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Brockmann SJ, Buck E, Casoli T, Meirelles JL, Ruf WP, Fabbietti P, Holzmann K, Weishaupt JH, Ludolph AC, Conti F, Danzer KM. Mitochondrial genome study in blood of maternally inherited ALS cases. Hum Genomics 2023; 17:70. [PMID: 37507754 PMCID: PMC10375681 DOI: 10.1186/s40246-023-00516-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND ALS is a heterogeneous disease in which different factors such as mitochondrial phenotypes act in combination with a genetic predisposition. This study addresses the question of whether homoplasmic (total mitochondrial genome of a sample is affected) and/or heteroplasmic mutations (wildtype and mutant mitochondrial DNA molecules coexist) might play a role in familial ALS. Blood was drawn from familial ALS patients with a possible maternal pattern of inheritance according to their pedigrees, which was compared to blood of ALS patients without maternal association as well as age-matched controls. In two cohorts, we analyzed the mitochondrial genome from whole blood or isolated white blood cells and platelets using a resequencing microarray (Affymetrix MitoChip v2.0) that is able to detect homoplasmic and heteroplasmic mitochondrial DNA mutations and allows the assessment of low-level heteroplasmy. RESULTS We identified an increase in homoplasmic ND5 mutations, a subunit of respiratory chain complex I, in whole blood of ALS patients that allowed maternal inheritance. This effect was more pronounced in patients with bulbar onset. Heteroplasmic mutations were significantly increased in different mitochondrial genes in platelets of patients with possible maternal inheritance. No increase of low-level heteroplasmy was found in maternal ALS patients. CONCLUSION Our results indicate a contribution of homoplasmic ND5 mutations to maternally associated ALS with bulbar onset. Therefore, it might be conceivable that specific maternally transmitted rather than randomly acquired mitochondrial DNA mutations might contribute to the disease process. This stands in contrast with observations from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases showing an age-dependent accumulation of unspecific mutations in mitochondrial DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Brockmann
- Department of Neurology, University Clinic, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Eva Buck
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Ulm, Germany
| | - Tiziana Casoli
- Center for Neurobiology of Aging, Scientific Technological Area, IRCCS INRCA, Ancona, Italy
| | - João L Meirelles
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Ulm, Germany
| | - Wolfgang P Ruf
- Department of Neurology, University Clinic, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Paolo Fabbietti
- Unit of Geriatric Pharmacoepidemiology, IRCCS INRCA, Ancona, Italy
| | | | - Jochen H Weishaupt
- Department of Neurology, University Clinic, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Division for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Neurology Department, University Medicine Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Albert C Ludolph
- Department of Neurology, University Clinic, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Ulm, Germany
| | - Fiorenzo Conti
- Center for Neurobiology of Aging, Scientific Technological Area, IRCCS INRCA, Ancona, Italy
- Section of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Karin M Danzer
- Department of Neurology, University Clinic, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Ulm, Germany.
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2
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Freischmidt A, Goswami A, Limm K, Zimyanin VL, Demestre M, Glaß H, Holzmann K, Helferich AM, Brockmann SJ, Tripathi P, Yamoah A, Poser I, Oefner PJ, Böckers TM, Aronica E, Ludolph AC, Andersen PM, Hermann A, Weis J, Reinders J, Danzer KM, Weishaupt JH. A serum microRNA sequence reveals fragile X protein pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Brain 2021; 144:1214-1229. [PMID: 33871026 PMCID: PMC8105042 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowledge about converging disease mechanisms in the heterogeneous syndrome amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is rare, but may lead to therapies effective in most ALS cases. Previously, we identified serum microRNAs downregulated in familial ALS, the majority of sporadic ALS patients, but also in presymptomatic mutation carriers. A 5-nucleotide sequence motif (GDCGG; D = G, A or U) was strongly enriched in these ALS-related microRNAs. We hypothesized that deregulation of protein(s) binding predominantly to this consensus motif was responsible for the ALS-linked microRNA fingerprint. Using microRNA pull-down assays combined with mass spectrometry followed by extensive biochemical validation, all members of the fragile X protein family, FMR1, FXR1 and FXR2, were identified to directly and predominantly interact with GDCGG microRNAs through their structurally disordered RGG/RG domains. Preferential association of this protein family with ALS-related microRNAs was confirmed by in vitro binding studies on a transcriptome-wide scale. Immunohistochemistry of lumbar spinal cord revealed aberrant expression level and aggregation of FXR1 and FXR2 in C9orf72- and FUS-linked familial ALS, but also patients with sporadic ALS. Further analysis of ALS autopsies and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived motor neurons with FUS mutations showed co-aggregation of FXR1 with FUS. Hence, our translational approach was able to take advantage of blood microRNAs to reveal CNS pathology, and suggests an involvement of the fragile X-related proteins in familial and sporadic ALS already at a presymptomatic stage. The findings may uncover disease mechanisms relevant to many patients with ALS. They furthermore underscore the systemic, extra-CNS aspect of ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Freischmidt
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.,German Center For Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Anand Goswami
- Institute of Neuropathology, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Katharina Limm
- Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Vitaly L Zimyanin
- Department of Neurology, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Maria Demestre
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Hannes Glaß
- Translational Neurodegeneration Section "Albrecht-Kossel", Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Rostock, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Priyanka Tripathi
- Institute of Neuropathology, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Alfred Yamoah
- Institute of Neuropathology, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Ina Poser
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Peter J Oefner
- Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Tobias M Böckers
- German Center For Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Ulm, Ulm, Germany.,Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Eleonora Aronica
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of (Neuro)Pathology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Albert C Ludolph
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.,German Center For Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Peter M Andersen
- Department of Clinical Science, Neurosciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Andreas Hermann
- Department of Neurology, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Translational Neurodegeneration Section "Albrecht-Kossel", Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Rostock, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.,Center for Transdisciplinary Neurosciences Rostock (CTNR), University Medical Center Rostock, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Rostock/Greifswald, Rostock, Germany
| | - Joachim Weis
- Institute of Neuropathology, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Jörg Reinders
- Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Jochen H Weishaupt
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.,Division for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Neurology Department, University Medicine Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
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3
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Brenner D, Sieverding K, Bruno C, Lüningschrör P, Buck E, Mungwa S, Fischer L, Brockmann SJ, Ulmer J, Bliederhäuser C, Philibert CE, Satoh T, Akira S, Boillée S, Mayer B, Sendtner M, Ludolph AC, Danzer KM, Lobsiger CS, Freischmidt A, Weishaupt JH. Heterozygous Tbk1 loss has opposing effects in early and late stages of ALS in mice. J Exp Med 2019; 216:267-278. [PMID: 30635357 PMCID: PMC6363427 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20180729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Revised: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Heterozygous loss-of-function mutations of TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1 ) cause familial ALS, yet downstream mechanisms of TBK1 mutations remained elusive. TBK1 is a pleiotropic kinase involved in the regulation of selective autophagy and inflammation. We show that heterozygous Tbk1 deletion alone does not lead to signs of motoneuron degeneration or disturbed autophagy in mice during a 200-d observation period. Surprisingly, however, hemizygous deletion of Tbk1 inversely modulates early and late disease phases in mice additionally overexpressing ALS-linked SOD1G93A , which represents a "second hit" that induces both neuroinflammation and proteostatic dysregulation. At the early stage, heterozygous Tbk1 deletion impairs autophagy in motoneurons and prepones both the clinical onset and muscular denervation in SOD1G93A/Tbk1+/- mice. At the late disease stage, however, it significantly alleviates microglial neuroinflammation, decelerates disease progression, and extends survival. Our results indicate a profound effect of TBK1 on brain inflammatory cells under pro-inflammatory conditions and point to a complex, two-edged role of TBK1 in SOD1-linked ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Brenner
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Clara Bruno
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Patrick Lüningschrör
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Eva Buck
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Simon Mungwa
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Lena Fischer
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Johannes Ulmer
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Clémentine E Philibert
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Épinière, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unité 1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Takashi Satoh
- Department of Host Defense, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shizuo Akira
- Department of Host Defense, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Séverine Boillée
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Épinière, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unité 1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Benjamin Mayer
- Institute of Epidemiology and Medical Biometry, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Michael Sendtner
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | | | - Karin M Danzer
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Christian S Lobsiger
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Épinière, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unité 1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
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4
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Brockmann SJ, Freischmidt A, Oeckl P, Müller K, Ponna SK, Helferich AM, Paone C, Reinders J, Kojer K, Orth M, Jokela M, Auranen M, Udd B, Hermann A, Danzer KM, Lichtner P, Walther P, Ludolph AC, Andersen PM, Otto M, Kursula P, Just S, Weishaupt JH. CHCHD10 mutations p.R15L and p.G66V cause motoneuron disease by haploinsufficiency. Hum Mol Genet 2019; 27:706-715. [PMID: 29315381 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddx436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the mitochondrially located protein CHCHD10 cause motoneuron disease by an unknown mechanism. In this study, we investigate the mutations p.R15L and p.G66V in comparison to wild-type CHCHD10 and the non-pathogenic variant p.P34S in vitro, in patient cells as well as in the vertebrate in vivo model zebrafish. We demonstrate a reduction of CHCHD10 protein levels in p.R15L and p.G66V mutant patient cells to approximately 50%. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that expression of CHCHD10 p.R15L, but not of CHCHD10 p.G66V, is already abrogated at the mRNA level. Altered secondary structure and rapid protein degradation are observed with regard to the CHCHD10 p.G66V mutant. In contrast, no significant differences in expression, degradation rate or secondary structure of non-pathogenic CHCHD10 p.P34S are detected when compared with wild-type protein. Knockdown of CHCHD10 expression in zebrafish to about 50% causes motoneuron pathology, abnormal myofibrillar structure and motility deficits in vivo. Thus, our data show that the CHCHD10 mutations p.R15L and p.G66V cause motoneuron disease primarily based on haploinsufficiency of CHCHD10.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Patrick Oeckl
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Kathrin Müller
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Srinivas K Ponna
- Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland
| | | | - Christoph Paone
- Molecular Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine II, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Jörg Reinders
- Institute for Functional Genomics, University Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Kerstin Kojer
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Michael Orth
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Manu Jokela
- Neuromuscular Research Center, Tampere University and University Hospital, 33014 Tampere, Finland
| | - Mari Auranen
- Neurological Department, Helsinki University Hospital, 00029 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Bjarne Udd
- Neuromuscular Research Center, Tampere University and University Hospital, 33014 Tampere, Finland
| | - Andreas Hermann
- Department of Neurology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Dresden Research Site, 01307 Dresden, Germany.,Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD), Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Karin M Danzer
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Peter Lichtner
- Institute of Human Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Paul Walther
- Zentrale Einrichtung Elektronenmikroskopie, Universitaet Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Peter M Andersen
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience, Umeå University, 90187 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Markus Otto
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Petri Kursula
- Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland.,Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Steffen Just
- Molecular Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine II, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, Germany
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5
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Helferich AM, Brockmann SJ, Reinders J, Deshpande D, Holzmann K, Brenner D, Andersen PM, Petri S, Thal DR, Michaelis J, Otto M, Just S, Ludolph AC, Danzer KM, Freischmidt A, Weishaupt JH. Dysregulation of a novel miR-1825/TBCB/TUBA4A pathway in sporadic and familial ALS. Cell Mol Life Sci 2018; 75:4301-4319. [PMID: 30030593 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-018-2873-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Revised: 07/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Genetic and functional studies suggest diverse pathways being affected in the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), while knowledge about converging disease mechanisms is rare. We detected a downregulation of microRNA-1825 in CNS and extra-CNS system organs of both sporadic (sALS) and familial ALS (fALS) patients. Combined transcriptomic and proteomic analysis revealed that reduced levels of microRNA-1825 caused a translational upregulation of tubulin-folding cofactor b (TBCB). Moreover, we found that excess TBCB led to depolymerization and degradation of tubulin alpha-4A (TUBA4A), which is encoded by a known ALS gene. Importantly, the increase in TBCB and reduction of TUBA4A protein was confirmed in brain cortex tissue of fALS and sALS patients, and led to motor axon defects in an in vivo model. Our discovery of a microRNA-1825/TBCB/TUBA4A pathway reveals a putative pathogenic cascade in both fALS and sALS extending the relevance of TUBA4A to a large proportion of ALS cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anika M Helferich
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Sarah J Brockmann
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Jörg Reinders
- Institute of Functional Genomics, Regensburg University, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Karlheinz Holzmann
- Genomics-Core Facility, Center for Biomedical Research, Ulm University Hospital, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - David Brenner
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Peter M Andersen
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany.,Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience, Umeå University, 90187, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Susanne Petri
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Dietmar R Thal
- Laboratory for Neuropathology, Institute of Pathology, Ulm University, 89081, Ulm, Germany.,Laboratory for Neuropathology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, 3000, Louvain, Belgium.,Department of Pathology, UZ Leuven, 3000, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Jens Michaelis
- Institute of Biophysics, Ulm University, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Markus Otto
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Steffen Just
- Molecular Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine II, Ulm University, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Albert C Ludolph
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Karin M Danzer
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Axel Freischmidt
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Jochen H Weishaupt
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
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6
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Marroquin N, Stranz S, Müller K, Wieland T, Ruf WP, Brockmann SJ, Danzer KM, Borck G, Hübers A, Weydt P, Meitinger T, Strom TM, Rosenbohm A, Ludolph AC, Weishaupt JH. Screening for CHCHD10 mutations in a large cohort of sporadic ALS patients: no evidence for pathogenicity of the p.P34S variant. Brain 2015; 139:e8. [PMID: 26362909 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awv218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Thomas Wieland
- 2 Institute of Human Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Guntram Borck
- 3 Institute of Human Genetics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Patrick Weydt
- 1 Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Thomas Meitinger
- 2 Institute of Human Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Tim-Matthias Strom
- 2 Institute of Human Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
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