Project description:Pathogenic variants in KMT5B, a lysine methyltransferase, are associated with global developmental delay, macrocephaly, autism, and congenital anomalies (OMIM# 617788). Given the relatively recent discovery of this disorder, it has not been fully characterized. Deep phenotyping of the largest (n = 43) patient cohort to date identified that hypotonia and congenital heart defects are prominent features that were previously not associated with this syndrome. Both missense variants and putative loss-of-function variants resulted in slow growth in patient-derived cell lines. KMT5B homozygous knockout mice were smaller in size than their wild-type littermates but did not have significantly smaller brains, suggesting relative macrocephaly, also noted as a prominent clinical feature. RNA sequencing of patient lymphoblasts and Kmt5b haploinsufficient mouse brains identified differentially expressed pathways associated with nervous system development and function including axon guidance signaling. Overall, we identified additional pathogenic variants and clinical features in KMT5B-related neurodevelopmental disorder and provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of the disorder using multiple model systems.
Project description:Pathogenic variants in KMT5B, a lysine methyltransferase, are associated with global developmental delay, macrocephaly, autism, and congenital anomalies (OMIM# 617788). Given the novelty of this disorder, it has not been fully characterized. Deep phenotyping of the largest (n=43) patient cohort to date identified that hypotonia and congenital heart defects are novel prominent features. Both missense variants and putative loss-of-function variants resulted in slow growth in patient derived cell lines. KMT5B homozygous knockout mice were smaller in size than their wildtype littermates but did not have significantly smaller brains, suggesting relative macrocephaly, also noted as a prominent clinical feature. RNA-sequencing of patient lymphoblasts and Kmt5b-haploinsufficient mouse brains identified differentially expressed pathways associated with nervous system development and function including axon guidance signaling. Overall, we identified novel pathogenic variants and clinical features in KMT5B-related neurodevelopmental disorder and provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of the disorder using multiple model systems.
Project description:We examined the impact of germline heterozygous frameshift Chd8 mutation on neurodevelopment in mice. Adult Chd8+/del5 mice exhibited cognitive impairment correlated with increased cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala volume, but displayed normal social interactions and no repetitive behaviors. Network analysis of neurodevelopmental gene expression revealed widespread transcriptional changes in Chd8+/del5 mice across pathways disrupted in neurodevelopmental disorders, including neurogenesis, synaptic processes, and neuroimmune signaling. Among gene co-expression networks, we identified a module with peak expression in early brain development that featured dysregulation of genes enriched for promoter binding by Chd8 and associated with RNA processing, chromatin remodeling, and cell cycle. We validated increased neuronal proliferation and splicing alterations during Chd8+/del5 brain development. Our results show that Chd8+/del5 mice exhibit neurodevelopmental changes paralleling humans with CHD8 mutations and highlight widespread pathological consequences of Chd8 haploinsufficiency.
Project description:SETD5, a gene linked to intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a member of the SET-domain family and encodes a putative histone methyltransferase (HMT). To date, the mechanism by which SETD5 haploinsufficiency causes ASD/ID remains an unanswered question. Setd5 is the highly conserved mouse homolog, and although the Setd5 null mouse is embryonic lethal, the heterozygote is viable. Morphological tracing and multi electrode array was used on cultured cortical neurons. MRI was conducted of adult mouse brains and immunohistochemistry of juvenile mouse brains. RNA-Seq was used to investigate gene expression in the developing cortex. Behavioral assays were conducted on adult mice. Setd5+/- cortical neurons displayed significantly reduced synaptic density and neuritic outgrowth in vitro, with corresponding decreases in network activity and synchrony by electrophysiology. A specific subpopulation of fetal Setd5+/- cortical neurons showed altered gene expression of neurodevelopment-related genes. Setd5+/- animals manifested several autism-like behaviors, including hyperactivity, cognitive deficit, and altered social interactions. Anatomical differences were observed in Setd5+/- adult brains, accompanied by a deficit of deep-layer cortical neurons in the developing brain. Our data converge on a picture of abnormal neurodevelopment driven by Setd5 haploinsufficiency, consistent with a highly penetrant risk factor.
Project description:SETD5, a gene linked to intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a member of the SET-domain family and encodes a putative histone methyltransferase (HMT). To date, the mechanism by which SETD5 haploinsufficiency causes ASD/ID remains an unanswered question. Setd5 is the highly conserved mouse homolog, and although the Setd5 null mouse is embryonic lethal, the heterozygote is viable. Morphological tracing and multi electrode array was used on cultured cortical neurons. MRI was conducted of adult mouse brains and immunohistochemistry of juvenile mouse brains. RNA-Seq was used to investigate gene expression in the developing cortex. Behavioral assays were conducted on adult mice. Setd5+/- cortical neurons displayed significantly reduced synaptic density and neuritic outgrowth in vitro, with corresponding decreases in network activity and synchrony by electrophysiology. A specific subpopulation of fetal Setd5+/- cortical neurons showed altered gene expression of neurodevelopment-related genes. Setd5+/- animals manifested several autism-like behaviors, including hyperactivity, cognitive deficit, and altered social interactions. Anatomical differences were observed in Setd5+/- adult brains, accompanied by a deficit of deep-layer cortical neurons in the developing brain. Our data converge on a picture of abnormal neurodevelopment driven by Setd5 haploinsufficiency, consistent with a highly penetrant risk factor.
Project description:Diseases caused by gene haploinsufficiency in humans commonly lack a phenotype in mice heterozygous for the orthologous factor, although the source of this discrepancy is unknown. The inability to accurately model human disease in mice impedes the study of complex phenotypes and critically limits the discovery and testing of potential therapeutics. Laboratory mice have longer telomeres (>40 kilobases (kb)) compared to humans (~5-15 kb), potentially protecting them from age-related disease caused by haploinsufficiency. In humans, heterozygous non-sense mutations in the transcription factor, NOTCH1 (N1), lead to severe age-dependent aortic valve (AV) calcification. However, mice heterozygous for N1 do not develop calcific AV disease (CAVD)5. Here, we show that telomere shortening is sufficient to elicit age-dependent cardiac valve disease in N1+/- mice that closely mimics the human disease and that progressive shortening correlates with severity of disease, extending to AV thickening in the neonate. N1 haploinsufficiency led to increased proliferation in valves that further reduced telomere length. Calcified AVs exhibited downregulation of osteoclast factors and upregulation of pro-calcific regulatory nodes concordant with gene network alterations in human N1 heterozygous endothelial cells. Dysregulated genes in valves were enriched for those that have promoters normally contacted by telomere looping. These findings reveal a critical role for telomere length in a mouse model of age-dependent human disease that may have broader implications and provides an in vivo model in which to test therapeutic candidates to prevent or delay the progression of CAVD.
Project description:DNMT3A haploinsufficiency results in behavioral deficits and global epigenomic dysregulation shared across neurodevelopment disorders
Project description:DNMT3A (which encodes a de novo DNA methyltransferase) is one of the most frequently mutated genes in AML genomes. Point mutations at position R882 have been shown to cause a dominant negative loss of DNMT3A methylation activity, but 15% of DNMT3A mutations are predicted to produce truncated proteins, which could either have dominant negative activities, or cause loss-of-function and haploinsufficiency. We demonstrate that three of these mutants produce truncated, inactive proteins that do not dimerize with wild-type DNMT3A, strongly supporting the haploinsufficiency hypothesis. We therefore evaluated hematopoiesis in mice heterozygous for a constitutive null Dnmt3a mutation: unmanipulated mice developed myeloid skewing over time, and their stem/progenitor cells exhibited a long-term competitive transplantation advantage. Dnmt3a+/- mice spontaneously developed transplantable myeloid malignancies after a long latent period, and three of 12 tumors tested had cooperating mutations in the Ras- MAPK pathway. The residual Dnmt3a allele was neither mutated nor downregulated in tumors. The bone marrow cells of Dnmt3a+/- mice had a subtle but significant DNA hypomethylation phenotype that was not associated with gene dysregulation. These data demonstrate that haploinsufficiency for DNMT3A alters hematopoiesis, and predisposes mice (and probably humans) to myeloid malignancies by a mechanism that is not yet clear.