Prevalence of POC5 Coding Variants in French-Canadian and British AIS Cohort

Advances in genetic factors of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a bibliometric analysis

Objective

This study offers a bibliometric analysis of the current situation, hotspots, and cutting-edge domains of genetic factors of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).

Methods

All publications related to genetic factors of AIS from January 1, 1992, to February 28, 2023, were searched from the Web of Science. CiteSpace software was employed for bibliometric analysis, collecting information about countries, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords of each article.

Results

A cumulative number of 308 articles have been ascertained. Since 2006, publications relating to genetic factors of AIS have significantly increased. China leads in both productivity and influence in this area, with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences being the most productive institution. The most prolific scholars in this field are Y. Qiu and Z. Z. Zhu. The publications that contributed the most were from Spine and European Spine Journal. The most prominent keywords in the genetic factors of AIS were "fibrillin gene", "menarche", "calmodulin", "estrogen receptor gene", "linkage analysis", "disc degeneration", "bone mineral density", "melatonin signaling dysfunction", "collagen gene", "mesenchymal stem cell", "LBX1", "promoter polymorphism", "Bone formation", "cerebrospinal fluid flow" and "extracellular matrix".

Conclusion

This analysis provides the frontiers and trends of genetic factors in AIS, including relevant research, partners, institutions and countries.

Differential Regulation of POC5 by ERα in Human Normal and Scoliotic Cells

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a complex three-dimensional spinal deformity. The incidence of AIS in females is 8.4 times higher than in males. Several hypotheses on the role of estrogen have been postulated for the progression of AIS. Recently, Centriolar protein gene POC5 (POC5) was identified as a causative gene of AIS. POC5 is a centriolar protein that is important for cell cycle progression and centriole elongation. However, the hormonal regulation of POC5 remains to be determined. Here, we identify POC5 as an estrogen-responsive gene under the regulation of estrogen receptor ERα in normal osteoblasts (NOBs) and other ERα-positive cells. Using promoter activity, gene, and protein expression assays, we found that the POC5 gene was upregulated by the treatment of osteoblasts with estradiol (E2) through direct genomic signaling. We observed different effects of E2 in NOBs and mutant POC5^A429V AIS osteoblasts. Using promoter assays, we identified an estrogen response element (ERE) in the proximal promoter of POC5, which conferred estrogen responsiveness through ERα. The recruitment of ERα to the ERE of the POC5 promoter was also potentiated by estrogen. Collectively, these findings suggest that estrogen is an etiological factor in scoliosis through the deregulation of POC5.

The axonemal dynein heavy chain 10 gene is essential for monocilia motility and spine alignment in zebrafish

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a common pediatric musculoskeletal disorder worldwide, characterized by atypical spine curvatures in otherwise healthy children. Human genetic studies have identified candidate genes associated with AIS, however, only a few of these have been shown to recapitulate adult-viable scoliosis in animal models. Using an F0 CRISPR screening approach in zebrafish, we demonstrate that disruption of the dynein axonemal heavy chain 10 (dnah10) gene results in recessive adult-viable scoliosis in zebrafish. Using a stably segregating dnah10 mutant zebrafish, we showed that the ependymal monocilia lining the hindbrain and spinal canal displayed reduced beat frequency, which was correlated with the disassembly of the Reissner fiber and the onset of body curvatures. Taken together, these results suggest that monocilia function in larval zebrafish contributes to the polymerization of the Reissner fiber and straightening of the body axis.