@article {575, title = {De Novo SOX4 Variants Cause a Neurodevelopmental Disease Associated with Mild Dysmorphism.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {104}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 02 07}, pages = {246-259}, abstract = {

SOX4, together with SOX11 and SOX12, forms group C of SRY-related (SOX) transcription factors. They play key roles, often in redundancy, in multiple developmental pathways, including neurogenesis and skeletogenesis. De novo SOX11 heterozygous mutations have been shown to cause intellectual disability, growth deficiency, and dysmorphic features compatible with mild Coffin-Siris syndrome. Using trio-based exome sequencing, we here identify de novo SOX4 heterozygous missense variants in four children who share developmental delay, intellectual disability, and mild facial and digital morphological abnormalities. SOX4 is highly expressed in areas of active neurogenesis in human fetuses, and sox4 knockdown in Xenopus embryos diminishes brain and whole-body size. The SOX4 variants cluster in the highly conserved, SOX family-specific HMG domain, but each alters a different residue. In silico tools predict that each variant affects a distinct structural feature of this DNA-binding domain, and functional assays demonstrate that these SOX4 proteins carrying these variants are unable to bind DNA in~vitro and transactivate SOX reporter genes in cultured cells. These variants are not found in the gnomAD database of individuals with presumably normal development, but 12 other SOX4 HMG-domain missense variants~are recorded and all demonstrate partial to full activity in the reporter assay. Taken together, these findings point to specific SOX4 HMG-domain missense variants as the cause of a characteristic human neurodevelopmental disorder associated with mild facial and digital dysmorphism.

}, keywords = {Abnormalities, Multiple, Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Child, Child, Preschool, Coffin-Lowry Syndrome, Cohort Studies, Conserved Sequence, DNA, Female, Heterozygote, HMG-Box Domains, Humans, Male, Mutation, Missense, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, SOXC Transcription Factors, Transcriptional Activation, Xenopus}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2018.12.014}, author = {Zawerton, Ash and Yao, Baojin and Yeager, J Paige and Pippucci, Tommaso and Haseeb, Abdul and Smith, Joshua D and Wischmann, Lisa and K{\"u}hl, Susanne J and Dean, John C S and Pilz, Daniela T and Holder, Susan E and McNeill, Alisdair and Graziano, Claudio and Lefebvre, V{\'e}ronique} } @article {474, title = {Mutations in the Epithelial Cadherin-p120-Catenin Complex Cause Mendelian Non-Syndromic Cleft Lip with or without Cleft Palate.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {102}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 06 07}, pages = {1143-1157}, abstract = {

Non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NS-CL/P) is one of the most common human birth defects and is generally considered a complex trait. Despite numerous loci identified by genome-wide association studies, the effect sizes of common variants are relatively small, with much of the presumed genetic contribution remaining elusive. We report exome-sequencing results in 209 people from 72 multi-affected families with pedigree structures consistent with autosomal-dominant inheritance and variable penetrance. Herein, pathogenic variants are described in four genes encoding components of the p120-catenin complex (CTNND1, PLEKHA7, PLEKHA5) and an epithelial splicing regulator (ESRP2), in addition to the known CL/P-associated gene, CDH1, which encodes E-cadherin. The findings were also validated in a second cohort of 497 people with NS-CL/P, comprising small families and singletons with pathogenic variants in these genes identified in 14\% of multi-affected families and 2\% of the replication cohort of smaller families. Enriched expression of each gene/protein in human and mouse embryonic oro-palatal epithelia, demonstration of functional impact of CTNND1 and ESRP2 variants, and recapitulation of the CL/P spectrum in Ctnnd1 knockout mice support a causative role in CL/P pathogenesis. These data show that primary defects in regulators of epithelial cell adhesion are the most significant contributors to NS-CL/P identified to date and that inherited and de novo single gene variants explain a substantial proportion of NS-CL/P.

}, keywords = {Alleles, Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Biotinylation, Cadherins, Catenins, Cleft Lip, Cleft Palate, Epithelium, Female, Gene Deletion, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Mice, Mutation, Palate, Pedigree, Syndrome, Whole Exome Sequencing}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2018.04.009}, author = {Cox, Liza L and Cox, Timothy C and Moreno Uribe, Lina M and Zhu, Ying and Richter, Chika T and Nidey, Nichole and Standley, Jennifer M and Deng, Mei and Blue, Elizabeth and Chong, Jessica X and Yang, Yueqin and Carstens, Russ P and Anand, Deepti and Lachke, Salil A and Smith, Joshua D and Dorschner, Michael O and Bedell, Bruce and Kirk, Edwin and Hing, Anne V and Venselaar, Hanka and Valencia-Ramirez, Luz C and Bamshad, Michael J and Glass, Ian A and Cooper, Jonathan A and Haan, Eric and Nickerson, Deborah A and van Bokhoven, Hans and Zhou, Huiqing and Krahn, Katy N and Buckley, Michael F and Murray, Jeffrey C and Lidral, Andrew C and Roscioli, Tony} } @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 {227, title = {Exome sequencing identifies a recurrent de novo ZSWIM6 mutation associated with acromelic frontonasal dysostosis.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {95}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Aug 07}, pages = {235-40}, abstract = {

Acromelic frontonasal dysostosis (AFND) is a rare disorder characterized by distinct craniofacial, brain, and limb malformations, including frontonasal dysplasia, interhemispheric lipoma, agenesis of the corpus callosum, tibial hemimelia, preaxial polydactyly of the feet, and intellectual disability. Exome sequencing of one trio and two unrelated probands revealed the same heterozygous variant (c.3487C>T [p. Arg1163Trp]) in a highly conserved protein domain of ZSWIM6; this variant has not been seen in the 1000 Genomes data, dbSNP, or the Exome Sequencing Project. Sanger validation of the three trios confirmed that the variant was de novo and was also present in a fourth isolated proband. In situ hybridization of early zebrafish embryos at 24 hr postfertilization (hpf) demonstrated telencephalic expression of zswim6 and onset of midbrain, hindbrain, and retinal expression at 48 hpf. Immunohistochemistry of later-stage mouse embryos demonstrated tissue-specific expression in the derivatives of all three germ layers. qRT-PCR expression analysis of osteoblast and fibroblast cell lines available from two probands was suggestive of Hedgehog pathway activation, indicating that the ZSWIM6 mutation associated with AFND may lead to the craniofacial, brain and limb malformations through the disruption of Hedgehog signaling.

}, keywords = {Abnormalities, Multiple, Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Base Sequence, Craniofacial Abnormalities, DNA Mutational Analysis, DNA-Binding Proteins, Exome, Face, Hedgehog Proteins, Humans, Intellectual Disability, Limb Deformities, Congenital, Mandibulofacial Dysostosis, Mice, Molecular Sequence Data, Mutation, Protein Structure, Tertiary, Zebrafish, Zinc Fingers}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2014.07.008}, author = {Smith, Joshua D and Hing, Anne V and Clarke, Christine M and Johnson, Nathan M and Perez, Francisco A and Park, Sarah S and Horst, Jeremy A and Mecham, Brig and Maves, Lisa and Nickerson, Deborah A and Cunningham, Michael L} } @article {307, title = {Mutations in KCTD1 cause scalp-ear-nipple syndrome.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {92}, year = {2013}, month = {2013 Apr 04}, pages = {621-6}, abstract = {

Scalp-ear-nipple (SEN) syndrome is a rare, autosomal-dominant disorder characterized by cutis aplasia of the scalp; minor anomalies of the external ears, digits, and nails; and malformations of the breast. We used linkage analysis and exome sequencing of a multiplex family affected by SEN syndrome to identify potassium-channel tetramerization-domain-containing 1 (KCTD1) mutations that cause SEN syndrome. Evaluation of a total of ten families affected by SEN syndrome revealed KCTD1 missense mutations in each family tested. All of the mutations occurred in a KCTD1 region encoding a highly conserved bric-a-brac, tram track, and broad complex (BTB) domain that is required for transcriptional repressor activity. KCTD1 inhibits the transactivation of the transcription factor AP-2α (TFAP2A) via its BTB domain, and mutations in TFAP2A cause cutis aplasia in individuals with branchiooculofacial syndrome (BOFS), suggesting a potential overlap in the pathogenesis of SEN syndrome and BOFS. The identification of KCTD1 mutations in SEN syndrome reveals a role for this BTB-domain-containing transcriptional repressor during ectodermal development.

}, keywords = {Abnormalities, Multiple, Amino Acid Sequence, Branchio-Oto-Renal Syndrome, Ear, External, Ectodermal Dysplasia, Exome, Female, Humans, Hypospadias, Male, Molecular Sequence Data, Muscle Hypotonia, Mutation, Missense, Nipples, Pedigree, Phenotype, Protein Structure, Tertiary, Repressor Proteins, Scalp, Sequence Homology, Amino Acid}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.03.002}, author = {Marneros, Alexander G and Beck, Anita E and Turner, Emily H and McMillin, Margaret J and Edwards, Matthew J and Field, Michael and de Macena Sobreira, Nara Lygia and Perez, Ana Beatriz A and Fortes, Jose A R and Lampe, Anne K and Giovannucci Uzielli, Maria Luisa and Gordon, Christopher T and Plessis, Ghislaine and Le Merrer, Martine and Amiel, Jeanne and Reichenberger, Ernst and Shively, Kathryn M and Cerrato, Felecia and Labow, Brian I and Tabor, Holly K and Smith, Joshua D and Shendure, Jay and Nickerson, Deborah A and Bamshad, Michael J} }