@article {962, title = {Bi-allelic Variations of SMO in Humans Cause a Broad Spectrum of Developmental Anomalies Due to Abnormal Hedgehog Signaling.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {106}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 06 04}, pages = {779-792}, abstract = {

The evolutionarily conserved hedgehog (Hh) pathway is essential for organogenesis and plays critical roles in postnatal tissue maintenance and renewal. A unique feature of the vertebrate Hh pathway is that signal transduction requires the primary cilium (PC) where major pathway components are dynamically enriched. These factors include smoothened (SMO) and patched, which constitute the core reception system for sonic hedgehog (SHH) as well as GLI transcription factors, the key mediators of the pathway. Here, we report bi-allelic loss-of-function variations in SMO in seven individuals from five independent families; these variations cause a wide phenotypic spectrum of developmental anomalies affecting the brain (hypothalamic hamartoma and microcephaly), heart (atrioventricular septal defect), skeleton (postaxial polydactyly, narrow chest, and shortening of long bones), and enteric nervous system (aganglionosis). Cells derived from affected individuals showed normal ciliogenesis but severely altered Hh-signal transduction as a result of either altered PC trafficking or abnormal activation of the pathway downstream of SMO. In addition, Hh-independent GLI2 accumulation at the PC tip in cells from the affected individuals suggests a potential function of SMO in regulating basal ciliary trafficking of GLI2 when the pathway is off. Thus, loss of SMO function results in abnormal PC dynamics of key components of the Hh signaling pathway and leads to a large continuum of malformations in humans.

}, keywords = {Alleles, Base Sequence, Child, Child, Preschool, Cilia, Developmental Disabilities, Female, Hedgehog Proteins, Humans, Infant, Male, Models, Molecular, Neoplasms, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Nuclear Proteins, Pedigree, Signal Transduction, Smoothened Receptor, Zinc Finger Protein Gli2, Zinc Finger Protein Gli3}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2020.04.010}, author = {Le, Thuy-Linh and Sribudiani, Yunia and Dong, Xiaomin and Huber, Celine and Kois, Chelsea and Baujat, Genevi{\`e}ve and Gordon, Christopher T and Mayne, Valerie and Galmiche, Louise and Serre, Val{\'e}rie and Goudin, Nicolas and Zarhrate, Mohammed and Bole-Feysot, Christine and Masson, Cecile and Nitschk{\'e}, Patrick and Verheijen, Frans W and Pais, Lynn and Pelet, Anna and Sadedin, Simon and Pugh, John A and Shur, Natasha and White, Susan M and El Chehadeh, Salima and Christodoulou, John and Cormier-Daire, Val{\'e}rie and Hofstra, R M W and Lyonnet, Stanislas and Tan, Tiong Yang and Atti{\'e}-Bitach, Tania and Kerstjens-Frederikse, Wilhelmina S and Amiel, Jeanne and Thomas, Sophie} } @article {770, title = {MN1 C-terminal truncation syndrome is a novel neurodevelopmental and craniofacial disorder with partial rhombencephalosynapsis.}, journal = {Brain}, volume = {143}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 01 01}, pages = {55-68}, abstract = {

MN1 encodes a transcriptional co-regulator without homology to other proteins, previously implicated in acute myeloid leukaemia and development of the palate. Large deletions encompassing MN1 have been reported in individuals with variable neurodevelopmental anomalies and non-specific facial features. We identified a cluster of de novo truncating mutations in MN1 in a cohort of 23 individuals with strikingly similar dysmorphic facial features, especially midface hypoplasia, and intellectual disability with severe expressive language delay. Imaging revealed an atypical form of rhombencephalosynapsis, a distinctive brain malformation characterized by partial or complete loss of the cerebellar vermis with fusion of the cerebellar hemispheres, in 8/10 individuals. Rhombencephalosynapsis has no previously known definitive genetic or environmental causes. Other frequent features included perisylvian polymicrogyria, abnormal posterior clinoid processes and persistent trigeminal artery. MN1 is encoded by only two exons. All mutations, including the recurrent variant p.Arg1295* observed in 8/21 probands, fall in the terminal exon or the extreme 3{\textquoteright} region of exon 1, and are therefore predicted to result in escape from nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. This was confirmed in fibroblasts from three individuals. We propose that the condition described here, MN1 C-terminal truncation (MCTT) syndrome, is not due to MN1 haploinsufficiency but rather is the result of dominantly acting C-terminally truncated MN1 protein. Our data show that MN1 plays a critical role in human craniofacial and brain development, and opens the door to understanding the biological mechanisms underlying rhombencephalosynapsis.

}, keywords = {Abnormalities, Multiple, Adolescent, Basilar Artery, Carotid Arteries, Cerebellar Vermis, Cerebellum, Child, Child, Preschool, Cohort Studies, Comparative Genomic Hybridization, Craniofacial Abnormalities, Female, Fibroblasts, Humans, Imaging, Three-Dimensional, Infant, Intellectual Disability, Language Development Disorders, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Mutation, Nervous System Malformations, Nonsense Mediated mRNA Decay, Polymicrogyria, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, RNA-Seq, Syndrome, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, Trans-Activators, Tumor Suppressor Proteins, Whole Exome Sequencing, Whole Genome Sequencing}, issn = {1460-2156}, doi = {10.1093/brain/awz379}, author = {Mak, Christopher C Y and Doherty, Dan and Lin, Angela E and Vegas, Nancy and Cho, Megan T and Viot, G{\'e}raldine and Dimartino, Cl{\'e}mantine and Weisfeld-Adams, James D and Lessel, Davor and Joss, Shelagh and Li, Chumei and Gonzaga-Jauregui, Claudia and Zarate, Yuri A and Ehmke, Nadja and Horn, Denise and Troyer, Caitlin and Kant, Sarina G and Lee, Youngha and Ishak, Gisele E and Leung, Gordon and Barone Pritchard, Amanda and Yang, Sandra and Bend, Eric G and Filippini, Francesca and Roadhouse, Chelsea and Lebrun, Nicolas and Mehaffey, Michele G and Martin, Pierre-Marie and Apple, Benjamin and Millan, Francisca and Puk, Oliver and Hoffer, Mariette J V and Henderson, Lindsay B and McGowan, Ruth and Wentzensen, Ingrid M and Pei, Steven and Zahir, Farah R and Yu, Mullin and Gibson, William T and Seman, Ann and Steeves, Marcie and Murrell, Jill R and Luettgen, Sabine and Francisco, Elizabeth and Strom, Tim M and Amlie-Wolf, Louise and Kaindl, Angela M and Wilson, William G and Halbach, Sara and Basel-Salmon, Lina and Lev-El, Noa and Denecke, Jonas and Vissers, Lisenka E L M and Radtke, Kelly and Chelly, Jamel and Zackai, Elaine and Friedman, Jan M and Bamshad, Michael J and Nickerson, Deborah A and Reid, Russell R and Devriendt, Koenraad and Chae, Jong-Hee and Stolerman, Elliot and McDougall, Carey and Powis, Z{\"o}e and Bienvenu, Thierry and Tan, Tiong Y and Orenstein, Naama and Dobyns, William B and Shieh, Joseph T and Choi, Murim and Waggoner, Darrel and Gripp, Karen W and Parker, Michael J and Stoler, Joan and Lyonnet, Stanislas and Cormier-Daire, Val{\'e}rie and Viskochil, David and Hoffman, Trevor L and Amiel, Jeanne and Chung, Brian H Y and Gordon, Christopher T} } @article {912, title = {Phenotypic spectrum and transcriptomic profile associated with germline variants in TRAF7.}, journal = {Genet Med}, volume = {22}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 07}, pages = {1215-1226}, abstract = {

PURPOSE: Somatic variants in tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 7 (TRAF7) cause meningioma, while germline variants have recently been identified in seven patients with developmental delay and cardiac, facial, and digital anomalies. We aimed to define the clinical and mutational spectrum associated with TRAF7 germline variants in a large series of patients, and to determine the molecular effects of the variants through transcriptomic analysis of patient fibroblasts.

METHODS: We performed exome, targeted capture, and Sanger sequencing of patients with undiagnosed developmental disorders, in multiple independent diagnostic or research centers. Phenotypic and mutational comparisons were facilitated through data exchange platforms. Whole-transcriptome sequencing was performed on RNA from patient- and control-derived fibroblasts.

RESULTS: We identified heterozygous missense variants in TRAF7 as the cause of a developmental delay-malformation syndrome in 45 patients. Major features include a recognizable facial gestalt (characterized in particular by blepharophimosis), short neck, pectus carinatum, digital deviations, and patent ductus arteriosus. Almost all variants occur in the WD40 repeats and most are recurrent. Several differentially expressed genes were identified in patient fibroblasts.

CONCLUSION: We provide the first large-scale analysis of the clinical and mutational spectrum associated with the TRAF7 developmental syndrome, and we shed light on its molecular etiology through transcriptome studies.

}, keywords = {Exome, Germ Cells, Humans, Intellectual Disability, Mutation, Missense, Phenotype, Transcriptome, Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor-Associated Peptides and Proteins}, issn = {1530-0366}, doi = {10.1038/s41436-020-0792-7}, author = {Castilla-Vallmanya, Laura and Selmer, Kaja K and Dimartino, Cl{\'e}mantine and Rabionet, Raquel and Blanco-S{\'a}nchez, Bernardo and Yang, Sandra and Reijnders, Margot R F and van Essen, Antonie J and Oufadem, Myriam and Vigeland, Magnus D and Stadheim, Barbro and Houge, Gunnar and Cox, Helen and Kingston, Helen and Clayton-Smith, Jill and Innis, Jeffrey W and Iascone, Maria and Cereda, Anna and Gabbiadini, Sara and Chung, Wendy K and Sanders, Victoria and Charrow, Joel and Bryant, Emily and Millichap, John and Vitobello, Antonio and Thauvin, Christel and Mau-Them, Frederic Tran and Faivre, Laurence and Lesca, Gaetan and Labalme, Audrey and Rougeot, Christelle and Chatron, Nicolas and Sanlaville, Damien and Christensen, Katherine M and Kirby, Amelia and Lewandowski, Raymond and Gannaway, Rachel and Aly, MAH and Lehman, Anna and Clarke, Lorne and Graul-Neumann, Luitgard and Zweier, Christiane and Lessel, Davor and Lozic, Bernarda and Aukrust, Ingvild and Peretz, Ryan and Stratton, Robert and Smol, Thomas and Dieux-Co{\"e}slier, Anne and Meira, Joanna and Wohler, Elizabeth and Sobreira, Nara and Beaver, Erin M and Heeley, Jennifer and Briere, Lauren C and High, Frances A and Sweetser, David A and Walker, Melissa A and Keegan, Catherine E and Jayakar, Parul and Shinawi, Marwan and Kerstjens-Frederikse, Wilhelmina S and Earl, Dawn L and Siu, Victoria M and Reesor, Emma and Yao, Tony and Hegele, Robert A and Vaske, Olena M and Rego, Shannon and Shapiro, Kevin A and Wong, Brian and Gambello, Michael J and McDonald, Marie and Karlowicz, Danielle and Colombo, Roberto and Serretti, Alessandro and Pais, Lynn and O{\textquoteright}Donnell-Luria, Anne and Wray, Alison and Sadedin, Simon and Chong, Belinda and Tan, Tiong Y and Christodoulou, John and White, Susan M and Slavotinek, Anne and Barbouth, Deborah and Morel Swols, Dayna and Parisot, M{\'e}lanie and Bole-Feysot, Christine and Nitschk{\'e}, Patrick and Pingault, V{\'e}ronique and Munnich, Arnold and Cho, Megan T and Cormier-Daire, Val{\'e}rie and Balcells, Susanna and Lyonnet, Stanislas and Grinberg, Daniel and Amiel, Jeanne and Urreizti, Roser and Gordon, Christopher T} } @article {593, title = {Bi-allelic Variants in TONSL Cause SPONASTRIME Dysplasia and a Spectrum of Skeletal Dysplasia Phenotypes.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {104}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 03 07}, pages = {422-438}, abstract = {

SPONASTRIME dysplasia is an autosomal-recessive spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia characterized by spine (spondylar) abnormalities, midface hypoplasia with a depressed nasal bridge, metaphyseal striations, and disproportionate short stature. Scoliosis, coxa vara, childhood cataracts, short dental roots, and hypogammaglobulinemia have also been reported in this disorder. Although an autosomal-recessive~inheritance pattern has been hypothesized, pathogenic variants in a specific gene have not been discovered in individuals with SPONASTRIME dysplasia. Here, we identified bi-allelic variants in TONSL, which encodes the Tonsoku-like DNA repair protein, in nine subjects (from eight families) with SPONASTRIME dysplasia, and four subjects (from three families) with short stature of varied severity and spondylometaphyseal dysplasia with or without immunologic and hematologic abnormalities, but no definitive metaphyseal striations at diagnosis. The finding of early embryonic lethality in a Tonsl murine model and the discovery of reduced length, spinal abnormalities, reduced numbers of neutrophils, and early lethality in a tonsl zebrafish model both support the hypomorphic nature of the identified TONSL variants. Moreover, functional studies revealed increased amounts of spontaneous replication fork stalling and chromosomal aberrations, as well as fewer camptothecin (CPT)-induced RAD51 foci in subject-derived cell lines. Importantly, these cellular defects were rescued upon re-expression of wild-type (WT) TONSL; this rescue is consistent with the hypothesis that hypomorphic TONSL variants are pathogenic. Overall, our studies in humans, mice, zebrafish, and subject-derived cell lines confirm that pathogenic variants in TONSL impair DNA replication and homologous recombination-dependent repair processes, and they lead to a spectrum of skeletal dysplasia phenotypes with numerous extra-skeletal manifestations.

}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2019.01.007}, author = {Burrage, Lindsay C and Reynolds, John J and Baratang, Nissan Vida and Phillips, Jennifer B and Wegner, Jeremy and McFarquhar, Ashley and Higgs, Martin R and Christiansen, Audrey E and Lanza, Denise G and Seavitt, John R and Jain, Mahim and Li, Xiaohui and Parry, David A and Raman, Vandana and Chitayat, David and Chinn, Ivan K and Bertuch, Alison A and Karaviti, Lefkothea and Schlesinger, Alan E and Earl, Dawn and Bamshad, Michael and Savarirayan, Ravi and Doddapaneni, Harsha and Muzny, Donna and Jhangiani, Shalini N and Eng, Christine M and Gibbs, Richard A and Bi, Weimin and Emrick, Lisa and Rosenfeld, Jill A and Postlethwait, John and Westerfield, Monte and Dickinson, Mary E and Beaudet, Arthur L and Ranza, Emmanuelle and Huber, Celine and Cormier-Daire, Val{\'e}rie and Shen, Wei and Mao, Rong and Heaney, Jason D and Orange, Jordan S and Bertola, D{\'e}bora and Yamamoto, Guilherme L and Baratela, Wagner A R and Butler, Merlin G and Ali, Asim and Adeli, Mehdi and Cohn, Daniel H and Krakow, Deborah and Jackson, Andrew P and Lees, Melissa and Offiah, Amaka C and Carlston, Colleen M and Carey, John C and Stewart, Grant S and Bacino, Carlos A and Campeau, Philippe M and Lee, Brendan} }