c.1249-327del), and LHFPL5 (c.250delC, p.Leu84*) were identified. A Tmem141p.Trp90*/p.Trp90* mouse model was generated. Behavioral studies showed impairments in learning ability and motor coordination. Brain slice electrophysiology and Golgi staining demonstrated deficient synaptic plasticity in hippocampal neurons and abnormal dendritic branching in cerebellar Purkinje cells. Transmission electron microscopy showed abnormal mitochondrial morphology. Furthermore, studies on a human in vitro neuronal model (SH-SY5Y cells) with stable shRNA-mediated knockdown of TMEM141 showed deleterious effect on bioenergetic function, possibly explaining the pathogenesis of replicated phenotypes in the cross-species mouse model. Conclusively, panoramic variation analysis revealed that multilocus genomic variations of TMEM141, DDHD2, and LHFPL5 together caused variable phenotypes in patient. Notably, the biallelic loss-of-function variants of TMEM141 were responsible for syndromic ID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liwei Sun
- McKusick-Zhang Center for Genetic Medicine, State Key Laboratory for Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Human Embryo Engineering, Center for Reproductive Medicine, National Key Clinical Speciality Construction Project (Obstetrics and Gynecology), Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children, Chongqing, 400013, China
- Chongqing Clinical Research Center for Reproductive Medicine, Women and Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400013, China
| | - Xueting Yang
- McKusick-Zhang Center for Genetic Medicine, State Key Laboratory for Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, China
| | - Amjad Khan
- McKusick-Zhang Center for Genetic Medicine, State Key Laboratory for Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, China.
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Zoology, University of Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 28420, Pakistan.
- Institute for Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, 72076, Germany.
- Alexander von Humboldt fellowship Foundation, Berlin, 10117, Germany.
| | - Xue Yu
- McKusick-Zhang Center for Genetic Medicine, State Key Laboratory for Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, China
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530000, China
| | - Han Zhang
- McKusick-Zhang Center for Genetic Medicine, State Key Laboratory for Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, China
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory for Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Shirui Han
- McKusick-Zhang Center for Genetic Medicine, State Key Laboratory for Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, China
| | - Xiaerbati Habulieti
- McKusick-Zhang Center for Genetic Medicine, State Key Laboratory for Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, China
| | - Yang Sun
- McKusick-Zhang Center for Genetic Medicine, State Key Laboratory for Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, China
| | - Rongrong Wang
- McKusick-Zhang Center for Genetic Medicine, State Key Laboratory for Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, China.
| | - Xue Zhang
- McKusick-Zhang Center for Genetic Medicine, State Key Laboratory for Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, China
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Lee J, Park N, Nicosia M, Park JY, Pruett SB, Seo KS. Stimulation Strength Determined by Superantigen Dose Controls Subcellular Localization of FOXP3 Isoforms and Suppressive Function of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ T Cells. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2024; 212:421-432. [PMID: 38108423 PMCID: PMC10784726 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Staphylococcal superantigens induce massive activation of T cells and inflammation, leading to toxic shock syndrome. Paradoxically, increasing evidence indicates that superantigens can also induce immunosuppression by promoting regulatory T cell (Treg) development. In this study, we demonstrate that stimulation strength plays a critical role in superantigen-mediated induction of immunosuppressive human CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ T cells. Suboptimal stimulation by a low dose (1 ng/ml) of staphylococcal enterotoxin C1 (SEC1) led to de novo generation of Treg-like CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ T cells with strong suppressive activity. In contrast, CD4+CD25+ T cells induced by optimal stimulation with high-dose SEC1 (1 µg/ml) were not immunosuppressive, despite high FOXP3 expression. Signal transduction pathway analysis revealed differential activation of the PI3K signaling pathway and expression of PTEN in optimal and suboptimal stimulation with SEC1. Additionally, we identified that FOXP3 isoforms in Treg-like cells from the suboptimal condition were located in the nucleus, whereas FOXP3 in nonsuppressive cells from the optimal condition localized in cytoplasm. Sequencing analysis of FOXP3 isoform transcripts identified five isoforms, including a FOXP3 isoform lacking partial exon 3. Overexpression of FOXP3 isoforms confirmed that both an exon 2-lacking isoform and a partial exon 3-lacking isoform confer suppressive activity. Furthermore, blockade of PI3K in optimal stimulation conditions led to induction of suppressive Treg-like cells with nuclear translocation of FOXP3, suggesting that PI3K signaling impairs induction of Tregs in a SEC1 dose-dependent manner. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the strength of activation signals determined by superantigen dose regulates subcellular localization of FOXP3 isoforms, which confers suppressive functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juyeun Lee
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
| | - Nogi Park
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
| | - Michael Nicosia
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
| | - Joo Youn Park
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
| | - Stephen B. Pruett
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
| | - Keun Seok Seo
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
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Xie Z, Sun C, Liu C, Lu Y, Chen B, Wu R, Liu Y, Liu R, Peng Q, Deng J, Meng L, Wang Z, Zhang W, Yuan Y. A new pseudoexon activation due to ultrarare branch point formation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Neuromuscul Disord 2024; 35:8-12. [PMID: 38194733 DOI: 10.1016/j.nmd.2023.12.009] [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: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Deep-intronic variants that create or enhance a splice site are increasingly reported as a significant cause of monogenic diseases. However, deep-intronic variants that activate pseudoexons by affecting a branch point are extremely rare in monogenic diseases. Here, we describe a novel deep-intronic DMD variant that created a branch point in a Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patient. A 7.0-year-old boy was enrolled because he was suspected of DMD based on his clinical, muscle imaging, and pathological features. Routine genetic testing did not discover a pathogenic DMD variant. We then performed muscle-derived dystrophin mRNA analysis and detected an aberrant pseudoexon-containing transcript. Further genomic Sanger sequencing and bioinformatic analyses revealed a novel deep-intronic splicing variant in DMD (NM_004006.2:c.5325+1759G>T), which created a new branch point sequence and thus activated a new dystrophin pseudoexon (NM_004006.2:r.5325_5326ins5325+1779_5325+1855). Our study highlights the significant role of branch point alterations in the pathogenesis of monogenic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiying Xie
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Chengyue Sun
- Department of Neurology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Chang Liu
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Yanyu Lu
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Bin Chen
- Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China
| | - Rui Wu
- Department of Neurology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250000, Shandong
| | - Yanru Liu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China
| | - Ran Liu
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Qing Peng
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Jianwen Deng
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Lingchao Meng
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Zhaoxia Wang
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China.
| | - Yun Yuan
- Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China.
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Zambrano‐Román M, Padilla‐Gutiérrez JR, Valle Y, Muñoz‐Valle JF, Guevara‐Gutiérrez E, Martínez‐Fernández DE, Valdés‐Alvarado E. PTCH1 gene variants rs357564, rs2236405, rs2297086 and rs41313327, mRNA and tissue expression in basal cell carcinoma patients from Western Mexico. J Clin Lab Anal 2024; 38:e25010. [PMID: 38287479 PMCID: PMC10873687 DOI: 10.1002/jcla.25010] [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: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) represents about 80% of all cases of skin cancer. The PTCH1 is a transmembrane protein of the Sonic Hedgehog signaling pathway that regulates cell proliferation. Genetic variants in PTCH1 gene have been previously described in association with BCC development. In addition, PTCH1 mRNA and protein expression analysis are also significant to understand its role in skin cancer physiopathology. METHODS An analytical cross-sectional study was performed, and a total of 250 BCC patients and 290 subjects from the control group (CG) were included, all born in western Mexico. The genotypes and relative expression of the mRNA were determined by TaqMan® assay. The protein expression was investigated in 70 BCC paraffin-embedded samples with PTCH1 antibodies. Semi-quantitative analysis was performed to determine the expression level in the immunostained cells. RESULTS We did not find evidence of an association between PTCH1 rs357564, rs2297086, rs2236405, and rs41313327 genetic variants and susceptibility to BCC. Likewise, no statistically significant differences were found in the comparison of the mRNA level expression between BCC and CG (p > 0.05). The PTCH1 protein showed a low expression in 6 of the analyzed samples and moderate expression in 1 sample. No association was found between genetic variants, protein expression, and demographic-clinical characteristics (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION The studied PTCH1 variants may not be associated with BCC development in the Western Mexico population. The PTCH1 mRNA levels were lower in patients with BCC compared to the control group, but its protein was underexpressed in the tissue samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianela Zambrano‐Román
- Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas (IICB)Universidad de GuadalajaraGuadalajaraMexico
- Doctorado en Genética Humana, Departamento de Biología Molecular y GenómicaUniversidad de GuadalajaraGuadalajaraMexico
| | - Jorge R. Padilla‐Gutiérrez
- Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas (IICB)Universidad de GuadalajaraGuadalajaraMexico
| | - Yeminia Valle
- Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas (IICB)Universidad de GuadalajaraGuadalajaraMexico
| | - José F. Muñoz‐Valle
- Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas (IICB)Universidad de GuadalajaraGuadalajaraMexico
| | - Elizabeth Guevara‐Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Dermatología, Instituto Dermatológico de Jalisco “Dr. José Barba Rubio”Secretaría de Salud JaliscoZapopanJaliscoMexico
| | - Diana Emilia Martínez‐Fernández
- Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas (IICB)Universidad de GuadalajaraGuadalajaraMexico
| | - Emmanuel Valdés‐Alvarado
- Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas (IICB)Universidad de GuadalajaraGuadalajaraMexico
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Boujemaa M, Nouira F, Jandoubi N, Mejri N, Bouaziz H, Charfeddine C, Ben Nasr S, Labidi S, El Benna H, Berrazega Y, Rachdi H, Daoud N, Benna F, Haddaoui A, Abdelhak S, Samir Boubaker M, Boussen H, Hamdi Y. Uncovering the clinical relevance of unclassified variants in DNA repair genes: a focus on BRCA negative Tunisian cancer families. Front Genet 2024; 15:1327894. [PMID: 38313678 PMCID: PMC10834681 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1327894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Recent advances in sequencing technologies have significantly increased our capability to acquire large amounts of genetic data. However, the clinical relevance of the generated data continues to be challenging particularly with the identification of Variants of Uncertain Significance (VUSs) whose pathogenicity remains unclear. In the current report, we aim to evaluate the clinical relevance and the pathogenicity of VUSs in DNA repair genes among Tunisian breast cancer families. Methods: A total of 67 unsolved breast cancer cases have been investigated. The pathogenicity of VUSs identified within 26 DNA repair genes was assessed using different in silico prediction tools including SIFT, PolyPhen2, Align-GVGD and VarSEAK. Effects on the 3D structure were evaluated using the stability predictor DynaMut and molecular dynamics simulation with NAMD. Family segregation analysis was also performed. Results: Among a total of 37 VUSs identified, 11 variants are likely deleterious affecting ATM, BLM, CHEK2, ERCC3, FANCC, FANCG, MSH2, PMS2 and RAD50 genes. The BLM variant, c.3254dupT, is novel and seems to be associated with increased risk of breast, endometrial and colon cancer. Moreover, c.6115G>A in ATM and c.592+3A>T in CHEK2 were of keen interest identified in families with multiple breast cancer cases and their familial cosegregation with disease has been also confirmed. In addition, functional in silico analyses revealed that the ATM variant may lead to protein immobilization and rigidification thus decreasing its activity. We have also shown that FANCC and FANCG variants may lead to protein destabilization and alteration of the structure compactness which may affect FANCC and FANCG protein activity. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that VUSs in DNA repair genes might be associated with increased cancer risk and highlight the need for variant reclassification for better disease management. This will help to improve the genetic diagnosis and therapeutic strategies of cancer patients not only in Tunisia but also in neighboring countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maroua Boujemaa
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, LR20IPT05, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Fatma Nouira
- Laboratory of Bioactive Substances, Center of Biotechnology of Borj Cedria, University of Tunis El Manar, Hamam, Tunisia
| | - Nouha Jandoubi
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, LR20IPT05, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Nesrine Mejri
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, LR20IPT05, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Medical Oncology Department, Abderrahman Mami Hospital, Faculty of Medicine Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Hanen Bouaziz
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, LR20IPT05, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Surgical Oncology Department, Salah Azaiez Institute of Cancer, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Cherine Charfeddine
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, LR20IPT05, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- High Institute of Biotechnology of Sidi Thabet, Biotechpole of Sidi Thabet, University of Manouba, Ariana, Tunisia
| | - Sonia Ben Nasr
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, LR20IPT05, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Department of Medical Oncology, Military Hospital of Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Soumaya Labidi
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, LR20IPT05, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Medical Oncology Department, Abderrahman Mami Hospital, Faculty of Medicine Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Houda El Benna
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, LR20IPT05, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Medical Oncology Department, Abderrahman Mami Hospital, Faculty of Medicine Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Yosra Berrazega
- Medical Oncology Department, Abderrahman Mami Hospital, Faculty of Medicine Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Haifa Rachdi
- Medical Oncology Department, Abderrahman Mami Hospital, Faculty of Medicine Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Nouha Daoud
- Medical Oncology Department, Abderrahman Mami Hospital, Faculty of Medicine Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Farouk Benna
- Radiation Oncology Department, Salah Azaiez Institute, Tunis, Tunisia
| | | | - Sonia Abdelhak
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, LR20IPT05, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Mohamed Samir Boubaker
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, LR20IPT05, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Laboratory of Human and Experimental Pathology, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Hamouda Boussen
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, LR20IPT05, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Medical Oncology Department, Abderrahman Mami Hospital, Faculty of Medicine Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Yosr Hamdi
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, LR20IPT05, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- Laboratory of Human and Experimental Pathology, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
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49
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Polavarapu K, Sunitha B, Töpf A, Preethish-Kumar V, Thompson R, Vengalil S, Nashi S, Bardhan M, Sanka SB, Huddar A, Unnikrishnan G, Arunachal G, Girija MS, Porter A, Azuma Y, Lorenzoni PJ, Baskar D, Anjanappa RM, Keertipriya M, Padmanabh H, Harikrishna GV, Laurie S, Matalonga L, Horvath R, Nalini A, Lochmüller H. Clinical and genetic characterisation of a large Indian congenital myasthenic syndrome cohort. Brain 2024; 147:281-296. [PMID: 37721175 PMCID: PMC10766255 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad315] [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: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS) are a rare group of inherited disorders caused by gene defects associated with the neuromuscular junction and potentially treatable with commonly available medications such as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and β2 adrenergic receptor agonists. In this study, we identified and genetically characterized the largest cohort of CMS patients from India to date. Genetic testing of clinically suspected patients evaluated in a South Indian hospital during the period 2014-19 was carried out by standard diagnostic gene panel testing or using a two-step method that included hotspot screening followed by whole-exome sequencing. In total, 156 genetically diagnosed patients (141 families) were characterized and the mutational spectrum and genotype-phenotype correlation described. Overall, 87 males and 69 females were evaluated, with the age of onset ranging from congenital to fourth decade (mean 6.6 ± 9.8 years). The mean age at diagnosis was 19 ± 12.8 (1-56 years), with a mean diagnostic delay of 12.5 ± 9.9 (0-49 years). Disease-causing variants in 17 CMS-associated genes were identified in 132 families (93.6%), while in nine families (6.4%), variants in genes not associated with CMS were found. Overall, postsynaptic defects were most common (62.4%), followed by glycosylation defects (21.3%), synaptic basal lamina genes (4.3%) and presynaptic defects (2.8%). Other genes found to cause neuromuscular junction defects (DES, TEFM) in our cohort accounted for 2.8%. Among the individual CMS genes, the most commonly affected gene was CHRNE (39.4%), followed by DOK7 (14.4%), DPAGT1 (9.8%), GFPT1 (7.6%), MUSK (6.1%), GMPPB (5.3%) and COLQ (4.5%). We identified 22 recurrent variants in this study, out of which eight were found to be geographically specific to the Indian subcontinent. Apart from the known common CHRNE variants p.E443Kfs*64 (11.4%) and DOK7 p.A378Sfs*30 (9.3%), we identified seven novel recurrent variants specific to this cohort, including DPAGT1 p.T380I and DES c.1023+5G>A, for which founder haplotypes are suspected. This study highlights the geographic differences in the frequencies of various causative CMS genes and underlines the increasing significance of glycosylation genes (DPAGT1, GFPT1 and GMPPB) as a cause of neuromuscular junction defects. Myopathy and muscular dystrophy genes such as GMPPB and DES, presenting as gradually progressive limb girdle CMS, expand the phenotypic spectrum. The novel genes MACF1 and TEFM identified in this cohort add to the expanding list of genes with new mechanisms causing neuromuscular junction defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran Polavarapu
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore 560029, India
- Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Balaraju Sunitha
- John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3BZ, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge CB2 0SP, UK
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Ana Töpf
- John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3BZ, UK
| | - Veeramani Preethish-Kumar
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore 560029, India
- Department of Neurology, Neurofoundation, Salem, Tamil Nadu 636009, India
| | - Rachel Thompson
- Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Seena Vengalil
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore 560029, India
| | - Saraswati Nashi
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore 560029, India
| | - Mainak Bardhan
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore 560029, India
| | - Sai Bhargava Sanka
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore 560029, India
| | - Akshata Huddar
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore 560029, India
- Department of Neurology, St Johns Medical College Hospital, Bangalore 560034, India
| | - Gopikrishnan Unnikrishnan
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore 560029, India
- Department of Neurology, Amruta Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi 682041, India
| | - Gautham Arunachal
- Department of Human Genetics, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru 560029, India
| | - Manu Santhappan Girija
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore 560029, India
| | - Anna Porter
- John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3BZ, UK
| | - Yoshiteru Azuma
- John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3BZ, UK
| | - Paulo José Lorenzoni
- Neuromuscular Disorders Division, Service of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital de Clínicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Rua General Carneiro, Curitiba - PR 80060-900, Brazil
| | - Dipti Baskar
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore 560029, India
| | - Ram Murthy Anjanappa
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore 560029, India
| | - Madassu Keertipriya
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore 560029, India
| | - Hansashree Padmanabh
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore 560029, India
| | | | - Steve Laurie
- Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG-CRG), Center for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Catalonia 08028, Spain
| | - Leslie Matalonga
- Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG-CRG), Center for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Catalonia 08028, Spain
| | - Rita Horvath
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge CB2 0SP, UK
| | - Atchayaram Nalini
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore 560029, India
| | - Hanns Lochmüller
- Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
- Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG-CRG), Center for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Catalonia 08028, Spain
- Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
- Department of Neuropediatrics and Muscle Disorders, Medical Center–University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg 79110, Germany
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Zheng K, Lin S, Gao J, Chen S, Su J, Liu Z, Duan S. Novel compound heterozygous MYO15A splicing variants in autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss. BMC Med Genomics 2024; 17:4. [PMID: 38167320 PMCID: PMC10763153 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-023-01777-4] [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: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hereditary hearing loss is a highly heterogeneous disorder. This study aimed to identify the genetic cause of a Chinese family with autosomal recessive non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss (ARNSHL). METHODS Clinical information and peripheral blood samples were collected from the proband and its parents. Two-step high-throughput next-generation sequencing on the Ion Torrent platform was applied to detect variants as follows. First, long-range PCR was performed to amplify all the regions of the GJB2, GJB3, SLC26A4, and MT-RNR1 genes, followed by next-generation sequencing. If no candidate pathogenetic variants were found, the targeted exon sequencing with AmpliSeq technology was employed to examine another 64 deafness-associated genes. Sanger sequencing was used to identify variants and the lineage co-segregation. The splicing of the MYO15A gene was assessed by in silico bioinformatics prediction and minigene assays. RESULTS Two candidate MYO15A gene (OMIM, #602,666) heterozygous splicing variants, NG_011634.2 (NM_016239.3): c.6177 + 1G > T and c.9690 + 1G > A, were identified in the proband, and these two variants were both annotated as pathogenic according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) guidelines. Further bioinformatic analysis predicted that the c.6177 + 1G > T variant might cause exon skipping and that the c.9690 + 1G > A variant might activate a cryptic splicing donor site in the downstream intronic region. An in vitro minigene assay confirmed the above predictions. CONCLUSIONS We identified a compound heterozygous splicing variant in the MYO15A gene in a Han Chinese family with ARNSHL. Our results broaden the spectrum of MYO15A variants, potentially benefiting the early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaifeng Zheng
- Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Maternal and Child Medicine, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Sheng Lin
- Shenzhen Health Development Research and Data Management Center, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jian Gao
- Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Maternal and Child Medicine, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Shiguo Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Maternal and Child Medicine, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jindi Su
- Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Maternal and Child Medicine, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zhiqiang Liu
- Shenzhen Health Development Research and Data Management Center, Shenzhen, China
| | - Shan Duan
- Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Maternal and Child Medicine, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China.
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