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Tsetsos F, Topaloudi A, Jain P, Yang Z, Yu D, Kolovos P, Tumer Z, Rizzo R, Hartmann A, Depienne C, Worbe Y, Müller-Vahl KR, Cath DC, Boomsma DI, Wolanczyk T, Zekanowski C, Barta C, Nemoda Z, Tarnok Z, Padmanabhuni SS, Buxbaum JD, Grice D, Glennon J, Stefansson H, Hengerer B, Yannaki E, Stamatoyannopoulos JA, Benaroya-Milshtein N, Cardona F, Hedderly T, Heyman I, Huyser C, Mir P, Morer A, Mueller N, Munchau A, Plessen KJ, Porcelli C, Roessner V, Walitza S, Schrag A, Martino D, Tischfield JA, Heiman GA, Willsey AJ, Dietrich A, Davis LK, Crowley JJ, Mathews CA, Scharf JM, Georgitsi M, Hoekstra PJ, Paschou P. Genome-Wide Association Study Points to Novel Locus for Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome. Biol Psychiatry 2024; 96:114-124. [PMID: 36738982 PMCID: PMC10783199 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.01.023] [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: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tourette syndrome (TS) is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder of complex genetic architecture and is characterized by multiple motor tics and at least one vocal tic persisting for more than 1 year. METHODS We performed a genome-wide meta-analysis integrating a novel TS cohort with previously published data, resulting in a sample size of 6133 individuals with TS and 13,565 ancestry-matched control participants. RESULTS We identified a genome-wide significant locus on chromosome 5q15. Integration of expression quantitative trait locus, Hi-C (high-throughput chromosome conformation capture), and genome-wide association study data implicated the NR2F1 gene and associated long noncoding RNAs within the 5q15 locus. Heritability partitioning identified statistically significant enrichment in brain tissue histone marks, while polygenic risk scoring of brain volume data identified statistically significant associations with right and left thalamus volumes and right putamen volume. CONCLUSIONS Our work presents novel insights into the neurobiology of TS, thereby opening up new directions for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fotis Tsetsos
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Apostolia Topaloudi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Pritesh Jain
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Zhiyu Yang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Dongmei Yu
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Petros Kolovos
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Zeynep Tumer
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Kennedy Center, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen
| | - Renata Rizzo
- Child and Adolescent Neurology and Psychiatry, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Andreas Hartmann
- Department of Neurology, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Christel Depienne
- Institute for Human Genetics, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Yulia Worbe
- Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Hopital Saint Antoine, Paris France
- French Reference Centre for Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Kirsten R. Müller-Vahl
- Department of Psychiatry, Social psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Danielle C. Cath
- Department of Clinical and health Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Dorret I. Boomsma
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
- EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Tomasz Wolanczyk
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Cezary Zekanowski
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics, Department of Neurodegenerative Disorders, Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Csaba Barta
- Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsofia Nemoda
- Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsanett Tarnok
- Vadaskert Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hungary
| | | | - Joseph D. Buxbaum
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
- The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
| | - Dorothy Grice
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
- The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
- Division of Tics, OCD, and Related Disorders, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA
| | - Jeffrey Glennon
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Netherlands
| | | | - Bastian Hengerer
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, CNS Research, Germany
| | - Evangelia Yannaki
- Hematology Department- Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Unit, Gene and Cell Therapy Center, George Papanikolaou Hospital, Greece
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, WA, USA
| | - John A. Stamatoyannopoulos
- Altius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, WA, USA
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, WA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, University of Washington, WA, USA
| | - Noa Benaroya-Milshtein
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Schneider Children’s Medical Centre of Israel, Petah-Tikva. Affiliated to Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Francesco Cardona
- Department of Human Neurosciences, University La Sapienza of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Tammy Hedderly
- Evelina London Children’s Hospital GSTT, Kings Health Partners AHSC, London, UK
| | - Isobel Heyman
- Psychological Medicine, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Great Ormond Street, London, UK
| | - Chaim Huyser
- Levvel, Academic Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Pablo Mir
- Unidad de Trastornos del Movimiento. Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS). Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla. Seville, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Astrid Morer
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clinic Universitari, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomediques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigacion en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto Carlos III, Spain
| | - Norbert Mueller
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Alexander Munchau
- Institute of Systems Motor Science, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Kerstin J Plessen
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark and University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Cesare Porcelli
- ASL BA, Maternal and Childood Department; Adolescence and Childhood Neuropsychiatry Unit; Bari, Italy
| | - Veit Roessner
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Susanne Walitza
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anette Schrag
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Davide Martino
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine & Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jay A. Tischfield
- Department of Genetics and the Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Gary A. Heiman
- Department of Genetics and the Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - A. Jeremy Willsey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Andrea Dietrich
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Lea K. Davis
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - James J. Crowley
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Carol A. Mathews
- Department of Psychiatry and Genetics Institute, University of Florida College of Medicine, USA
| | - Jeremiah M. Scharf
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marianthi Georgitsi
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
- 1st Laboratory of Medical Biology-Genetics, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Pieter J. Hoekstra
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Peristera Paschou
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
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Bonzano S, Dallorto E, Bovetti S, Studer M, De Marchis S. Mitochondrial regulation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis: Insights into neurological function and neurodevelopmental disorders. Neurobiol Dis 2024; 199:106604. [PMID: 39002810 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2024.106604] [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: 06/10/2024] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria are essential regulators of cellular energy metabolism and play a crucial role in the maintenance and function of neuronal cells. Studies in the last decade have highlighted the importance of mitochondrial dynamics and bioenergetics in adult neurogenesis, a process that significantly influences cognitive function and brain plasticity. In this review, we examine the mechanisms by which mitochondria regulate adult neurogenesis, focusing on the impact of mitochondrial function on the behavior of neural stem/progenitor cells and the maturation and plasticity of newborn neurons in the adult mouse hippocampus. In addition, we explore the link between mitochondrial dysfunction, adult hippocampal neurogenesis and genes associated with cognitive deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders. In particular, we provide insights into how alterations in the transcriptional regulator NR2F1 affect mitochondrial dynamics and may contribute to the pathophysiology of the emerging neurodevelopmental disorder Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf optic atrophy syndrome (BBSOAS). Understanding how genes involved in embryonic and adult neurogenesis affect mitochondrial function in neurological diseases might open new directions for therapeutic interventions aimed at boosting mitochondrial function during postnatal life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Bonzano
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (DBIOS), University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Turin 10123, Italy; Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano 10043, Italy
| | - Eleonora Dallorto
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (DBIOS), University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Turin 10123, Italy; Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano 10043, Italy; Institute de Biologie Valrose (iBV), Université Cote d'Azur (UCA), CNRS 7277, Inserm 1091, Avenue Valrose 28, Nice 06108, France
| | - Serena Bovetti
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (DBIOS), University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Turin 10123, Italy; Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano 10043, Italy
| | - Michèle Studer
- Institute de Biologie Valrose (iBV), Université Cote d'Azur (UCA), CNRS 7277, Inserm 1091, Avenue Valrose 28, Nice 06108, France
| | - Silvia De Marchis
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (DBIOS), University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, Turin 10123, Italy; Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano 10043, Italy.
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Brase L, Yu Y, McDade E, Harari O, Benitez BA. Comparative gene regulatory networks modulating APOE expression in microglia and astrocytes. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.04.19.24306098. [PMID: 38699303 PMCID: PMC11065001 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.19.24306098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Background Single-cell technologies have unveiled various transcriptional states in different brain cell types. Transcription factors (TFs) regulate the expression of related gene sets, thereby controlling these diverse expression states. Apolipoprotein E ( APOE ), a pivotal risk-modifying gene in Alzheimer's disease (AD), is expressed in specific glial transcriptional states associated with AD. However, it is still unknown whether the upstream regulatory programs that modulate its expression are shared across brain cell types or specific to microglia and astrocytes. Methods We used pySCENIC to construct state-specific gene regulatory networks (GRNs) for resting and activated cell states within microglia and astrocytes based on single-nucleus RNA sequencing data from AD patients' cortices from the Knight ADRC-DIAN cohort. We then identified replicating TF using data from the ROSMAP cohort. We identified sets of genes co-regulated with APOE by clustering the GRN target genes and identifying genes differentially expressed after the virtual knockout of TFs regulating APOE . We performed enrichment analyses on these gene sets and evaluated their overlap with genes found in AD GWAS loci. Results We identified an average of 96 replicating regulators for each microglial and astrocyte cell state. Our analysis identified the CEBP, JUN, FOS, and FOXO TF families as key regulators of microglial APOE expression. The steroid/thyroid hormone receptor families, including the THR TF family, consistently regulated APOE across astrocyte states, while CEBP and JUN TF families were also involved in resting astrocytes. AD GWAS-associated genes ( PGRN , FCGR3A , CTSH , ABCA1 , MARCKS , CTSB , SQSTM1 , TSC22D4 , FCER1G , and HLA genes) are co-regulated with APOE. We also uncovered that APOE-regulating TFs were linked to circadian rhythm ( BHLHE40 , DBP , XBP1 , CREM , SREBF1 , FOXO3 , and NR2F1 ). Conclusions Our findings reveal a novel perspective on the transcriptional regulation of APOE in the human brain. We found a comprehensive and cell-type-specific regulatory landscape for APOE , revealing distinct and shared regulatory mechanisms across microglia and astrocytes, underscoring the complexity of APOE regulation. APOE -co-regulated genes might also affect AD risk. Furthermore, our study uncovers a potential link between circadian rhythm disruption and APOE regulation, shedding new light on the pathogenesis of AD.
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Chowdhury G, Umeda K, Ohyanagi T, Nasu K, Yamasu K. Involvement of nr2f genes in brain regionalization and eye development during early zebrafish development. Dev Growth Differ 2024; 66:145-160. [PMID: 38263801 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12912] [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: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Nuclear receptor subfamily 2 group F (Nr2f) proteins are essential for brain development in mice, but little is known about their precise roles and their evolutionary diversification. In the present study, the expression patterns of major nr2f genes (nr2f1a, nr2f1b, and nr2f2) during early brain development were investigated in zebrafish. Comparisons of their expression patterns revealed similar but temporally and spatially distinct patterns after early somite stages in the brain. Frameshift mutations in the three nr2f genes, achieved using the CRISPR/Cas9 method, resulted in a smaller telencephalon and smaller eyes in the nr2f1a mutants; milder forms of those defects were present in the nr2f1b and nr2f2 mutants. Acridine orange staining revealed enhanced cell death in the brain and/or eyes in all nr2f homozygous mutants. The expression of regional markers in the brain did not suggest global defects in brain regionalization; however, shha expression in the preoptic area and hypothalamus, as well as fgf8a expression in the anterior telencephalon, was disturbed in nr2f1a and nr2f1b mutants, potentially leading to a defective telencephalon. Specification of the retina and optic stalk was also significantly affected. The overexpression of nr2f1b by injection of mRNA disrupted the anterior brain at a high dose, and the expression of pax6a in the eyes and fgf8a in the telencephalon at a low dose. The results of these loss- and gain-of-function approaches showed that nr2f genes regulate the development of the telencephalon and eyes in zebrafish embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gazlima Chowdhury
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Aquatic Environment and Resource Management, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Koto Umeda
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan
| | - Takero Ohyanagi
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan
| | - Kouhei Nasu
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan
| | - Kyo Yamasu
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan
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Zhang X, Leavey P, Appel H, Makrides N, Blackshaw S. Molecular mechanisms controlling vertebrate retinal patterning, neurogenesis, and cell fate specification. Trends Genet 2023; 39:736-757. [PMID: 37423870 PMCID: PMC10529299 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2023.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
This review covers recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling neurogenesis and specification of the developing retina, with a focus on insights obtained from comparative single cell multiomic analysis. We discuss recent advances in understanding the mechanisms by which extrinsic factors trigger transcriptional changes that spatially pattern the optic cup (OC) and control the initiation and progression of retinal neurogenesis. We also discuss progress in unraveling the core evolutionarily conserved gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that specify early- and late-state retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) and neurogenic progenitors and that control the final steps in determining cell identity. Finally, we discuss findings that provide insight into regulation of species-specific aspects of retinal patterning and neurogenesis, including consideration of key outstanding questions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Patrick Leavey
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Haley Appel
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Neoklis Makrides
- Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Seth Blackshaw
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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van Renterghem V, Vilain C, Devriendt K, Casteels I, Smits G, Soblet J, Balikova I. Two siblings with Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf optic atrophy syndrome due to parental gonadal mosaicism. Eur J Med Genet 2023; 66:104729. [PMID: 36775012 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmg.2023.104729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf Optic Atrophy Syndrome (BBSOAS, OMIM 615722) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by intellectual disability, optic atrophy, cortical visual impairment, mild facial dysmorphism, hypotonia, hearing problems, attention deficit and a thin corpus callosum. The gene underlying this disorder is NR2F1 located on chromosome 5q15 which encodes for a nuclear receptor protein. Mutations and deletions have been identified in patients. Here we report on a brother and a sister carrying a pathogenic nonsense NR2F1 variant. The patients have a mild phenotype showing optic atrophy, mild intellectual disability, dysmorphic features and thin corpus callosum. This correlates with previously described milder phenotypes in patients with mutations in this domain. The variant was not identified in the parental genome indicating most likely a gonadal mosaicism. Gonadal mosaicism has not yet been reported in Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf Optic Atrophy Syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Catheline Vilain
- Department of Genetics, University Hospital Erasme, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Ingele Casteels
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Guillaume Smits
- Department of Genetics, University Hospital Erasme, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Julie Soblet
- Department of Genetics, University Hospital Erasme, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Irina Balikova
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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Rocatcher A, Desquiret-Dumas V, Charif M, Ferré M, Gohier P, Mirebeau-Prunier D, Verny C, Milea D, Lenaers G, Bonneau D, Reynier P, Amati-Bonneau P. The top 10 most frequently involved genes in hereditary optic neuropathies in 2186 probands. Brain 2023; 146:455-460. [PMID: 36317462 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hereditary optic neuropathies are caused by the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells whose axons form the optic nerves, with a consistent genetic heterogeneity. As part of our diagnostic activity, we retrospectively evaluated the combination of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy mutations testing with the exon sequencing of 87 nuclear genes on 2186 patients referred for suspected hereditary optic neuropathies. The positive diagnosis rate in individuals referred for Leber hereditary optic neuropathy testing was 18% (199/1126 index cases), with 92% (184/199) carrying one of the three main pathogenic variants of mitochondrial DNA (m.11778G>A, 66.5%; m.3460G>A, 15% and m.14484T>C, 11%). The positive diagnosis rate in individuals referred for autosomal dominant or recessive optic neuropathies was 27% (451/1680 index cases), with 10 genes accounting together for 96% of this cohort. This represents an overall positive diagnostic rate of 30%. The identified top 10 nuclear genes included OPA1, WFS1, ACO2, SPG7, MFN2, AFG3L2, RTN4IP1, TMEM126A, NR2F1 and FDXR. Eleven additional genes, each accounting for less than 1% of cases, were identified in 17 individuals. Our results show that 10 major genes account for more than 96% of the cases diagnosed with our nuclear gene panel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aude Rocatcher
- Département d'Ophtalmologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Valérie Desquiret-Dumas
- Université d'Angers, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS 6015), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM U1083), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, 49000 Angers, France
| | - Majida Charif
- Université d'Angers, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS 6015), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM U1083), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, 49000 Angers, France
- Genetics and Immuno-Cell Therapy Team, Mohammed First University, Oujda 60000, Morocco
| | - Marc Ferré
- Université d'Angers, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS 6015), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM U1083), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, 49000 Angers, France
| | - Philippe Gohier
- Département d'Ophtalmologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Delphine Mirebeau-Prunier
- Université d'Angers, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS 6015), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM U1083), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, 49000 Angers, France
| | - Christophe Verny
- Université d'Angers, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS 6015), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM U1083), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, 49000 Angers, France
- Département de Neurologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Dan Milea
- Département d'Ophtalmologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
- Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore Eye Research Institute, Duke-NUS 169857, Singapore
| | - Guy Lenaers
- Université d'Angers, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS 6015), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM U1083), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, 49000 Angers, France
- Département de Neurologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Dominique Bonneau
- Université d'Angers, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS 6015), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM U1083), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, 49000 Angers, France
- Département de Génétique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Pascal Reynier
- Université d'Angers, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS 6015), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM U1083), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, 49000 Angers, France
- Département de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Patrizia Amati-Bonneau
- Université d'Angers, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS 6015), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM U1083), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, 49000 Angers, France
- Département de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
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8
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Cardozo MJ, Sánchez-Bustamante E, Bovolenta P. Optic cup morphogenesis across species and related inborn human eye defects. Development 2023; 150:286775. [PMID: 36714981 PMCID: PMC10110496 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200399] [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: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The vertebrate eye is shaped as a cup, a conformation that optimizes vision and is acquired early in development through a process known as optic cup morphogenesis. Imaging living, transparent teleost embryos and mammalian stem cell-derived organoids has provided insights into the rearrangements that eye progenitors undergo to adopt such a shape. Molecular and pharmacological interference with these rearrangements has further identified the underlying molecular machineries and the physical forces involved in this morphogenetic process. In this Review, we summarize the resulting scenarios and proposed models that include common and species-specific events. We further discuss how these studies and those in environmentally adapted blind species may shed light on human inborn eye malformations that result from failures in optic cup morphogenesis, including microphthalmia, anophthalmia and coloboma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos J Cardozo
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, c/ Nicolás Cabrera 1, Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), c/ Nicolás Cabrera 1, Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Elena Sánchez-Bustamante
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, c/ Nicolás Cabrera 1, Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), c/ Nicolás Cabrera 1, Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Paola Bovolenta
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, c/ Nicolás Cabrera 1, Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), c/ Nicolás Cabrera 1, Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain
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9
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Basavarajappa D, Gupta V, Chitranshi N, Wall R, Rajput R, Pushpitha K, Sharma S, Mirzaei M, Klistorner A, Graham S. Siponimod exerts neuroprotective effects on the retina and higher visual pathway through neuronal S1PR1 in experimental glaucoma. Neural Regen Res 2023; 18:840-848. [DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.344952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
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10
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Sun Y, Guo L, Sha J, Tao H, Wang X, Liu Y, Zhai J, Wu J, Zhao Y. A fetus with Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf optic atrophy syndrome characterized by bilateral ventricle widening: A case report and related literature review. Medicine (Baltimore) 2022; 101:e30558. [PMID: 36221391 PMCID: PMC9543064 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000030558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
RATIONALE Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf optic atrophy syndrome (BBSOAS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused by loss-of-function variants in the Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 2 Group F Member 1 (NR2F1). Here, we report a case of fetal BBSOAS. The fetus is typically featured by bilateral ventricle widening in the late second trimester, meanwhile, a 7.94-Mb deletion fragment on 5q14.3q15 involving the whole NR2F1 gene was confirmed by copy number variation sequencing (CNV-Seq) combined with karyotyping analysis. Our aim is to provide comprehensive prenatal clinical management strategy for fetal BBSOAS. PATIENT CONCERNS A 29-year-old primipara and her husband were referred to our prenatal diagnosis center due to the widening of bilateral ventricles at 29 + 1 weeks of gestation age. DIAGNOSES Ultrasound revealed the fetal widening posterior horns of bilateral ventricles at the GA of 27 + 3 weeks, 11 mm on the left and 10 mm on the right. At the following 29 + 1 weeks, ultrasound showed the posterior horn of the left lateral ventricle: 12 mm while the width of the right decreased to 9 mm, and intracranial arachnoid cyst. Furthermore, MRI confirmed that intracranial cyst might originate from an enlarged cisterna venae magnae cerebri, with mild dilation of 13.5 mm on the left ventricle. The fetal karyotyping analysis and CNV-Seq detection confirmed a 7.94-Mb deleted fragment on 5q14.3q15 (89340000_97280000) through the amniocentesis at 29 + 4 weeks of GA. INTERVENTIONS The fetus was closely monitored and underwent the following assessment by the multidisciplinary team. OUTCOMES The pregnancy was terminated in the end. LESSONS It is vital to use molecular and cytogenetical detections combined with a dynamic development history to make a definite diagnosis and evaluate the genetic status for the fetuses with BBSOAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Sun
- Graduate School of Xuzhou Medical University, Jiangsu Xuzhou, China
- Department of Prenatal Diagnosis Medical Center, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou Clinical School of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Department of obstetrics, Fengxian People’s Hospital, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lili Guo
- Department of Prenatal Diagnosis Medical Center, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou Clinical School of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Graduate School of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Jing Sha
- Department of Prenatal Diagnosis Medical Center, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou Clinical School of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Huimin Tao
- Graduate School of Xuzhou Medical University, Jiangsu Xuzhou, China
- Department of Prenatal Diagnosis Medical Center, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou Clinical School of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xuezhen Wang
- Department of Prenatal Diagnosis Medical Center, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou Clinical School of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Graduate School of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Department of Prenatal Diagnosis Medical Center, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou Clinical School of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jingfang Zhai
- Graduate School of Xuzhou Medical University, Jiangsu Xuzhou, China
- Department of Prenatal Diagnosis Medical Center, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou Clinical School of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China
- *Correspondence: Jingfang Zhai, Department of Prenatal Diagnosis Medical Center, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou Clinical School of Xuzhou Medical University, Jiefang South Road No.199, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221009, China (e-mail: )
| | - Jiebin Wu
- Graduate School of Xuzhou Medical University, Jiangsu Xuzhou, China
- Department of Prenatal Diagnosis Medical Center, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou Clinical School of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yongxiu Zhao
- Department of laboratory, Taixing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Taixing, Jiangsu, China
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11
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Pathophysiological Heterogeneity of the BBSOA Neurodevelopmental Syndrome. Cells 2022; 11:cells11081260. [PMID: 35455940 PMCID: PMC9024734 DOI: 10.3390/cells11081260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation and maturation of the human brain is regulated by highly coordinated developmental events, such as neural cell proliferation, migration and differentiation. Any impairment of these interconnected multi-factorial processes can affect brain structure and function and lead to distinctive neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we review the pathophysiology of the Bosch–Boonstra–Schaaf Optic Atrophy Syndrome (BBSOAS; OMIM 615722; ORPHA 401777), a recently described monogenic neurodevelopmental syndrome caused by the haploinsufficiency of NR2F1 gene, a key transcriptional regulator of brain development. Although intellectual disability, developmental delay and visual impairment are arguably the most common symptoms affecting BBSOAS patients, multiple additional features are often reported, including epilepsy, autistic traits and hypotonia. The presence of specific symptoms and their variable level of severity might depend on still poorly characterized genotype–phenotype correlations. We begin with an overview of the several mutations of NR2F1 identified to date, then further focuses on the main pathological features of BBSOAS patients, providing evidence—whenever possible—for the existing genotype–phenotype correlations. On the clinical side, we lay out an up-to-date list of clinical examinations and therapeutic interventions recommended for children with BBSOAS. On the experimental side, we describe state-of-the-art in vivo and in vitro studies aiming at deciphering the role of mouse Nr2f1, in physiological conditions and in pathological contexts, underlying the BBSOAS features. Furthermore, by modeling distinct NR2F1 genetic alterations in terms of dimer formation and nuclear receptor binding efficiencies, we attempt to estimate the total amounts of functional NR2F1 acting in developing brain cells in normal and pathological conditions. Finally, using the NR2F1 gene and BBSOAS as a paradigm of monogenic rare neurodevelopmental disorder, we aim to set the path for future explorations of causative links between impaired brain development and the appearance of symptoms in human neurological syndromes.
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12
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Ecology and evolution of dormant metastasis. Trends Cancer 2022; 8:570-582. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2022.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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13
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Genetic Complementation of ATP Synthase Deficiency Due to Dysfunction of TMEM70 Assembly Factor in Rat. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10020276. [PMID: 35203486 PMCID: PMC8869460 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10020276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations of the TMEM70 gene disrupt the biogenesis of the ATP synthase and represent the most frequent cause of autosomal recessive encephalo-cardio-myopathy with neonatal onset. Patient tissues show isolated defects in the ATP synthase, leading to the impaired mitochondrial synthesis of ATP and insufficient energy provision. In the current study, we tested the efficiency of gene complementation by using a transgenic rescue approach in spontaneously hypertensive rats with the targeted Tmem70 gene (SHR-Tmem70ko/ko), which leads to embryonic lethality. We generated SHR-Tmem70ko/ko knockout rats expressing the Tmem70 wild-type transgene (SHR-Tmem70ko/ko,tg/tg) under the control of the EF-1α universal promoter. Transgenic rescue resulted in viable animals that showed the variable expression of the Tmem70 transgene across the range of tissues and only minor differences in terms of the growth parameters. The TMEM70 protein was restored to 16–49% of the controls in the liver and heart, which was sufficient for the full biochemical complementation of ATP synthase biogenesis as well as for mitochondrial energetic function in the liver. In the heart, we observed partial biochemical complementation, especially in SHR-Tmem70ko/ko,tg/0 hemizygotes. As a result, this led to a minor impairment in left ventricle function. Overall, the transgenic rescue of Tmem70 in SHR-Tmem70ko/ko knockout rats resulted in the efficient complementation of ATP synthase deficiency and thus in the successful genetic treatment of an otherwise fatal mitochondrial disorder.
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14
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Tocco C, Bertacchi M, Studer M. Structural and Functional Aspects of the Neurodevelopmental Gene NR2F1: From Animal Models to Human Pathology. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 14:767965. [PMID: 34975398 PMCID: PMC8715095 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.767965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The assembly and maturation of the mammalian brain result from an intricate cascade of highly coordinated developmental events, such as cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Any impairment of this delicate multi-factorial process can lead to complex neurodevelopmental diseases, sharing common pathogenic mechanisms and molecular pathways resulting in multiple clinical signs. A recently described monogenic neurodevelopmental syndrome named Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf Optic Atrophy Syndrome (BBSOAS) is caused by NR2F1 haploinsufficiency. The NR2F1 gene, coding for a transcriptional regulator belonging to the steroid/thyroid hormone receptor superfamily, is known to play key roles in several brain developmental processes, from proliferation and differentiation of neural progenitors to migration and identity acquisition of neocortical neurons. In a clinical context, the disruption of these cellular processes could underlie the pathogenesis of several symptoms affecting BBSOAS patients, such as intellectual disability, visual impairment, epilepsy, and autistic traits. In this review, we will introduce NR2F1 protein structure, molecular functioning, and expression profile in the developing mouse brain. Then, we will focus on Nr2f1 several functions during cortical development, from neocortical area and cell-type specification to maturation of network activity, hippocampal development governing learning behaviors, assembly of the visual system, and finally establishment of cortico-spinal descending tracts regulating motor execution. Whenever possible, we will link experimental findings in animal or cellular models to corresponding features of the human pathology. Finally, we will highlight some of the unresolved questions on the diverse functions played by Nr2f1 during brain development, in order to propose future research directions. All in all, we believe that understanding BBSOAS mechanisms will contribute to further unveiling pathophysiological mechanisms shared by several neurodevelopmental disorders and eventually lead to effective treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Tocco
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Nice, France
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15
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Antonelli F, Casciati A, Belles M, Serra N, Linares-Vidal MV, Marino C, Mancuso M, Pazzaglia S. Long-Term Effects of Ionizing Radiation on the Hippocampus: Linking Effects of the Sonic Hedgehog Pathway Activation with Radiation Response. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212605. [PMID: 34830484 PMCID: PMC8624704 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Radiation therapy represents one of the primary treatment modalities for primary and metastatic brain tumors. Although recent advances in radiation techniques, that allow the delivery of higher radiation doses to the target volume, reduce the toxicity to normal tissues, long-term neurocognitive decline is still a detrimental factor significantly affecting quality of life, particularly in pediatric patients. This imposes the need for the development of prevention strategies. Based on recent evidence, showing that manipulation of the Shh pathway carries therapeutic potential for brain repair and functional recovery after injury, here we evaluate how radiation-induced hippocampal alterations are modulated by the constitutive activation of the Shh signaling pathway in Patched 1 heterozygous mice (Ptch1+/-). Our results show, for the first time, an overall protective effect of constitutive Shh pathway activation on hippocampal radiation injury. This activation, through modulation of the proneural gene network, leads to a long-term reduction of hippocampal deficits in the stem cell and new neuron compartments and to the mitigation of radio-induced astrogliosis, despite some behavioral alterations still being detected in Ptch1+/- mice. A better understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms responsible for the neural decline following irradiation is essential for identifying prevention measures to contain the harmful consequences of irradiation. Our data have important translational implications as they suggest a role for Shh pathway manipulation to provide the therapeutic possibility of improving brain repair and functional recovery after radio-induced injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Antonelli
- Division of Health Protection Technologies, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), 00123 Rome, Italy; (A.C.); (C.M.); (M.M.)
- Correspondence: (F.A.); (S.P.)
| | - Arianna Casciati
- Division of Health Protection Technologies, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), 00123 Rome, Italy; (A.C.); (C.M.); (M.M.)
| | - Montserrat Belles
- Physiology Unit, School of Medicine, Rovira I Virgili University (URV), 43007 Reus, Spain; (M.B.); (N.S.); (M.V.L.-V.)
| | - Noemi Serra
- Physiology Unit, School of Medicine, Rovira I Virgili University (URV), 43007 Reus, Spain; (M.B.); (N.S.); (M.V.L.-V.)
| | - Maria Victoria Linares-Vidal
- Physiology Unit, School of Medicine, Rovira I Virgili University (URV), 43007 Reus, Spain; (M.B.); (N.S.); (M.V.L.-V.)
| | - Carmela Marino
- Division of Health Protection Technologies, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), 00123 Rome, Italy; (A.C.); (C.M.); (M.M.)
| | - Mariateresa Mancuso
- Division of Health Protection Technologies, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), 00123 Rome, Italy; (A.C.); (C.M.); (M.M.)
| | - Simonetta Pazzaglia
- Division of Health Protection Technologies, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), 00123 Rome, Italy; (A.C.); (C.M.); (M.M.)
- Correspondence: (F.A.); (S.P.)
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16
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Gazdagh G, Mawby R, Self JE, Baralle D. A severe case of Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf optic atrophy syndrome with a novel description of coloboma and septo-optic dysplasia, owing to a start codon variant in the NR2F1 gene. Am J Med Genet A 2021; 188:900-906. [PMID: 34787370 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.62569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf optic atrophy syndrome (BBSOAS) is a rare congenital syndrome characterized by a range of phenotypes including optic atrophy and intellectual disability among other features. Pathogenic variants in the NR2F1 (nuclear receptor subfamily 2 group F member 1) gene have been linked to this condition. A recent report has shown that pathogenic variants in the start codon lead to decreased expression of the NR2F1 protein and a relatively mild phenotype, similar to that seen in whole gene deletions, and due to the lack of the dominant negative effect. Here we describe a severe case of BBSOAS with an initiation codon missense variant. The developmental delay, seizures, optic atrophy are in keeping with features observed in this condition, however this is the first report to describe colobomas and septo-optic dysplasia as associated features potentially extending the phenotype linked to BBSOAS. In addition, this is the first description of a severe phenotype linked to a de novo missense variant in the start codon of the NR2F1 gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella Gazdagh
- Wessex Clinical Genetics Service, Princess Anne Hospital, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Southampton, UK
| | - Rebecca Mawby
- Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Jay E Self
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.,Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Southampton, UK
| | - Diana Baralle
- Wessex Clinical Genetics Service, Princess Anne Hospital, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Southampton, UK.,Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
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17
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Jurkute N, Bertacchi M, Arno G, Tocco C, Kim US, Kruszewski AM, Avery RA, Bedoukian EC, Han J, Ahn SJ, Pontikos N, Acheson J, Davagnanam I, Bowman R, Kaliakatsos M, Gardham A, Wakeling E, Oluonye N, Reddy MA, Clark E, Rosser E, Amati-Bonneau P, Charif M, Lenaers G, Meunier I, Defoort S, Vincent-Delorme C, Robson AG, Holder GE, Jeanjean L, Martinez-Monseny A, Vidal-Santacana M, Dominici C, Gaggioli C, Giordano N, Caleo M, Liu GT, Webster AR, Studer M, Yu-Wai-Man P. Pathogenic NR2F1 variants cause a developmental ocular phenotype recapitulated in a mutant mouse model. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcab162. [PMID: 34466801 PMCID: PMC8397830 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic NR2F1 variants cause a rare autosomal dominant neurodevelopmental disorder referred to as the Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf Optic Atrophy Syndrome. Although visual loss is a prominent feature seen in affected individuals, the molecular and cellular mechanisms contributing to visual impairment are still poorly characterized. We conducted a deep phenotyping study on a cohort of 22 individuals carrying pathogenic NR2F1 variants to document the neurodevelopmental and ophthalmological manifestations, in particular the structural and functional changes within the retina and the optic nerve, which have not been detailed previously. The visual impairment became apparent in early childhood with small and/or tilted hypoplastic optic nerves observed in 10 cases. High-resolution optical coherence tomography imaging confirmed significant loss of retinal ganglion cells with thinning of the ganglion cell layer, consistent with electrophysiological evidence of retinal ganglion cells dysfunction. Interestingly, for those individuals with available longitudinal ophthalmological data, there was no significant deterioration in visual function during the period of follow-up. Diffusion tensor imaging tractography studies showed defective connections and disorganization of the extracortical visual pathways. To further investigate how pathogenic NR2F1 variants impact on retinal and optic nerve development, we took advantage of an Nr2f1 mutant mouse disease model. Abnormal retinogenesis in early stages of development was observed in Nr2f1 mutant mice with decreased retinal ganglion cell density and disruption of retinal ganglion cell axonal guidance from the neural retina into the optic stalk, accounting for the development of optic nerve hypoplasia. The mutant mice showed significantly reduced visual acuity based on electrophysiological parameters with marked conduction delay and decreased amplitude of the recordings in the superficial layers of the visual cortex. The clinical observations in our study cohort, supported by the mouse data, suggest an early neurodevelopmental origin for the retinal and optic nerve head defects caused by NR2F1 pathogenic variants, resulting in congenital vision loss that seems to be non-progressive. We propose NR2F1 as a major gene that orchestrates early retinal and optic nerve head development, playing a key role in the maturation of the visual system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neringa Jurkute
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Gavin Arno
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Chiara Tocco
- Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Nice, France
| | - Ungsoo Samuel Kim
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Kim's Eye Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Adam M Kruszewski
- Department of Neurology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Robert A Avery
- Division of Ophthalmology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Emma C Bedoukian
- Roberts Individualized Medical Genetics Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jinu Han
- Institute of Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sung Jun Ahn
- Department of Radiology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Nikolas Pontikos
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK
| | - James Acheson
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Indran Davagnanam
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Department of Brain Repair & Rehabilitation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Richard Bowman
- Department of Ophthalmology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Marios Kaliakatsos
- Paediatric Neurology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Alice Gardham
- North West Thames Regional Genetics Service, Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow, UK
| | - Emma Wakeling
- North East Thames Regional Genetics Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Ngozi Oluonye
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Wolfson Neurodisability Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Maddy Ashwin Reddy
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Elaine Clark
- Department of Neuroscience, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Elisabeth Rosser
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Patrizia Amati-Bonneau
- MitoLab Team, UMR CNRS 6015 - INSERM U1083, Institut MitoVasc, Angers University and Hospital, Angers, France
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, University Hospital Angers, Angers, France
- Genetics and Immuno-cell Therapy Team, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco
| | - Majida Charif
- MitoLab Team, UMR CNRS 6015 - INSERM U1083, Institut MitoVasc, Angers University and Hospital, Angers, France
- National Center for Rare Diseases, Inherited Sensory Disorders, Gui de Chauliac Hospital, Montpellier, France
| | - Guy Lenaers
- MitoLab Team, UMR CNRS 6015 - INSERM U1083, Institut MitoVasc, Angers University and Hospital, Angers, France
| | - Isabelle Meunier
- Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier, INSERM INSERM U1051, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Sabine Defoort
- Service d'exploration de la vision et neuro-ophtalmologie, CHRU de Lille, Lille, France
| | | | - Anthony G Robson
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Graham E Holder
- Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Luc Jeanjean
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Nimes, Nimes, France
| | | | | | - Chloé Dominici
- University Côte d'Azur, CNRS UMR7284, INSERM U1081, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging, Nice, France
| | - Cedric Gaggioli
- University Côte d'Azur, CNRS UMR7284, INSERM U1081, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging, Nice, France
| | | | | | - Grant T Liu
- Division of Ophthalmology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Andrew R Webster
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Patrick Yu-Wai-Man
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK
- Cambridge Eye Unit, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals, Cambridge, UK
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair and MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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18
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Foglio B, Rossini L, Garbelli R, Regondi MC, Mercurio S, Bertacchi M, Avagliano L, Bulfamante G, Coras R, Maiorana A, Nicolis S, Studer M, Frassoni C. Dynamic expression of NR2F1 and SOX2 in developing and adult human cortex: comparison with cortical malformations. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:1303-1322. [PMID: 33661352 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02242-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The neocortex, the most recently evolved brain region in mammals, is characterized by its unique areal and laminar organization. Distinct cortical layers and areas can be identified by the presence of graded expression of transcription factors and molecular determinants defining neuronal identity. However, little is known about the expression of key master genes orchestrating human cortical development. In this study, we explored the expression dynamics of NR2F1 and SOX2, key cortical genes whose mutations in human patients cause severe neurodevelopmental syndromes. We focused on physiological conditions, spanning from mid-late gestational ages to adulthood in unaffected specimens, but also investigated gene expression in a pathological context, a developmental cortical malformation termed focal cortical dysplasia (FCD). We found that NR2F1 follows an antero-dorsallow to postero-ventralhigh gradient as in the murine cortex, suggesting high evolutionary conservation. While SOX2 is mainly expressed in neural progenitors next to the ventricular surface, NR2F1 is found in both mitotic progenitors and post-mitotic neurons at GW18. Interestingly, both proteins are highly co-expressed in basal radial glia progenitors of the outer sub-ventricular zone (OSVZ), a proliferative region known to contribute to cortical expansion and complexity in humans. Later on, SOX2 becomes largely restricted to astrocytes and oligodendrocytes although it is also detected in scattered mature interneurons. Differently, NR2F1 maintains its distinct neuronal expression during the whole process of cortical development. Notably, we report here high levels of NR2F1 in dysmorphic neurons and NR2F1 and SOX2 in balloon cells of surgical samples from patients with FCD, suggesting their potential use in the histopathological characterization of this dysplasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedetta Foglio
- Clinical and Experimental Epileptology Unit, C/O AmadeoLab, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Amadeo 42, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Rossini
- Clinical and Experimental Epileptology Unit, C/O AmadeoLab, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Amadeo 42, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Rita Garbelli
- Clinical and Experimental Epileptology Unit, C/O AmadeoLab, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Amadeo 42, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Regondi
- Clinical and Experimental Epileptology Unit, C/O AmadeoLab, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Amadeo 42, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Mercurio
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioscience, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Michele Bertacchi
- Clinical and Experimental Epileptology Unit, C/O AmadeoLab, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Amadeo 42, 20133, Milan, Italy.,Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Nice, France
| | - Laura Avagliano
- Departement of Health Sciences, San Paolo Hospital Medical School University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Gaetano Bulfamante
- Departement of Health Sciences, San Paolo Hospital Medical School University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Roland Coras
- Department of Neuropathology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Antonino Maiorana
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Institute of Pathology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Silvia Nicolis
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioscience, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Carolina Frassoni
- Clinical and Experimental Epileptology Unit, C/O AmadeoLab, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Amadeo 42, 20133, Milan, Italy.
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19
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Bertacchi M, Romano AL, Loubat A, Tran Mau-Them F, Willems M, Faivre L, Khau van Kien P, Perrin L, Devillard F, Sorlin A, Kuentz P, Philippe C, Garde A, Neri F, Di Giaimo R, Oliviero S, Cappello S, D'Incerti L, Frassoni C, Studer M. NR2F1 regulates regional progenitor dynamics in the mouse neocortex and cortical gyrification in BBSOAS patients. EMBO J 2020; 39:e104163. [PMID: 32484994 PMCID: PMC7327499 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2019104163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationships between impaired cortical development and consequent malformations in neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as the genes implicated in these processes, are not fully elucidated to date. In this study, we report six novel cases of patients affected by BBSOAS (Boonstra‐Bosch‐Schaff optic atrophy syndrome), a newly emerging rare neurodevelopmental disorder, caused by loss‐of‐function mutations of the transcriptional regulator NR2F1. Young patients with NR2F1 haploinsufficiency display mild to moderate intellectual disability and show reproducible polymicrogyria‐like brain malformations in the parietal and occipital cortex. Using a recently established BBSOAS mouse model, we found that Nr2f1 regionally controls long‐term self‐renewal of neural progenitor cells via modulation of cell cycle genes and key cortical development master genes, such as Pax6. In the human fetal cortex, distinct NR2F1 expression levels encompass gyri and sulci and correlate with local degrees of neurogenic activity. In addition, reduced NR2F1 levels in cerebral organoids affect neurogenesis and PAX6 expression. We propose NR2F1 as an area‐specific regulator of mouse and human brain morphology and a novel causative gene of abnormal gyrification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Bertacchi
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Paris, France.,Clinical and Experimental Epileptology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy
| | | | - Agnès Loubat
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Paris, France
| | - Frederic Tran Mau-Them
- UMR1231 GAD, Inserm - Université Bourgogne-Franche Comté, Dijon, France.,Unité Fonctionnelle Innovation en Diagnostic Génomique des Maladies Rares, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon Bourgogne, Dijon, France
| | - Marjolaine Willems
- Hôpital Arnaud de Villeneuve, Service de Génétique Médicale, CHU de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Laurence Faivre
- UMR1231 GAD, Inserm - Université Bourgogne-Franche Comté, Dijon, France.,Unité Fonctionnelle Innovation en Diagnostic Génomique des Maladies Rares, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon Bourgogne, Dijon, France.,Centre de Référence maladies rares « Anomalies du développement et syndromes malformatifs », Centre de Génétique, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon Bourgogne, Dijon, France
| | - Philippe Khau van Kien
- Hôpital Carémeau, UF de Génétique Médicale et Cytogénétique, Centre de Compétences Anomalies du Développement et Syndromes Malformatifs, CHU de Nîmes, Nîmes, France
| | - Laurence Perrin
- Unité Fonctionnelle de Génétique Clinique, Hôpital Robert Debré, Paris, France
| | - Françoise Devillard
- Département de Génétique et Procréation, Hôpital Couple-Enfant, CHU de Grenoble, Grenoble, France
| | - Arthur Sorlin
- UMR1231 GAD, Inserm - Université Bourgogne-Franche Comté, Dijon, France.,Unité Fonctionnelle Innovation en Diagnostic Génomique des Maladies Rares, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon Bourgogne, Dijon, France.,Centre de Référence maladies rares « Anomalies du développement et syndromes malformatifs », Centre de Génétique, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon Bourgogne, Dijon, France.,Centre de référence maladies rares « Déficiences intellectuelles de causes rares », Centre de Génétique, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon Bourgogne, Dijon, France
| | - Paul Kuentz
- UMR1231 GAD, Inserm - Université Bourgogne-Franche Comté, Dijon, France.,Génétique Biologique, PCBio, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besançon, Besançon, France
| | - Christophe Philippe
- UMR1231 GAD, Inserm - Université Bourgogne-Franche Comté, Dijon, France.,Unité Fonctionnelle Innovation en Diagnostic Génomique des Maladies Rares, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon Bourgogne, Dijon, France
| | - Aurore Garde
- Unité Fonctionnelle Innovation en Diagnostic Génomique des Maladies Rares, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon Bourgogne, Dijon, France.,Centre de Référence maladies rares « Anomalies du développement et syndromes malformatifs », Centre de Génétique, FHU-TRANSLAD, CHU Dijon Bourgogne, Dijon, France
| | - Francesco Neri
- Epigenetics Unit, Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.,Leibniz Institute on Aging, Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI), Jena, Germany
| | - Rossella Di Giaimo
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy.,Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, München, Germany
| | - Salvatore Oliviero
- Epigenetics Unit, Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | | | - Ludovico D'Incerti
- Neuroradiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy
| | - Carolina Frassoni
- Clinical and Experimental Epileptology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy
| | - Michèle Studer
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Paris, France
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20
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Rech ME, McCarthy JM, Chen CA, Edmond JC, Shah VS, Bosch DGM, Berry GT, Williams L, Madan-Khetarpal S, Niyazov D, Shaw-Smith C, Kovar EM, Lupo PJ, Schaaf CP. Phenotypic expansion of Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf optic atrophy syndrome and further evidence for genotype-phenotype correlations. Am J Med Genet A 2020; 182:1426-1437. [PMID: 32275123 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.61580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf Optic Atrophy Syndrome (BBSOAS) is an autosomal dominant neurodevelopmental disorder caused by loss-of-function variants in NR2F1 and characterized by visual impairment, developmental delay, and intellectual disability. Here we report 18 new cases, provide additional clinical information for 9 previously reported individuals, and review an additional 27 published cases to present a total of 54 patients. Among these are 22 individuals with point mutations or in-frame deletions in the DNA-binding domain (DBD), and 32 individuals with other types of variants including whole-gene deletions, nonsense and frameshift variants, and point mutations outside the DBD. We corroborate previously described clinical characteristics including developmental delay, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder diagnoses/features thereof, cognitive/behavioral anomalies, hypotonia, feeding difficulties, abnormal brain MRI findings, and seizures. We also confirm a vision phenotype that includes optic nerve hypoplasia, optic atrophy, and cortical visual impairment. Additionally, we expand the vision phenotype to include alacrima and manifest latent nystagmus (fusional maldevelopment), and we broaden the behavioral phenotypic spectrum to include a love of music, an unusually good long-term memory, sleep difficulties, a high pain tolerance, and touch sensitivity. Furthermore, we provide additional evidence for genotype-phenotype correlations, specifically supporting a more severe phenotype associated with DBD variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E Rech
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - John M McCarthy
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Chun-An Chen
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jane C Edmond
- Department of Ophthalmology, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.,Division of Ophthalmology, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Veeral S Shah
- Division of Ophthalmology, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Daniëlle G M Bosch
- Department of Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Gerard T Berry
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Linford Williams
- Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Dmitriy Niyazov
- Department of Pediatrics, Ochsner Health System and University of Queensland, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Charles Shaw-Smith
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, UK
| | - Erin M Kovar
- Section of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Philip J Lupo
- Section of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Christian P Schaaf
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Heidelberg University, Institute of Human Genetics, Heidelberg, Germany
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21
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Chen CA, Wang W, Pedersen SE, Raman A, Seymour ML, Ruiz FR, Xia A, van der Heijden ME, Wang L, Yin J, Lopez J, Rech ME, Lewis RA, Wu SM, Liu Z, Pereira FA, Pautler RG, Zoghbi HY, Schaaf CP. Nr2f1 heterozygous knockout mice recapitulate neurological phenotypes of Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf optic atrophy syndrome and show impaired hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Hum Mol Genet 2020; 29:705-715. [PMID: 31600777 PMCID: PMC7104670 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddz233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf optic atrophy syndrome (BBSOAS) has been identified as an autosomal-dominant disorder characterized by a complex neurological phenotype, with high prevalence of intellectual disability and optic nerve atrophy/hypoplasia. The syndrome is caused by loss-of-function mutations in NR2F1, which encodes a highly conserved nuclear receptor that serves as a transcriptional regulator. Previous investigations to understand the protein's role in neurodevelopment have mostly used mouse models with constitutive and tissue-specific homozygous knockout of Nr2f1. In order to represent the human disease more accurately, which is caused by heterozygous NR2F1 mutations, we investigated a heterozygous knockout mouse model and found that this model recapitulates some of the neurological phenotypes of BBSOAS, including altered learning/memory, hearing defects, neonatal hypotonia and decreased hippocampal volume. The mice showed altered fear memory, and further electrophysiological investigation in hippocampal slices revealed significantly reduced long-term potentiation and long-term depression. These results suggest that a deficit or alteration in hippocampal synaptic plasticity may contribute to the intellectual disability frequently seen in BBSOAS. RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis revealed significant differential gene expression in the adult Nr2f1+/- hippocampus, including the up-regulation of multiple matrix metalloproteases, which are known to be critical for the development and the plasticity of the nervous system. Taken together, our studies highlight the important role of Nr2f1 in neurodevelopment. The discovery of impaired hippocampal synaptic plasticity in the heterozygous mouse model sheds light on the pathophysiology of altered memory and cognitive function in BBSOAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-An Chen
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Steen E Pedersen
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics-Cardiovascular Sciences Track, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Ross University School of Medicine, Portsmouth, Commonwealth of Dominica
| | - Ayush Raman
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Graduate Program in Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Michelle L Seymour
- Huffington Center on Aging and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Fernanda R Ruiz
- Huffington Center on Aging and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Anping Xia
- Huffington Center on Aging and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Meike E van der Heijden
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jiani Yin
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joanna Lopez
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Megan E Rech
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Richard A Lewis
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Samuel M Wu
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zhandong Liu
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Fred A Pereira
- Huffington Center on Aging and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Robia G Pautler
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics-Cardiovascular Sciences Track, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Huda Y Zoghbi
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Christian P Schaaf
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Institute of Human Genetics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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22
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Regulation of Oligodendrocyte Functions: Targeting Lipid Metabolism and Extracellular Matrix for Myelin Repair. J Clin Med 2020; 9:jcm9020470. [PMID: 32046349 PMCID: PMC7073561 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9020470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Myelin is an essential structure that protects axons, provides metabolic support to neurons and allows fast nerve transmission. Several neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, are characterized by myelin damage, which is responsible of severe functional impairment. Myelin repair requires the timely recruitment of adult oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) at the lesion sites, their differentiation and maturation into myelinating oligodendrocytes. As a consequence, OPCs undergo profound changes in their morphology, functions, and interactions with other cells and extracellular environment, thus requiring the reorganization of both their lipid metabolism and their membrane composition, which is substantially different compared to other plasma membranes. Despite the growing knowledge in oligodendroglia biology and in the mechanisms involved in OPC-mediated regeneration, the identification of strategies to promote remyelination still remains a challenge. Here, we describe how altered lipid metabolism in oligodendrocytes influences the pathogenesis of demyelination, and we show that several FDA-approved drugs with a previously unknown remyelination potential do act on cholesterol and lipid biosynthetic pathways. Since the interplay between myelin lipids and axons is strictly coordinated by the extracellular matrix (ECM), we also discuss the role of different ECM components, and report the last findings on new ECM-modifiers able to foster endogenous remyelination.
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23
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Bojanek EK, Mosconi MW, Guter S, Betancur C, Macmillan C, Cook EH. Clinical and neurocognitive issues associated with Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf optic atrophy syndrome: A case study. Am J Med Genet A 2019; 182:213-218. [PMID: 31729143 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.61409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2019] [Revised: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Nuclear receptor subfamily 2 group F member 1 (NR2F1) is an orphan receptor and transcriptional regulator that is involved in neurogenesis, visual processing and development, and cortical patterning. Alterations in NR2F1 cause Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf optic atrophy syndrome (BBSOAS), a recently described autosomal dominant disorder characterized by intellectual and developmental disabilities and optic atrophy. This study describes the clinical and neurocognitive features of an individual with a de novo nonsense variant in NR2F1 (NM_005654.5:c.82C > T, p.Gln28*), identified by whole exome sequencing. The patient was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and unlike most previously reported cases, he had no developmental delay, superior verbal abilities (verbal IQ = 141), and high educational attainment despite reduced nonverbal abilities (nonverbal IQ = 63). He had optic nerve hypoplasia with minimal visual impairment as well as mild dysmorphic features. Compared to both age-matched individuals with ASD and healthy controls, the patient showed reductions in manual motor speed, accuracy of saccadic eye movements, and rates of successful behavioral response inhibition. Although the majority of previously reported cases of BBSOAS have been associated with more global intellectual dysfunction, we report on a patient with selective disruption of nonverbal abilities and superior verbal abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin K Bojanek
- Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and Clinical Child Psychology Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.,Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART), University of Kansas Medical Center, Overland Park, Kansas
| | - Matthew W Mosconi
- Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and Clinical Child Psychology Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.,Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART), University of Kansas Medical Center, Overland Park, Kansas
| | - Stephen Guter
- Institute for Juvenile Research, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Catalina Betancur
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France
| | - Carol Macmillan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Edwin H Cook
- Institute for Juvenile Research, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
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24
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Bertacchi M, Gruart A, Kaimakis P, Allet C, Serra L, Giacobini P, Delgado-García JM, Bovolenta P, Studer M. Mouse Nr2f1 haploinsufficiency unveils new pathological mechanisms of a human optic atrophy syndrome. EMBO Mol Med 2019; 11:e10291. [PMID: 31318166 PMCID: PMC6685104 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201910291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Revised: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Optic nerve atrophy represents the most common form of hereditary optic neuropathies leading to vision impairment. The recently described Bosch‐Boonstra‐Schaaf optic atrophy (BBSOA) syndrome denotes an autosomal dominant genetic form of neuropathy caused by mutations or deletions in the NR2F1 gene. Herein, we describe a mouse model recapitulating key features of BBSOA patients—optic nerve atrophy, optic disc anomalies, and visual deficits—thus representing the only available mouse model for this syndrome. Notably, Nr2f1‐deficient optic nerves develop an imbalance between oligodendrocytes and astrocytes leading to postnatal hypomyelination and astrogliosis. Adult heterozygous mice display a slower optic axonal conduction velocity from the retina to high‐order visual centers together with associative visual learning deficits. Importantly, some of these clinical features, such the optic nerve hypomyelination, could be rescued by chemical drug treatment in early postnatal life. Overall, our data shed new insights into the cellular mechanisms of optic nerve atrophy in BBSOA patients and open a promising avenue for future therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Bertacchi
- CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France.,Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Agnès Gruart
- Division of Neurosciences, Pablo de Olavide University, Seville, Spain
| | - Polynikis Kaimakis
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa", CSIC-UAM, Madrid, Spain.,CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Campus de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Cécile Allet
- Jean-Pierre Aubert Research Center (JPArc), Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, UMR-S 1172, Inserm, Lille, France.,University of Lille, FHU 1,000 Days for Health, Lille, France
| | - Linda Serra
- CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France.,Department of Biotechnology and Biological Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Paolo Giacobini
- Jean-Pierre Aubert Research Center (JPArc), Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, UMR-S 1172, Inserm, Lille, France.,University of Lille, FHU 1,000 Days for Health, Lille, France
| | | | - Paola Bovolenta
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa", CSIC-UAM, Madrid, Spain.,CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Campus de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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