@article {89, title = {Autosomal-Recessive Hearing Impairment Due to Rare Missense Variants within S1PR2.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {98}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Feb 04}, pages = {331-8}, abstract = {

The sphingosine-1-phosphate receptors (S1PRs) are a well-studied class of transmembrane G protein-coupled sphingolipid receptors that mediate multiple cellular processes. However, S1PRs have not been previously reported to be involved in the genetic etiology of human traits. S1PR2 lies within the autosomal-recessive nonsyndromic hearing impairment (ARNSHI) locus DFNB68 on 19p13.2. From exome sequence data we identified two pathogenic S1PR2 variants, c.323G>C (p.Arg108Pro) and c.419A>G (p.Tyr140Cys). Each of these variants co-segregates with congenital profound hearing impairment in consanguineous Pakistani families with maximum LOD scores of 6.4 for family DEM4154 and 3.3 for family PKDF1400. Neither S1PR2 missense variant was reported among \~{}120,000 chromosomes in the Exome Aggregation Consortium database, in 76 unrelated Pakistani exomes, or in 720 Pakistani control chromosomes. Both DNA variants affect highly conserved residues of S1PR2 and are predicted to be damaging by multiple bioinformatics tools. Molecular modeling predicts that these variants affect binding of sphingosine-1-phosphate (p.Arg108Pro) and G protein docking (p.Tyr140Cys). In the previously reported S1pr2(-/-) mice, stria vascularis abnormalities, organ of Corti degeneration, and profound hearing loss were~observed. Additionally, hair cell defects were seen in both knockout mice and morphant zebrafish. Family PKDF1400 presents with ARNSHI, which is consistent with the lack of gross malformations in S1pr2(-/-) mice, whereas family DEM4154 has lower limb malformations in addition to hearing loss. Our findings suggest the possibility of developing therapies against hair cell damage (e.g., from ototoxic drugs) through targeted stimulation of S1PR2.

}, keywords = {Amino Acid Sequence, Asian Continental Ancestry Group, Chromosomes, Human, Pair 19, Exome, Genes, Recessive, Hearing Loss, Humans, Lod Score, Logistic Models, Lysophospholipids, Models, Molecular, Molecular Sequence Data, Mutation, Missense, Pedigree, Phenotype, Receptors, Lysosphingolipid, Sphingosine}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2015.12.004}, author = {Santos-Cortez, Regie Lyn P and Faridi, Rabia and Rehman, Atteeq U and Lee, Kwanghyuk and Ansar, Muhammad and Wang, Xin and Morell, Robert J and Isaacson, Rivka and Belyantseva, Inna A and Dai, Hang and Acharya, Anushree and Qaiser, Tanveer A and Muhammad, Dost and Ali, Rana Amjad and Shams, Sulaiman and Hassan, Muhammad Jawad and Shahzad, Shaheen and Raza, Syed Irfan and Bashir, Zil-E-Huma and Smith, Joshua D and Nickerson, Deborah A and Bamshad, Michael J and Riazuddin, Sheikh and Ahmad, Wasim and Friedman, Thomas B and Leal, Suzanne M} } @article {173, title = {COPA mutations impair ER-Golgi transport and cause hereditary autoimmune-mediated lung disease and arthritis.}, journal = {Nat Genet}, volume = {47}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Jun}, pages = {654-60}, abstract = {

Unbiased genetic studies have uncovered surprising molecular mechanisms in human cellular immunity and autoimmunity. We performed whole-exome sequencing and targeted sequencing in five families with an apparent mendelian syndrome of autoimmunity characterized by high-titer autoantibodies, inflammatory arthritis and interstitial lung disease. We identified four unique deleterious variants in the COPA gene (encoding coatomer subunit α) affecting the same functional domain. Hypothesizing that mutant COPA leads to defective intracellular transport via coat protein complex I (COPI), we show that COPA variants impair binding to proteins targeted for retrograde Golgi-to-ER transport. Additionally, expression of mutant COPA results in ER stress and the upregulation of cytokines priming for a T helper type 17 (TH17) response. Patient-derived CD4(+) T cells also demonstrate significant skewing toward a TH17 phenotype that is implicated in autoimmunity. Our findings uncover an unexpected molecular link between a vesicular transport protein and a syndrome of autoimmunity manifested by lung and joint disease.

}, keywords = {Amino Acid Sequence, Arthritis, Autoimmune Diseases, Child, Preschool, Coatomer Protein, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, Female, Genetic Association Studies, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Golgi Apparatus, HEK293 Cells, Humans, Infant, Lod Score, Lung Diseases, Interstitial, Male, Molecular Sequence Data, Pedigree, Protein Transport}, issn = {1546-1718}, doi = {10.1038/ng.3279}, author = {Watkin, Levi B and Jessen, Birthe and Wiszniewski, Wojciech and Vece, Timothy J and Jan, Max and Sha, Youbao and Thamsen, Maike and Santos-Cortez, Regie L P and Lee, Kwanghyuk and Gambin, Tomasz and Forbes, Lisa R and Law, Christopher S and Stray-Pedersen, Asbj{\o}rg and Cheng, Mickie H and Mace, Emily M and Anderson, Mark S and Liu, Dongfang and Tang, Ling Fung and Nicholas, Sarah K and Nahmod, Karen and Makedonas, George and Canter, Debra L and Kwok, Pui-Yan and Hicks, John and Jones, Kirk D and Penney, Samantha and Jhangiani, Shalini N and Rosenblum, Michael D and Dell, Sharon D and Waterfield, Michael R and Papa, Feroz R and Muzny, Donna M and Zaitlen, Noah and Leal, Suzanne M and Gonzaga-Jauregui, Claudia and Boerwinkle, Eric and Eissa, N Tony and Gibbs, Richard A and Lupski, James R and Orange, Jordan S and Shum, Anthony K} } @article {182, title = {Genetic linkage analysis in the age of whole-genome sequencing.}, journal = {Nat Rev Genet}, volume = {16}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 May}, pages = {275-84}, abstract = {

For many years, linkage analysis was the primary tool used for the genetic mapping of Mendelian and complex traits with familial aggregation. Linkage analysis was largely supplanted by the wide adoption of genome-wide association studies (GWASs). However, with the recent increased use of whole-genome sequencing (WGS), linkage analysis is again emerging as an important and powerful analysis method for the identification of genes involved in disease aetiology, often in conjunction with WGS filtering approaches. Here, we review the principles of linkage analysis and provide practical guidelines for carrying out linkage studies using WGS data.

}, keywords = {Algorithms, Female, Genetic Linkage, Genome, Human, Genome-Wide Association Study, Genotyping Techniques, Humans, Lod Score, Male, Pedigree, Penetrance, Phenotype, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Software}, issn = {1471-0064}, doi = {10.1038/nrg3908}, author = {Ott, Jurg and Wang, Jing and Leal, Suzanne M} }