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Pantalone G, Mancardi MM, Rossi A, Romanelli R, Marasco E, Carla M. A de novo frameshift variant in MED13 gene in a patient with autism spectrum disorder and magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities mimicking tuberous sclerosis. Am J Med Genet A 2024; 194:e63611. [PMID: 38528425 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.63611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
The mediator complex subunit 13 (MED13) gene is implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability, and speech delay with varying severity and course. Additional, extra central nervous system, features include eye or vision problems, hypotonia, congenital heart abnormalities, and dysmorphisms. We describe a 7-year- and 4-month-old girl evaluated for ASD whose brain magnetic resonance imaging was suggestive of multiple cortical tubers. The exome sequencing (ES - trio analysis) uncovered a unique, de novo, frameshift variant in the MED13 gene (c.4880del, D1627Vfs*17), with a truncating effect on the protein. This case report thus expands the phenotypic spectrum of MED13-related disorders to include brain abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloria Pantalone
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, "G. Salesi" Children's Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Maria Margherita Mancardi
- Unit of Child Neuropsychiatry, EpiCARE Member for Rare Diseases, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy
| | - Andrea Rossi
- Neuroradiology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
- Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | | | | | - Marini Carla
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, "G. Salesi" Children's Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
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Asjad E, Dobrzynski H. MicroRNAs: Midfielders of Cardiac Health, Disease and Treatment. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16207. [PMID: 38003397 PMCID: PMC10671258 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNA molecules that play a role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. It is generally accepted that their main mechanism of action is the negative regulation of gene expression, through binding to specific regions in messenger RNA (mRNA) and repressing protein translation. By interrupting protein synthesis, miRNAs can effectively turn genes off and influence many basic processes in the body, such as developmental and apoptotic behaviours of cells and cardiac organogenesis. Their importance is highlighted by inhibiting or overexpressing certain miRNAs, which will be discussed in the context of coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, bradycardia, and heart failure. Dysregulated levels of miRNAs in the body can exacerbate or alleviate existing disease, and their omnipresence in the body makes them reliable as quantifiable markers of disease. This review aims to provide a summary of miRNAs as biomarkers and their interactions with targets that affect cardiac health, and intersperse it with current therapeutic knowledge. It intends to succinctly inform on these topics and guide readers toward more comprehensive works if they wish to explore further through a wide-ranging citation list.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emman Asjad
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK;
| | - Halina Dobrzynski
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK;
- Department of Anatomy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 31-034 Krakow, Poland
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Harvey DC, Verma R, Sedaghat B, Hjelm BE, Morton SU, Seidman JG, Kumar SR. Mutations in genes related to myocyte contraction and ventricular septum development in non-syndromic tetralogy of Fallot. Front Cardiovasc Med 2023; 10:1249605. [PMID: 37840956 PMCID: PMC10569225 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2023.1249605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective Eighty percent of patients with a diagnosis of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) do not have a known genetic etiology or syndrome. We sought to identify key molecular pathways and biological processes that are enriched in non-syndromic TOF, the most common form of cyanotic congenital heart disease, rather than single driver genes to elucidate the pathogenesis of this disease. Methods We undertook exome sequencing of 362 probands with non-syndromic TOF and their parents within the Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium (PCGC). We identified rare (minor allele frequency <1 × 10-4), de novo variants to ascertain pathways and processes affected in this population to better understand TOF pathogenesis. Pathways and biological processes enriched in the PCGC TOF cohort were compared to 317 controls without heart defects (and their parents) from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI). Results A total of 120 variants in 117 genes were identified as most likely to be deleterious, with CHD7, CLUH, UNC13C, and WASHC5 identified in two probands each. Gene ontology analyses of these variants using multiple bioinformatic tools demonstrated significant enrichment in processes including cell cycle progression, chromatin remodeling, myocyte contraction and calcium transport, and development of the ventricular septum and ventricle. There was also a significant enrichment of target genes of SOX9, which is critical in second heart field development and whose loss results in membranous ventricular septal defects related to disruption of the proximal outlet septum. None of these processes was significantly enriched in the SFARI control cohort. Conclusion Innate molecular defects in cardiac progenitor cells and genes related to their viability and contractile function appear central to non-syndromic TOF pathogenesis. Future research utilizing our results is likely to have significant implications in stratification of TOF patients and delivery of personalized clinical care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drayton C. Harvey
- Departments of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Riya Verma
- Departments of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Brandon Sedaghat
- Department of Medicine, Rosalind Franklin University School of Medicine and Science, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Brooke E. Hjelm
- Translational Genomics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Sarah U. Morton
- Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jon G. Seidman
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - S. Ram Kumar
- Departments of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
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Regular Exercise in Drosophila Prevents Age-Related Cardiac Dysfunction Caused by High Fat and Heart-Specific Knockdown of skd. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24021216. [PMID: 36674733 PMCID: PMC9865808 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Skuld (skd) is a subunit of the Mediator complex subunit complex. In the heart, skd controls systemic obesity, is involved in systemic energy metabolism, and is closely linked to cardiac function and aging. However, it is unclear whether the effect of cardiac skd on cardiac energy metabolism affects cardiac function. We found that cardiac-specific knockdown of skd showed impaired cardiac function, metabolic impairment, and premature aging. Drosophila was subjected to an exercise and high-fat diet (HFD) intervention to explore the effects of exercise on cardiac skd expression and cardiac function in HFD Drosophila. We found that Hand-Gal4>skd RNAi (KC) Drosophila had impaired cardiac function, metabolic impairment, and premature aging. Regular exercise significantly improved cardiac function and metabolism and delayed aging in HFD KC Drosophila. Thus, our study found that the effect of skd on cardiac energy metabolism in the heart affected cardiac function. Exercise may counteract age-related cardiac dysfunction and metabolic disturbances caused by HFD and heart-specific knockdown of skd. Skd may be a potential therapeutic target for heart disease.
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Chen Q, Yang M, Liu X, Zhang J, Mi S, Wang Y, Xiao W, Yu Y. Blood transcriptome analysis and identification of genes associated with supernumerary teats in Chinese Holstein cows. J Dairy Sci 2022; 105:9837-9852. [DOI: 10.3168/jds.2022-22346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Sikorski V, Vento A, Kankuri E. Emerging roles of the RNA modifications N6-methyladenosine and adenosine-to-inosine in cardiovascular diseases. MOLECULAR THERAPY - NUCLEIC ACIDS 2022; 29:426-461. [PMID: 35991314 PMCID: PMC9366019 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2022.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases lead the mortality and morbidity disease metrics worldwide. A multitude of chemical base modifications in ribonucleic acids (RNAs) have been linked with key events of cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders. Named either RNA epigenetics or epitranscriptomics, the post-transcriptional RNA modifications, their regulatory pathways, components, and downstream effects substantially contribute to the ways our genetic code is interpreted. Here we review the accumulated discoveries to date regarding the roles of the two most common epitranscriptomic modifications, N6-methyl-adenosine (m6A) and adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing, in cardiovascular disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vilbert Sikorski
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Antti Vento
- Heart and Lung Center, Helsinki University Hospital, 00029 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Esko Kankuri
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Corresponding author Esko Kankuri, M.D. Ph.D., Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, PO Box 63 (Haartmaninkatu 8), FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
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