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Falb RJ, Müller AJ, Klein W, Grimmel M, Grasshoff U, Spranger S, Stöbe P, Gauck D, Kuechler A, Dikow N, Schwaibold EMC, Schmidt C, Averdunk L, Buchert R, Heinrich T, Prodan N, Park J, Kehrer M, Sturm M, Kelemen O, Hartmann S, Horn D, Emmerich D, Hirt N, Neumann A, Kristiansen G, Gembruch U, Haen S, Siebert R, Hentze S, Hoopmann M, Ossowski S, Waldmüller S, Beck-Wödl S, Gläser D, Tekesin I, Distelmaier F, Riess O, Kagan KO, Dufke A, Haack TB. Bi-allelic loss-of-function variants in KIF21A cause severe fetal akinesia with arthrogryposis multiplex. J Med Genet 2023; 60:48-56. [PMID: 34740919 PMCID: PMC9811090 DOI: 10.1136/jmedgenet-2021-108064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fetal akinesia (FA) results in variable clinical presentations and has been associated with more than 166 different disease loci. However, the underlying molecular cause remains unclear in many individuals. We aimed to further define the set of genes involved. METHODS We performed in-depth clinical characterisation and exome sequencing on a cohort of 23 FA index cases sharing arthrogryposis as a common feature. RESULTS We identified likely pathogenic or pathogenic variants in 12 different established disease genes explaining the disease phenotype in 13 index cases and report 12 novel variants. In the unsolved families, a search for recessive-type variants affecting the same gene was performed; and in five affected fetuses of two unrelated families, a homozygous loss-of-function variant in the kinesin family member 21A gene (KIF21A) was found. CONCLUSION Our study underlines the broad locus heterogeneity of FA with well-established and atypical genotype-phenotype associations. We describe KIF21A as a new factor implicated in the pathogenesis of severe neurogenic FA sequence with arthrogryposis of multiple joints, pulmonary hypoplasia and facial dysmorphisms. This hypothesis is further corroborated by a recent report on overlapping phenotypes observed in Kif21a null piglets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth J Falb
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Amelie J Müller
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | | | - Mona Grimmel
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Ute Grasshoff
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | | | - Petra Stöbe
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Darja Gauck
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Alma Kuechler
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Nicola Dikow
- Institute of Human Genetics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | | | - Luisa Averdunk
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Heinrich-Heine-University Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany
| | - Rebecca Buchert
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Tilman Heinrich
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Natalia Prodan
- Department of Women's Health, University Women's Hospital, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Joohyun Park
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Martin Kehrer
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Marc Sturm
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Olga Kelemen
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | | | - Denise Horn
- Institute of Medical and Human Genetics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dirk Emmerich
- Practice for Ultrasound and Prenatal Medicine, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Nina Hirt
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Glen Kristiansen
- Institute of Pathology, Center for Integrated Oncology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Ulrich Gembruch
- Department of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Susanne Haen
- Institute of Pathology and Neuropathology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Reiner Siebert
- Institute of Human Genetics, Ulm University and Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Markus Hoopmann
- Department of Women's Health, University Women's Hospital, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Stephan Ossowski
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Stephan Waldmüller
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Stefanie Beck-Wödl
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | | | | | - Felix Distelmaier
- Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, Heinrich-Heine-University Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany
| | - Olaf Riess
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany,Centre for Rare Diseases, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Karl-Oliver Kagan
- Department of Women's Health, University Women's Hospital, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Dufke
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany,Centre for Rare Diseases, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Tobias B Haack
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany,Centre for Rare Diseases, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
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Nosková A, Hiltpold M, Janett F, Echtermann T, Fang ZH, Sidler X, Selige C, Hofer A, Neuenschwander S, Pausch H. Infertility due to defective sperm flagella caused by an intronic deletion in DNAH17 that perturbs splicing. Genetics 2021; 217:6041611. [PMID: 33724408 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyaa033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Artificial insemination in pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) breeding involves the evaluation of the semen quality of breeding boars. Ejaculates that fulfill predefined quality requirements are processed, diluted and used for inseminations. Within short time, eight Swiss Large White boars producing immotile sperm that had multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella were noticed at a semen collection center. The eight boars were inbred on a common ancestor suggesting that the novel sperm flagella defect is a recessive trait. Transmission electron microscopy cross-sections revealed that the immotile sperm had disorganized flagellar axonemes. Haplotype-based association testing involving microarray-derived genotypes at 41,094 SNPs of six affected and 100 fertile boars yielded strong association (P = 4.22 × 10-15) at chromosome 12. Autozygosity mapping enabled us to pinpoint the causal mutation on a 1.11 Mb haplotype located between 3,473,632 and 4,587,759 bp. The haplotype carries an intronic 13-bp deletion (Chr12:3,556,401-3,556,414 bp) that is compatible with recessive inheritance. The 13-bp deletion excises the polypyrimidine tract upstream exon 56 of DNAH17 (XM_021066525.1: c.8510-17_8510-5del) encoding dynein axonemal heavy chain 17. Transcriptome analysis of the testis of two affected boars revealed that the loss of the polypyrimidine tract causes exon skipping which results in the in-frame loss of 89 amino acids from DNAH17. Disruption of DNAH17 impairs the assembly of the flagellar axoneme and manifests in multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella. Direct gene testing may now be implemented to monitor the defective allele in the Swiss Large White population and prevent the frequent manifestation of a sterilizing sperm tail disorder in breeding boars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adéla Nosková
- Animal Genomics, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zürich, 8315 Lindau, Switzerland
| | - Maya Hiltpold
- Animal Genomics, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zürich, 8315 Lindau, Switzerland
| | - Fredi Janett
- Clinic of Reproductive Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Echtermann
- Division of Swine Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Zih-Hua Fang
- Animal Genomics, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zürich, 8315 Lindau, Switzerland
| | - Xaver Sidler
- Division of Swine Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Stefan Neuenschwander
- Animal Genetics, Institute of Agricultural Science, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Hubert Pausch
- Animal Genomics, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zürich, 8315 Lindau, Switzerland
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Nosková A, Wurmser C, Crysnanto D, Sironen A, Uimari P, Fries R, Andersson M, Pausch H. Deletion of porcine BOLL is associated with defective acrosomes and subfertility in Yorkshire boars. Anim Genet 2020; 51:945-949. [PMID: 32975846 DOI: 10.1111/age.12998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
A recessive sperm defect of Yorkshire boars was detected more than a decade ago. Affected boars produce ejaculates that contain spermatozoa with defective acrosomes, resulting in low fertility. The acrosome defect was mapped to porcine chromosome 15 but the causal mutation has not been identified. We re-analyzed microarray-derived genotypes of affected boars and confirmed that the acrosome defect maps to a 12.24 Mb segment of porcine chromosome 15. To detect the mutation causing defective acrosomes, we sequenced the genomes of two affected and three unaffected boars to an average coverage of 11-fold. Read depth analysis revealed a 55 kb deletion that is associated with the acrosome defect. The deletion encompasses the BOLL gene encoding the boule homolog, an RNA binding protein which is an evolutionarily conserved member of the DAZ (Deleted in AZoospermia) gene family. Lack of BOLL expression causes spermatogenic arrest and sperm maturation failure in many species. Boars that carry the deletion in the homozygous state produce sperm but their acrosomes are defective, suggesting that lack of porcine BOLL compromises acrosome formation. Our findings warrant further research to investigate the role of BOLL during spermatogenesis and sperm maturation in pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Nosková
- Animal Genomics, ETH Zürich, Eschikon 27, Lindau, 8315, Switzerland
| | - C Wurmser
- Chair of Animal Breeding, TU München, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 1, Freising, 85354, Germany
| | - D Crysnanto
- Animal Genomics, ETH Zürich, Eschikon 27, Lindau, 8315, Switzerland
| | - A Sironen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Jokioinen, 31600, Finland
| | - P Uimari
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - R Fries
- Chair of Animal Breeding, TU München, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 1, Freising, 85354, Germany
| | - M Andersson
- Department of Production Animal Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - H Pausch
- Animal Genomics, ETH Zürich, Eschikon 27, Lindau, 8315, Switzerland
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