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Recessive mutations in the gene encoding the tight junction protein occludin cause band-like calcification with simplified gyration and polymicrogyria.

ABSTRACT: Band-like calcification with simplified gyration and polymicrogyria (BLC-PMG) is a rare autosomal-recessive neurological disorder showing highly characteristic clinical and neuroradiological features. Affected individuals demonstrate early-onset seizures, severe microcephaly, and developmental arrest with bilateral, symmetrical polymicrogyria (PMG) and a band of gray matter calcification on brain imaging; as such, the disorder can be considered as a "pseudo-TORCH" syndrome. By using autozygosity mapping and copy number analysis we identified intragenic deletions and mutations in OCLN in nine patients from six families with BLC-PMG. The OCLN gene encodes occludin, an integral component of tight junctions. Neuropathological analysis of an affected individual showed similarity to the mouse model of occludin deficiency with calcification predominantly associated with blood vessels. Both intracranial calcification and PMG are heterogeneous in etiology. Neuropathological and clinical studies of PMG have suggested that in utero ischemic or vascular insults may contribute to this common cortical abnormality. Tight junctions are functional in cerebral blood vessels early in fetal development and continue to play a vital role in maintenance of the blood-brain barrier during postnatal life. We provide evidence that the tight junction protein occludin (encoded by the OCLN gene) is involved in the pathogenesis of malformations of cortical development.

SUBMITTER: O'Driscoll MC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2933344 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Recessive mutations in the gene encoding the tight junction protein occludin cause band-like calcification with simplified gyration and polymicrogyria.

O'Driscoll Mary C MC Daly Sarah B SB Urquhart Jill E JE Black Graeme C M GC Pilz Daniela T DT Brockmann Knut K McEntagart Meriel M Abdel-Salam Ghada G Zaki Maha M Wolf Nicole I NI Ladda Roger L RL Sell Susan S D'Arrigo Stefano S Squier Waney W Dobyns William B WB Livingston John H JH Crow Yanick J YJ

American journal of human genetics 20100819 3

Band-like calcification with simplified gyration and polymicrogyria (BLC-PMG) is a rare autosomal-recessive neurological disorder showing highly characteristic clinical and neuroradiological features. Affected individuals demonstrate early-onset seizures, severe microcephaly, and developmental arrest with bilateral, symmetrical polymicrogyria (PMG) and a band of gray matter calcification on brain imaging; as such, the disorder can be considered as a "pseudo-TORCH" syndrome. By using autozygosity ...[more]

PMID: 20727516

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Project description:Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), the causative agent of porcine epidemic diarrhea, has caused huge economic losses in pig-producing countries. Although PEDV was long believed to replicate in the intestinal epithelium by using aminopeptidase N as a receptor, the mechanisms of PEDV infection are not fully characterized. In this study, we found that PEDV infection of epithelial cells results in disruption of the tight junctional distribution of occludin to its intracellular location. Overexpression of occludin in target cells makes them more susceptible to PEDV infection, whereas ablation of occludin expression by use of small interfering RNA (siRNA) in target cells significantly reduces their susceptibility to virus infection. However, the results observed with occludin siRNA indicate that occludin is not required for virus attachment. We conclude that occludin plays an essential role in PEDV infection at the postbinding stages. Furthermore, we observed that macropinocytosis inhibitors blocked occludin internalization and virus entry, indicating that virus entry and occludin internalization are closely coupled. However, the macropinocytosis inhibitors could not impede virus replication once the virus had entered host cells. This suggests that occludin internalization by macropinocytosis or a macropinocytosis-like process is involved in the virus entry events. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy showed that PEDV was trapped at cellular junctional regions upon macropinocytosis inhibitor treatment, indicating that occludin may serve as a scaffold in the vicinity of virus entry. Collectively, these data show that occludin plays an essential role in PEDV infection during late entry events. Our observation may provide novel insights into PEDV infection and related pathogenesis.IMPORTANCE Tight junctions are highly specialized membrane domains whose main function is to attach adjacent cells to each other, thereby forming intercellular seals. Here we investigate, for the first time, the role of the tight junction protein occludin in PEDV infection. We observed that PEDV infection induced the internalization of occludin. By using genetic modification methods, we demonstrate that occludin plays an essential role in PEDV infection. Moreover, PEDV entry and occludin internalization seem to be closely coupled. Our findings reveal a new mechanism of PEDV infection.

Dataset Information

Recessive mutations in the gene encoding the tight junction protein occludin cause band-like calcification with simplified gyration and polymicrogyria.

Publications

Recessive mutations in the gene encoding the tight junction protein occludin cause band-like calcification with simplified gyration and polymicrogyria.

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