Project description:Mutations in the RYR1 gene are the most common cause of human congenital myopathies and patients with recessive mutations are severely affected and characteristically display ptosis and/or ophthalmoplegia. In order to gain insight into the mechanism leading to extraocular muscle involvement, we investigated the biochemical, structural and physiological properties of eye muscles from mouse models we created knocked-in for RYR1 mutations. Ex vivo force production in extraocular muscles from compound heterozygous RyR1p.Q1970fsX16+p.A4329D mutant mice was significantly reduced compared to that observed in WT. The decrease in muscle force was also accompanied by approximately a 40% reduction in RyR1 protein content, a decrease in electrically evoked calcium transients, disorganization of the muscle ultrastructure and a decrease in the number of calcium release units. Unexpectedly, the superfast and ocular-muscle specific myosin heavy chain-EO isoform was almost undetectable in RyR1p.Q1970fsX16+p.A4329D mutant mice. The results of this study show for the first time that the extraocular muscle phenotype caused by compound heterozygous RYR1 mutations is due to reduced content of ryanodine and dihydropyridine receptors, the presence of fewer calcium release units and associated mitochondria as well as disorganization of myofiber structure. Additionally, the presence of the two mutations leads to the almost complete absence of the extraocular muscle-specific isoform of myosin heavy chain.
Project description:Various genetic diseases associated with microcephaly and developmental defects are due to pathogenic variants in the U4atac snRNA, a component of the minor spliceosome essential for the removal of U12-type introns from eukaryotic messenger RNAs. While it has been shown that a few RNU4ATAC mutations result in impaired binding of essential protein components, the molecular defects of the vast majority are still unknown. Here, we used cells derived from two RNU4ATAC compound heterozygous (g.108_126del;g.111G>A) twin patients with MOPD1 phenotypes to analyze the molecular consequences of the mutations on snRNPs formation and splicing. We show that the U4atac108_126del mutant is unstable and that the 111G>A mutation located in the apical 3’ stem-loop of U4atac induces defects in 3’-end maturation giving rise to decreased levels of mature U4atacG111A snRNA as well as of minor di- and tri-snRNPs. We also found that the mutant cells have alterations in splicing of minor introns and contain lower levels of INTS7 and INTS10 proteins. Altogether, our results demonstrate that the compound heterozygous g.108_126del;g.111G>A U4atac mutations lead to defects in 3’-end processing of U4atac transcripts and affect the homeostasis and function of the Integrator complex.
Project description:Background: Bernard-Soulier Syndrome (BSS) is a rare autosomal recessive bleeding disorder with large platelets and thrombocytopenia. It is caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in the GP1BA, GP1BB, or GP9 genes, which together encode the platelet surface receptor glycoprotein complex GPIb-IX-V. Objectives: We report two novel heterozygous mutations in the GP1BA and the GP9 genes, respectively. Patients/Methods: We analyzed the platelet glycoprotein expression by flow cytometry and screened the relevant genes for responsible mutations in two unrelated families. Results: Flow cytometric analyses revealed the absence of CD42a (GPIX) and CD42b (GPIb) on the platelets in the two affected siblings of family 1 and a significantly reduced expression of CD42b (GPIb) in the patient of family 2. In the two siblings, we identified a known frameshift (c.1601_1602delAT) and a novel nonsense mutation (c.1036C>T) in the GP1BA gene that abrogated the production of GP1bα. In the other patient, we found a novel missense mutation (c.112T>C) that was co-inherited with a common one (c.182A>G) in the GP9 gene, respectively. All analyzed heterozygous carriers were asymptomatic and had a normal GPIb-IX-V expression. Conclusions: The two novel GP1BA and GP9 mutations reported herein increment the number of causative genetic defects in BSS.
Project description:CEP290 is a ciliary gene frequently mutated in ciliopathies, resulting in a broad range of phenotypes, ranging from isolated inherited retinal disorders (IRDs) to severe or lethal syndromes with multisystemic involvement. Patients with non-syndromic CEP290-linked disease experience profound and early vision loss due to cone-rod dystrophy, as in Leber congenital amaurosis. In this case report, we describe two novel loss-of-function heterozygous alterations in the CEP290 gene, discovered in a patient suffering from retinitis pigmentosa using massive parallel sequencing of a molecular inversion probes library constructed for 108 genes involved in IRDs. A milder phenotype than expected was found in the individual, which serves to prove that some CEP290-associated disorders may display preserved cone function.
Project description:Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare autosomal recessive ciliopathy characterized by retinitis pigmentosa (RP), truncal obesity, cognitive impairment, hypogonadism in men, polydactyly, and renal abnormalities with severe renal dysfunction. Twenty-two causative genes have already been reported for this disorder. In this study, we identified two unrelated Japanese patients with clinical diagnoses of BBS associated with compound heterozygous SCLT1 mutation. Patient 1 was a 10-year-old girl, and patient 2 was a 22-year-old man. Both the patients showed severe renal dysfunction in childhood, RP, mild intellectual disability, short stature, and truncal obesity, without oral aberrations and polydactyly. Patient 2 also had hypogonadism. We identified two missense variants in SCLT1, c.[1218G > A] and [1631A > G], in both the patients by next-generation sequencing. Subsequent cDNA analysis revealed that c.1218G > A affected exon 14 skipping in SCLT1. To date, SCLT1 has been reported as the causative gene of oral-facial-digital syndrome type IX, and Senior-Løken syndrome. The phenotypes of both the present patients were compatible with BBS. These results highlight SCLT1 as an additional candidate for BBS phenotype in an autosomal recessive manner.
Project description:BackgroundEpileptic encephalopathies are a group of childhood epilepsies that display high phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity. The recent, extensive use of next-generation sequencing has identified a large number of genes in epileptic encephalopathies, including UBA5 in which biallelic mutations were first described as pathogenic in 2016 (Colin E et al., Am J Hum Genet 99(3):695-703, 2016. Muona M et al., Am J Hum Genet 99(3):683-694, 2016). UBA5 encodes an activating enzyme for a post-translational modification mechanism known as ufmylation, and is the first gene from the ufmylation pathway that is linked to disease.Case presentationWe sequenced the genomes of two sisters with early-onset epileptic encephalopathy along with their unaffected parents in an attempt to find a genetic cause for their condition. The sisters, born in 2004 and 2006, presented with infantile spasms at six months of age, which later progressed to recurrent, treatment-resistant seizures. We detected a compound heterozygous genotype in UBA5 in the sisters, a genotype not seen elsewhere in an Icelandic reference set of 30,067 individuals nor in public databases. One of the mutations, c.684G > A, is a paternally inherited exonic splicing mutation, occuring at the last nucleotide of exon 7 of UBA5. The mutation is predicted to disrupt the splice site, resulting in loss-of-function of one allele of UBA5. The second mutation is a maternally inherited missense mutation, p.Ala371Thr, previously reported as pathogenic when in compound heterozygosity with a loss-of-function mutation in UBA5 and is believed to produce a hypomorphic allele. Supportive of this, we have identified three adult Icelanders homozygous for the p.Ala371Thr mutation who show no signs of neurological disease.ConclusionsWe describe compound heterozygous mutations in the UBA5 gene in two sisters with early-onset epileptic encephalopathy. To our knowledge, this is the first description of mutations in UBA5 since the initial discovery that pathogenic biallelic variants in the gene cause early-onset epileptic encephalopathy. We further provide confirmatory evidence that p.Ala371Thr is a hypomorphic mutation, by presenting three adult homozygotes who show no signs of neurological disease.
Project description:Mandibuloacral dysplasia (MAD) is a rare autosomal recessive progeroid syndrome, characterized by mandibular hypoplasia, acroosteolysis affecting distal phalanges and clavicles, delayed closure of the cranial sutures, atrophic skin, and lipodystrophy. Recently, mutations in lamin A/C (LMNA) and zinc metalloprotease (ZMPSTE24), involved in post-translational processing of prelamin A to mature lamin A, have been identified in MAD kindreds. We now report novel compound heterozygous mutations in exon 1 (c.121C>T; p.Q41X) and exon 6 (c.743C>T; p.P248L) in ZMPSTE24 in two Japanese sisters, 7- and 3-year old, with severe MAD and characteristic facies and atrophic skin. The older sister had lipodystrophy affecting the chest and thighs but sparing abdomen. Their parents and a brother, who were healthy, had heterozygous mutations. The missense mutation, P248L, was not found in 100 normal subjects of Japanese origin. The mutant Q41X was inactive in a yeast halo assay; however, the mutant P248L retained near normal ZMPSTE24 activity. Immunoblots demonstrated accumulation of prelamin A in the patients' cell lysates from lymphoblasts. The lymphoblasts from the patients also revealed less intense staining for lamin A/C on immunofluorescence. We conclude that ZMPSTE24 deficiency results in accumulation of farnesylated prelamin A, which may be responsible for cellular toxicity and the MAD phenotype.
Project description:BackgroundPathogenic mutations in EVC or EVC2 gene can lead to Ellis-van Creveld (EvC) syndrome, which is a rare autosomal recessive skeletal dysplasia disorder. This study aimed to determine pathogenic gene variations associated with EvC syndrome in fetuses showing ultrasound anomalies.MethodsA 32-year-old pregnant woman from Quanzhou, China was investigated. In her pregnancy examination, the fetus exhibited multiple fetal malformations, including a narrow thorax, short limbs, postaxial polydactyly, cardiac malformations, and separation of double renal pelvis. Karyotype, chromosomal microarray analysis and whole exome sequencing were performed for prenatal genetic etiology analysis.ResultsChromosome abnormalities and copy number variants were not observed in the fetus using karyotype and chromosomal microarray analysis. Using whole exome sequencing, two compound heterozygous variants NM_147127.5:c.[2484G>A(p.Trp828Ter)];[871-2_894del] in EVC2 gene were identified in the fetus as pathogenic variants inherited from parents.ConclusionsThe study is the first to identify two rare compound variants in EVC2 gene in a Chinese family using whole exome sequencing. The application of whole-exome sequencing would be helpful in fetal etiological diagnosis with ultrasound anomalies.
Project description:The complete pool of barcoded essential heterozygous diploid deletion strains of S. cerevisiae were screened with 20 compounds from the Chembridge NOVACore chemical library to identify gene deletions that confer sensitivity to each compound.