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Echols J, Siddiqui A, Dai Y, Havasi V, Sun R, Kaczmarczyk A, Keeling KM. A regulated NMD mouse model supports NMD inhibition as a viable therapeutic option to treat genetic diseases. Dis Model Mech 2020; 13:dmm044891. [PMID: 32737261 PMCID: PMC7473645 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.044891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) targets mRNAs that contain a premature termination codon (PTC) for degradation, preventing their translation. By altering the expression of PTC-containing mRNAs, NMD modulates the inheritance pattern and severity of genetic diseases. NMD also limits the efficiency of suppressing translation termination at PTCs, an emerging therapeutic approach to treat genetic diseases caused by in-frame PTCs (nonsense mutations). Inhibiting NMD may help rescue partial levels of protein expression. However, it is unclear whether long-term, global NMD attenuation is safe. We hypothesize that a degree of NMD inhibition can be safely tolerated after completion of prenatal development. To test this hypothesis, we generated a novel transgenic mouse that expresses an inducible, dominant-negative form of human UPF1 (dnUPF1) to inhibit NMD in mouse tissues by different degrees, allowing us to examine the effects of global NMD inhibition in vivo A thorough characterization of these mice indicated that expressing dnUPF1 at levels that promote relatively moderate to strong NMD inhibition in most tissues for a 1-month period produced modest immunological and bone alterations. In contrast, 1 month of dnUPF1 expression to promote more modest NMD inhibition in most tissues did not produce any discernable defects, indicating that moderate global NMD attenuation is generally well tolerated in non-neurological somatic tissues. Importantly, a modest level of NMD inhibition that produced no overt abnormalities was able to significantly enhance in vivo PTC suppression. These results suggest that safe levels of NMD attenuation are likely achievable, and this can help rescue protein deficiencies resulting from PTCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh Echols
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Amna Siddiqui
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Yanying Dai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Viktoria Havasi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Richard Sun
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Aneta Kaczmarczyk
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Kim M Keeling
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
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Way CM, Lima Cunha D, Moosajee M. Translational readthrough inducing drugs for the treatment of inherited retinal dystrophies. EXPERT REVIEW OF OPHTHALMOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/17469899.2020.1762489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M Way
- Development, Ageing and Disease, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK
| | - Dulce Lima Cunha
- Development, Ageing and Disease, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK
| | - Mariya Moosajee
- Development, Ageing and Disease, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
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A Novel Cosegregating DCTN1 Splice Site Variant in a Family with Bipolar Disorder May Hold the Key to Understanding the Etiology. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11040446. [PMID: 32325768 PMCID: PMC7231292 DOI: 10.3390/genes11040446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A novel cosegregating splice site variant in the Dynactin-1 (DCTN1) gene was discovered by Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) in a family with a history of bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive diagnosis (MDD). Psychiatric illness in this family follows an autosomal dominant pattern. DCTN1 codes for the largest dynactin subunit, namely p150Glued, which plays an essential role in retrograde axonal transport and in neuronal autophagy. A GT→TT transversion in the DCTN1 gene, uncovered in the present work, is predicted to disrupt the invariant canonical splice donor site IVS22 + 1G > T and result in intron retention and a premature termination codon (PTC). Thus, this splice site variant is predicted to trigger RNA nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) and/or result in a C-terminal truncated p150Glued protein (ct-p150Glued), thereby negatively impacting retrograde axonal transport and neuronal autophagy. BD prophylactic medications, and most antipsychotics and antidepressants, are known to enhance neuronal autophagy. This variant is analogous to the dominant-negative GLUED Gl1 mutation in Drosophila, which is responsible for a neurodegenerative phenotype. The newly identified variant may reflect an autosomal dominant cause of psychiatric pathology in this affected family. Factors that affect alternative splicing of the DCTN1 gene, leading to NMD and/or ct-p150Glued, may be of fundamental importance in contributing to our understanding of the etiology of BD as well as MDD.
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Keeling KM. Nonsense Suppression as an Approach to Treat Lysosomal Storage Diseases. Diseases 2016; 4:32. [PMID: 28367323 PMCID: PMC5370586 DOI: 10.3390/diseases4040032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2016] [Accepted: 10/14/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
In-frame premature termination codons (PTCs) (also referred to as nonsense mutations) comprise ~10% of all disease-associated gene lesions. PTCs reduce gene expression in two ways. First, PTCs prematurely terminate translation of an mRNA, leading to the production of a truncated polypeptide that often lacks normal function and/or is unstable. Second, PTCs trigger degradation of an mRNA by activating nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), a cellular pathway that recognizes and degrades mRNAs containing a PTC. Thus, translation termination and NMD are putative therapeutic targets for the development of treatments for genetic diseases caused by PTCs. Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in the identification of compounds with the ability to suppress translation termination of PTCs (also referred to as readthrough). More recently, NMD inhibitors have also been explored as a way to enhance the efficiency of PTC suppression. Due to their relatively low threshold for correction, lysosomal storage diseases are a particularly relevant group of diseases to investigate the feasibility of nonsense suppression as a therapeutic approach. In this review, the current status of PTC suppression and NMD inhibition as potential treatments for lysosomal storage diseases will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim M Keeling
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Gregory Fleming Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, Comprehensive Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, Bone, and Autoimmunity Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA; ; Tel.: +1-205-975-6585
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Matos L, Gonçalves V, Pinto E, Laranjeira F, Prata MJ, Jordan P, Desviat LR, Pérez B, Alves S. Functional analysis of splicing mutations in the IDS gene and the use of antisense oligonucleotides to exploit an alternative therapy for MPS II. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2015; 1852:2712-21. [PMID: 26407519 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2015.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Revised: 09/16/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Mucopolysaccharidosis II is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the IDS gene, including exonic alterations associated with aberrant splicing. In the present work, cell-based splicing assays were performed to study the effects of two splicing mutations in exon 3 of IDS, i.e., c.241C>T and c.257C>T, whose presence activates a cryptic splice site in exon 3 and one in exon 8, i.e., c.1122C>T that despite being a synonymous mutation is responsible for the creation of a new splice site in exon 8 leading to a transcript shorter than usual. Mutant minigene analysis and overexpression assays revealed that SRSF2 and hnRNP E1 might be involved in the use and repression of the constitutive 3' splice site of exon 3 respectively. For the c.1122C>T the use of antisense therapy to correct the splicing defect was explored, but transfection of patient fibroblasts with antisense morpholino oligonucleotides (n=3) and a locked nucleic acid failed to abolish the abnormal transcript; indeed, it resulted in the appearance of yet another aberrant splicing product. Interestingly, the oligonucleotides transfection in control fibroblasts led to the appearance of the aberrant transcript observed in patients' cells after treatment, which shows that the oligonucleotides are masking an important cis-acting element for 5' splice site regulation of exon 8. These results highlight the importance of functional studies for understanding the pathogenic consequences of mis-splicing and highlight the difficulty in developing antisense therapies involving gene regions under complex splicing regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana Matos
- Research and Development Unit, Department of Human Genetics, INSA, Porto, Portugal; Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Vânia Gonçalves
- Research and Development Unit, Department of Human Genetics, INSA, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Eugénia Pinto
- Biochemical Genetics Unit, Center for Medical Genetics Jacinto Magalhães, Porto Hospital Center, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Francisco Laranjeira
- Biochemical Genetics Unit, Center for Medical Genetics Jacinto Magalhães, Porto Hospital Center, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Maria João Prata
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde/IPATIMUP - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Peter Jordan
- Research and Development Unit, Department of Human Genetics, INSA, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Lourdes R Desviat
- Centro de Diagnóstico de Enfermedades Moleculares, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, UAM-CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain; IDIPaz, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Belén Pérez
- Centro de Diagnóstico de Enfermedades Moleculares, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, UAM-CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain; IDIPaz, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Sandra Alves
- Research and Development Unit, Department of Human Genetics, INSA, Porto, Portugal.
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Wong HT, McCartney DL, Lewis JC, Sampson JR, Howe CJ, de Vries PJ. Intellectual ability in tuberous sclerosis complex correlates with predicted effects of mutations on TSC1 and TSC2 proteins. J Med Genet 2015; 52:815-22. [DOI: 10.1136/jmedgenet-2015-103154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2015] [Accepted: 08/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Nonsense-mediated decay in genetic disease: friend or foe? MUTATION RESEARCH-REVIEWS IN MUTATION RESEARCH 2014; 762:52-64. [PMID: 25485595 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2014.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2013] [Revised: 05/02/2014] [Accepted: 05/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Eukaryotic cells utilize various RNA quality control mechanisms to ensure high fidelity of gene expression, thus protecting against the accumulation of nonfunctional RNA and the subsequent production of abnormal peptides. Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are largely responsible for protein production, and mRNA quality control is particularly important for protecting the cell against the downstream effects of genetic mutations. Nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) is an evolutionarily conserved mRNA quality control system in all eukaryotes that degrades transcripts containing premature termination codons (PTCs). By degrading these aberrant transcripts, NMD acts to prevent the production of truncated proteins that could otherwise harm the cell through various insults, such as dominant negative effects or the ER stress response. Although NMD functions to protect the cell against the deleterious effects of aberrant mRNA, there is a growing body of evidence that mutation-, codon-, gene-, cell-, and tissue-specific differences in NMD efficiency can alter the underlying pathology of genetic disease. In addition, the protective role that NMD plays in genetic disease can undermine current therapeutic strategies aimed at increasing the production of full-length functional protein from genes harboring nonsense mutations. Here, we review the normal function of this RNA surveillance pathway and how it is regulated, provide current evidence for the role that it plays in modulating genetic disease phenotypes, and how NMD can be used as a therapeutic target.
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Abstract
Nonsense suppression therapy encompasses approaches aimed at suppressing translation termination at in-frame premature termination codons (PTCs, also known as nonsense mutations) to restore deficient protein function. In this review, we examine the current status of PTC suppression as a therapy for genetic diseases caused by nonsense mutations. We discuss what is currently known about the mechanism of PTC suppression as well as therapeutic approaches under development to suppress PTCs. The approaches considered include readthrough drugs, suppressor tRNAs, PTC pseudouridylation, and inhibition of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. We also discuss the barriers that currently limit the clinical application of nonsense suppression therapy and suggest how some of these difficulties may be overcome. Finally, we consider how PTC suppression may play a role in the clinical treatment of genetic diseases caused by nonsense mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim M Keeling
- Department of Microbiology and Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294; , , ,
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Jantzen RR, Truelson SN, Choy FY. Human α-N-acetylglucosaminidase: cDNA cryptic site removal and native secretion signal addition significantly enhance enzyme expression and secretion. Process Biochem 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2013.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Keeling KM, Wang D, Dai Y, Murugesan S, Chenna B, Clark J, Belakhov V, Kandasamy J, Velu SE, Baasov T, Bedwell DM. Attenuation of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay enhances in vivo nonsense suppression. PLoS One 2013; 8:e60478. [PMID: 23593225 PMCID: PMC3622682 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0060478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 02/27/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonsense suppression therapy is an approach to treat genetic diseases caused by nonsense mutations. This therapeutic strategy pharmacologically suppresses translation termination at Premature Termination Codons (PTCs) in order to restore expression of functional protein. However, the process of Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay (NMD), which reduces the abundance of mRNAs containing PTCs, frequently limits this approach. Here, we used a mouse model of the lysosomal storage disease mucopolysaccharidosis I-Hurler (MPS I-H) that carries a PTC in the Idua locus to test whether NMD attenuation can enhance PTC suppression in vivo. Idua encodes alpha-L-iduronidase, an enzyme required for degradation of the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate. We found that the NMD attenuator NMDI-1 increased the abundance of the PTC-containing Idua transcript. Furthermore, co-administration of NMDI-1 with the PTC suppression drug gentamicin enhanced alpha-L-iduronidase activity compared to gentamicin alone, leading to a greater reduction of GAG storage in mouse tissues, including the brain. These results demonstrate that NMD attenuation significantly enhances suppression therapy in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim M Keeling
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America.
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Nguyen LS, Kim HG, Rosenfeld JA, Shen Y, Gusella JF, Lacassie Y, Layman LC, Shaffer LG, Gécz J. Contribution of copy number variants involving nonsense-mediated mRNA decay pathway genes to neuro-developmental disorders. Hum Mol Genet 2013; 22:1816-25. [PMID: 23376982 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddt035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) pathway functions not only to degrade transcripts containing premature termination codons (PTC), but also to regulate the transcriptome. UPF3B and RBM8A, important components of NMD, have been implicated in various forms of intellectual disability (ID) and Thrombocytopenia with Absent Radius (TAR) syndrome, which is also associated with ID. To gauge the contribution of other NMD factors to ID, we performed a comprehensive search for copy number variants (CNVs) of 18 NMD genes among individuals with ID and/or congenital anomalies. We identified 11 cases with heterozygous deletions of the genomic region encompassing UPF2, which encodes for a direct interacting protein of UPF3B. Using RNA-Seq, we showed that the genome-wide consequence of reduced expression of UPF2 is similar to that seen in patients with UPF3B mutations. Out of the 1009 genes found deregulated in patients with UPF2 deletions by at least 2-fold, majority (95%) were deregulated similarly in patients with UPF3B mutations. This supports the major role of deletion of UPF2 in ID. Furthermore, we found that four other NMD genes, UPF3A, SMG6, EIF4A3 and RNPS1 are frequently deleted and/or duplicated in the patients. We postulate that dosage imbalances of these NMD genes are likely to be the causes or act as predisposing factors for neuro-developmental disorders. Our findings further emphasize the importance of NMD pathway(s) in learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lam S Nguyen
- School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5006, Australia
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Coto E, Reguero JR, Palacín M, Gómez J, Alonso B, Iglesias S, Martín M, Tavira B, Díaz-Molina B, Morales C, Morís C, Rodríguez-Lambert JL, Corao AI, Díaz M, Alvarez V. Resequencing the whole MYH7 gene (including the intronic, promoter, and 3' UTR sequences) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. J Mol Diagn 2012; 14:518-24. [PMID: 22765922 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2012.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2012] [Revised: 04/03/2012] [Accepted: 04/11/2012] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
MYH7 mutations are found in ~20% of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients. Currently, mutational analysis is based on the sequencing of the coding exons and a few exon-flanking intronic nucleotides, resulting in omission of single-exon deletions and mutations in internal intronic, promoter, and 3' UTR regions. We amplified and sequenced large MYH7 fragments in 60 HCM patients without previously identified sarcomere mutations. Lack of aberrant PCR fragments excluded single-exon deletions in the patients. Instead, we identified several new rare intronic variants. An intron 26 single nucleotide insertion (-5 insC) was predicted to affect pre-mRNA splicing, but allele frequencies did not differ between patients and controls (n = 150). We found several rare promoter variants in the patients compared to controls, some of which were in binding sites for transcription factors and could thus affect gene expression. Only one rare 3' UTR variant (c.*29T>C) found in the patients was absent among the controls. This nucleotide change would not affect the binding of known microRNAs. Therefore, MYH7 mutations outside the coding exon sequences would be rarely found among HCM patients. However, changes in the promoter region could be linked to the risk of developing HCM. Further research to define the functional effect of these variants on gene expression is necessary to confirm the role of the MYH7 promoter in cardiac hypertrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliecer Coto
- Molecular Genetics-Laboratory of Medicine-Renal Foundation (IRSIN-FRIAT), University Central Hospital Asturias (HUCA), Oviedo, Spain.
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Keeling KM, Bedwell DM. Suppression of nonsense mutations as a therapeutic approach to treat genetic diseases. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2011; 2:837-52. [PMID: 21976286 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.95] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Suppression therapy is a treatment strategy for genetic diseases caused by nonsense mutations. This therapeutic approach utilizes pharmacological agents that suppress translation termination at in-frame premature termination codons (PTCs) to restore translation of a full-length, functional polypeptide. The efficiency of various classes of compounds to suppress PTCs in mammalian cells is discussed along with the current limitations of this therapy. We also elaborate on approaches to improve the efficiency of suppression that include methods to enhance the effectiveness of current suppression drugs and the design or discovery of new, more effective suppression agents. Finally, we discuss the role of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) in limiting the effectiveness of suppression therapy, and describe tactics that may allow the efficiency of NMD to be modulated in order to enhance suppression therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim M Keeling
- Department of Microbiology, Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
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Papp J, Kovacs ME, Solyom S, Kasler M, Børresen-Dale AL, Olah E. High prevalence of germline STK11 mutations in Hungarian Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome patients. BMC MEDICAL GENETICS 2010; 11:169. [PMID: 21118512 PMCID: PMC3012662 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2350-11-169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2010] [Accepted: 11/30/2010] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is a rare autosomal dominantly inherited disease characterized by gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyposis and mucocutaneous pigmentation. The genetic predisposition for PJS has been shown to be associated with germline mutations in the STK11/LKB1 tumor suppressor gene. The aim of the present study was to characterize Hungarian PJS patients with respect to germline mutation in STK11/LKB1 and their association to disease phenotype. METHODS Mutation screening of 21 patients from 13 PJS families were performed using direct DNA sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). Comparative semi-quantitative sequencing was applied to investigate the mRNA-level effects of nonsense and splice-affecting mutations. RESULTS Thirteen different pathogenic mutations in STK11, including a high frequency of large genomic deletions (38%, 5/13), were identified in the 13 unrelated families studied. One of these deletions also affects two neighboring genes (SBNO2 and GPX4), located upstream of STK11, with a possible modifier effect. The majority of the point mutations (88%, 7/8) can be considered novel. Quantification of the STK11 transcript at the mRNA-level revealed that the expression of alleles carrying a nonsense or frameshift mutation was reduced to 30-70% of that of the wild type allele. Mutations affecting splice-sites around exon 2 displayed an mRNA processing pattern indicative of co-regulated splicing of exons 2 and 3. CONCLUSIONS A combination of sensitive techniques may assure a high (100%) STK11 mutation detection frequency in PJS families. Characterization of mutations at mRNA level may give a deeper insight into the molecular consequences of the pathogenic mutations than predictions made solely at the genomic level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janos Papp
- Department of Molecular Genetics, National Institute of Oncology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Marietta Eva Kovacs
- Department of Molecular Genetics, National Institute of Oncology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Szilvia Solyom
- Department of Molecular Genetics, National Institute of Oncology, Budapest, Hungary
- Laboratory of Cancer Genetics, Department of Clinical Genetics and Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
| | - Miklos Kasler
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, National Institute of Oncology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anne-Lise Børresen-Dale
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Univeristy of Oslo, Norway
| | - Edith Olah
- Department of Molecular Genetics, National Institute of Oncology, Budapest, Hungary
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