Dataset Information

Identification of a novel pax8 gene sequence variant in four members of the same family: from congenital hypothyroidism with thyroid hypoplasia to mild subclinical hypothyroidism.

ABSTRACT: Congenital hypothyroidism is often secondary to thyroid dysgenesis, including thyroid agenesis, hypoplasia, ectopic thyroid tissue or cysts. Loss of function mutations in TSHR, PAX8, NKX2.1, NKX2.5 and FOXE1 genes are responsible for some forms of inherited congenital hypothyroidism, with or without hypoplastic thyroid. The aim of this study was to analyse the PAX8 gene sequence in several members of the same family in order to understand whether the variable phenotypic expression, ranging from congenital hypothyroidism with thyroid hypoplasia to mild subclinical hypothyroidism, could be associated to the genetic variant in the PAX8 gene, detected in the proband.We screened a hypothyroid child with thyroid hypoplasia for mutations in PAX8, TSHR, NKX2.1, NKX2.5 and FOXE1 genes. We studied the inheritance of the new variant R133W detected in the PAX8 gene in the proband's family, and we looked for the same substitution in 115 Caucasian European subjects and in 26 hypothyroid children. Functional studies were performed to assess the in vitro effect of the newly identified PAX8 gene variant.A new heterozygous nucleotide substitution was detected in the PAX8 DNA-binding motif (c.397C/T, R133W) in the proband, affected by congenital hypothyroidism with thyroid hypoplasia, in his older sister, displaying a subclinical hypothyroidism associated with thyroid hypoplasia and thyroid nodules, in his father, affected by hypothyroidism with thyroid hypoplasia and thyroid nodules, and his first cousin as well, who revealed only a subclinical hypothyroidism. Functional studies of R133W-PAX8 in the HEK293 cells showed activation of the TG promoter comparable to the wild-type PAX8.In vitro data do not prove that R133W-PAX8 is directly involved in the development of the thyroid phenotypes reported for family members carrying the substitution. However, it is reasonable to conceive that, in the cases of transcriptions factors, such as Pax8, which establish several interactions in different protein complexes, genetic variants could have an impact in vivo.

SUBMITTER: Vincenzi M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4142740 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Context: Congenital hypothyroidism due to thyroid dysgenesis (CHTD) is a predominantly sporadic and nonsyndromic (NS) condition of unknown etiology. NS-CHTD shows a 40-fold increase in relative risk among first-degree relatives (1 in 100 compared with a birth prevalence of 1 in 4000 in the general population), but a discordance rate between monozygotic (MZ) twins of 92%. This suggests a two-hit mechanism, combining a genetic predisposition (incomplete penetrance of inherited variants) with postzygotic events (accounting for MZ twin discordance). Objective: To evaluate whether whole-exome sequencing (WES) allows to identify new predisposing genes in NS-CHTD. Methods: We performed a case-control study by comparing the whole exome of 36 nonconsanguineous cases of NS-CHTD (33 with lingual thyroid ectopy and 3 with athyreosis, based on technetium pertechnetate scintigraphy at diagnosis) with that of 301 unaffected controls to assess for enrichment in rare protein-altering variants. We performed an unbiased approach using a gene-based burden with a false discovery rate correction. Moreover, we identified all rare pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants, based on in silico prediction tools, in 27 genes previously associated with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) (thyroid dysgenesis [TD] and dyshormonogenesis). Results: After correction for multiple testing, no enrichment in rare protein-altering variants was observed in NS-CHTD. Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants (21 variants in 12 CH genes) were identified in 42% of cases. Eight percent of cases had variants in more than one gene (oligogenic group); these were not more severely affected than monogenic cases. Moreover, cases with protein-altering variants in dyshormonogenesis-related genes were not more severely affected than those without. Conclusions: No new predisposing genes were identified following an unbiased analysis of WES data in a well-characterized NS-CHTD cohort. Nonetheless, the discovery rate of rare pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants was 42%. Eight percent of the cases harbored multiple variants in genes associated with TD or dyshormonogenesis, but these variants did not explain the variability of hypothyroidism observed in dysgenesis. WES did not identify a genetic cause in NS-CHTD cases, confirming the complex etiology of this disease. Additional studies in larger cohorts and/or novel discovery approaches are required.

Dataset Information

Identification of a novel pax8 gene sequence variant in four members of the same family: from congenital hypothyroidism with thyroid hypoplasia to mild subclinical hypothyroidism.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets