@article {737, title = {ASC-1 Is a Cell Cycle Regulator Associated with Severe and Mild Forms of Myopathy.}, journal = {Ann Neurol}, volume = {87}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 02}, pages = {217-232}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: Recently, the ASC-1 complex has been identified as a mechanistic link between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and 3 mutations of the ASC-1 gene TRIP4 have been associated with SMA or congenital myopathy. Our goal was to define ASC-1 neuromuscular function and the phenotypical spectrum associated with TRIP4 mutations.

METHODS: Clinical, molecular, histological, and magnetic resonance imaging studies were made in 5 families with 7 novel TRIP4 mutations. Fluorescence activated cell sorting and Western blot were performed in patient-derived fibroblasts and muscles and in Trip4 knocked-down C2C12 cells.

RESULTS: All mutations caused ASC-1 protein depletion. The clinical phenotype was purely myopathic, ranging from lethal neonatal to mild ambulatory adult patients. It included early onset axial and proximal weakness, scoliosis, rigid spine, dysmorphic facies, cutaneous involvement, respiratory failure, and in the older cases, dilated cardiomyopathy. Muscle biopsies showed multiminicores, nemaline rods, cytoplasmic bodies, caps, central nuclei, rimmed fibers, and/or mild endomysial fibrosis. ASC-1 depletion in C2C12 and in patient-derived fibroblasts and muscles caused accelerated proliferation, altered expression of cell cycle proteins, and/or shortening of the G0/G1 cell cycle phase leading to cell size reduction.

INTERPRETATION: Our results expand the phenotypical and molecular spectrum of TRIP4-associated disease to include mild adult forms with or without cardiomyopathy, associate ASC-1 depletion with isolated primary muscle involvement, and establish TRIP4 as a causative gene for several congenital muscle diseases, including nemaline, core, centronuclear, and cytoplasmic-body myopathies. They also identify ASC-1 as a novel cell cycle regulator with a key role in cell proliferation, and underline transcriptional coregulation defects as a novel pathophysiological mechanism. ANN NEUROL 2020;87:217-232.

}, keywords = {Adult, Amino Acid Transport System y+, Cell Cycle, Cells, Cultured, Child, Child, Preschool, Female, Fibroblasts, Humans, Infant, Male, Middle Aged, Muscle Proteins, Muscle, Skeletal, Muscular Diseases, Mutation, Pedigree, Phenotype, Transcription Factors}, issn = {1531-8249}, doi = {10.1002/ana.25660}, author = {Villar-Quiles, Roc{\'\i}o N and Catervi, Fabio and Cabet, Eva and Juntas-Morales, Raul and Genetti, Casie A and Gidaro, Teresa and Koparir, Asuman and Yuksel, Adnan and Coppens, Sandra and Deconinck, Nicolas and Pierce-Hoffman, Emma and Lornage, Xavi{\`e}re and Durigneux, Julien and Laporte, Jocelyn and Rendu, John and Romero, Norma B and Beggs, Alan H and Servais, Laurent and Coss{\'e}e, Mireille and Oliv{\'e}, Montse and B{\"o}hm, Johann and Duband-Goulet, Isabelle and Ferreiro, Ana} } @article {905, title = {Dominant-negative mutations in human IL6ST underlie hyper-IgE syndrome.}, journal = {J Exp Med}, volume = {217}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 06 01}, abstract = {

Autosomal dominant hyper-IgE syndrome (AD-HIES) is typically caused by dominant-negative (DN) STAT3 mutations. Patients suffer from cold staphylococcal lesions and mucocutaneous candidiasis, severe allergy, and skeletal abnormalities. We report 12 patients from 8 unrelated kindreds with AD-HIES due to DN IL6ST mutations. We identified seven different truncating mutations, one of which was recurrent. The mutant alleles encode GP130 receptors bearing the transmembrane domain but lacking both the recycling motif and all four STAT3-recruiting tyrosine residues. Upon overexpression, the mutant proteins accumulate at the cell surface and are loss of function and DN for cellular responses to IL-6, IL-11, LIF, and OSM. Moreover, the patients{\textquoteright} heterozygous leukocytes and fibroblasts respond poorly to IL-6 and IL-11. Consistently, patients with STAT3 and IL6ST mutations display infectious and allergic manifestations of IL-6R deficiency, and some of the skeletal abnormalities of IL-11R deficiency. DN STAT3 and IL6ST mutations thus appear to underlie clinical phenocopies through impairment of the IL-6 and IL-11 response pathways.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Alleles, C-Reactive Protein, Cell Membrane, Cells, Cultured, Child, Cytokine Receptor gp130, Cytokines, Female, Fibroblasts, Genes, Dominant, Genetics, Population, HEK293 Cells, Humans, Job Syndrome, Kinetics, Loss of Function Mutation, Male, Middle Aged, Models, Biological, Mutation, Pedigree, Phenotype, Th2 Cells, Up-Regulation, Young Adult}, issn = {1540-9538}, doi = {10.1084/jem.20191804}, author = {B{\'e}ziat, Vivien and Tavernier, Simon J and Chen, Yin-Huai and Ma, Cindy S and Materna, Marie and Laurence, Arian and Staal, Jens and Aschenbrenner, Dominik and Roels, Lisa and Worley, Lisa and Claes, Kathleen and Gartner, Lisa and Kohn, Lisa A and De Bruyne, Marieke and Schmitz-Abe, Klaus and Charbonnier, Louis-Marie and Keles, Sevgi and Nammour, Justine and Vladikine, Natasha and Maglorius Renkilaraj, Majistor Raj Luxman and Seeleuthner, Yoann and Migaud, M{\'e}lanie and Rosain, J{\'e}r{\'e}mie and Jeljeli, Mohamed and Boisson, Bertrand and Van Braeckel, Eva and Rosenfeld, Jill A and Dai, Hongzheng and Burrage, Lindsay C and Murdock, David R and Lambrecht, Bart N and Avettand-Fenoel, V{\'e}ronique and Vogel, Tiphanie P and Esther, Charles R and Haskologlu, Sule and Dogu, Figen and Ciznar, Peter and Boutboul, David and Ouach{\'e}e-Chardin, Marie and Amourette, Jean and Lebras, Marie-No{\"e}lle and Gauvain, Cl{\'e}ment and Tcherakian, Colas and Ikinciogullari, Aydan and Beyaert, Rudi and Abel, Laurent and Milner, Joshua D and Grimbacher, Bodo and Couderc, Louis-Jean and Butte, Manish J and Freeman, Alexandra F and Catherinot, Emilie and Fieschi, Claire and Chatila, Talal A and Tangye, Stuart G and Uhlig, Holm H and Haerynck, Filomeen and Casanova, Jean-Laurent and Puel, Anne} } @article {807, title = {Mutation of CFAP57, a protein required for the asymmetric targeting of a subset of inner dynein arms in Chlamydomonas, causes primary ciliary dyskinesia.}, journal = {PLoS Genet}, volume = {16}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 08}, pages = {e1008691}, abstract = {

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is characterized by chronic airway disease, reduced fertility, and randomization of the left/right body axis. It is caused by defects of motile cilia and sperm flagella. We screened a cohort of affected individuals that lack an obvious axonemal defect for pathogenic variants using whole exome capture, next generation sequencing, and bioinformatic analysis assuming an autosomal recessive trait. We identified one subject with an apparently homozygous nonsense variant [(c.1762C>T), p.(Arg588*)] in the uncharacterized CFAP57 gene. Interestingly, the variant results in the skipping of exon 11 (58 amino acids), which may be due to disruption of an exonic splicing enhancer. In normal human nasal epithelial cells, CFAP57 localizes throughout the ciliary axoneme. Nasal cells from the PCD patient express a shorter, mutant version of CFAP57 and the protein is not incorporated into the axoneme. The missing 58 amino acids include portions of WD repeats that may be important for loading onto the intraflagellar transport (IFT) complexes for transport or docking onto the axoneme. A reduced beat frequency and an alteration in ciliary waveform was observed. Knockdown of CFAP57 in human tracheobronchial epithelial cells (hTECs) recapitulates these findings. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CFAP57 is highly conserved in organisms that assemble motile cilia. CFAP57 is allelic with the BOP2/IDA8/FAP57 gene identified previously in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Two independent, insertional fap57 Chlamydomonas mutant strains show reduced swimming velocity and altered waveforms. Tandem mass tag (TMT) mass spectroscopy shows that FAP57 is missing, and the "g" inner dyneins (DHC7 and DHC3) and the "d" inner dynein (DHC2) are reduced, but the FAP57 paralog FBB7 is increased. Together, our data identify a homozygous variant in CFAP57 that causes PCD that is likely due to a defect in the inner dynein arm assembly process.

}, keywords = {3T3 Cells, Adult, Animals, Axoneme, Cells, Cultured, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Cilia, Ciliary Motility Disorders, Codon, Nonsense, Conserved Sequence, Dyneins, Humans, Male, Mice, Microtubule-Associated Proteins, Plant Proteins, Proteins, Respiratory Mucosa}, issn = {1553-7404}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pgen.1008691}, author = {Bustamante-Marin, Ximena M and Horani, Amjad and Stoyanova, Mihaela and Charng, Wu-Lin and Bottier, Mathieu and Sears, Patrick R and Yin, Wei-Ning and Daniels, Leigh Anne and Bowen, Hailey and Conrad, Donald F and Knowles, Michael R and Ostrowski, Lawrence E and Zariwala, Maimoona A and Dutcher, Susan K} } @article {571, title = {Recessive mutations in muscle-specific isoforms of FXR1 cause congenital multi-minicore myopathy.}, journal = {Nat Commun}, volume = {10}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 02 15}, pages = {797}, abstract = {

FXR1 is an alternatively spliced gene that encodes RNA binding proteins (FXR1P) involved in muscle development. In contrast to other tissues, cardiac and skeletal muscle express two FXR1P isoforms that incorporate an additional exon-15. We report that recessive mutations in this particular exon of FXR1 cause congenital multi-minicore myopathy in humans and mice. Additionally, we show that while Myf5-dependent depletion of all FXR1P isoforms is neonatal lethal, mice carrying mutations in exon-15 display non-lethal myopathies which vary in severity depending on the specific effect of each mutation on the protein.

}, keywords = {Animals, Cells, Cultured, Exons, Gene Expression, Genes, Recessive, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, HEK293 Cells, HeLa Cells, Humans, Mice, Transgenic, Muscle, Skeletal, Mutation, Myopathies, Structural, Congenital, Ophthalmoplegia, RNA-Binding Proteins, Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-019-08548-9}, author = {Esta{\~n}, Mar{\'\i}a Cristina and Fern{\'a}ndez-N{\'u}{\~n}ez, Elisa and Zaki, Maha S and Esteban, Mar{\'\i}a Isabel and Donkervoort, Sandra and Hawkins, Cynthia and Caparros-Martin, Jos{\'e} A and Saade, Dimah and Hu, Ying and Bolduc, Veronique and Chao, Katherine Ru-Yui and Nevado, Juli{\'a}n and Lamuedra, Ana and Largo, Raquel and Herrero-Beaumont, Gabriel and Regadera, Javier and Hernandez-Chico, Concepci{\'o}n and Tizzano, Eduardo F and Martinez-Glez, Victor and Carvajal, Jaime J and Zong, Ruiting and Nelson, David L and Otaify, Ghada A and Temtamy, Samia and Aglan, Mona and Issa, Mahmoud and B{\"o}nnemann, Carsten G and Lapunzina, Pablo and Yoon, Grace and Ruiz-Perez, Victor L} } @article {566, title = {ROBO4 variants predispose individuals to bicuspid aortic valve and thoracic aortic aneurysm.}, journal = {Nat Genet}, volume = {51}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 01}, pages = {42-50}, abstract = {

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is a common congenital heart defect (population incidence, 1-2\%) that frequently presents with ascending aortic aneurysm (AscAA). BAV/AscAA shows autosomal dominant inheritance with incomplete penetrance and male predominance. Causative gene mutations (for example, NOTCH1, SMAD6) are known for <=1\% of nonsyndromic BAV cases with and without AscAA, impeding mechanistic insight and development of therapeutic strategies. Here, we report the identification of variants in ROBO4 (which encodes a factor known to contribute to endothelial performance) that segregate with disease in two families. Targeted sequencing of ROBO4 showed enrichment for rare variants in BAV/AscAA probands compared with controls. Targeted silencing of ROBO4 or mutant ROBO4 expression in endothelial cell lines results in impaired barrier function and a synthetic repertoire suggestive of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition. This is consistent with BAV/AscAA-associated findings in patients and in animal models deficient for ROBO4. These data identify a novel endothelial etiology for this common human disease phenotype.

}, keywords = {Animals, Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic, Aortic Valve, Cells, Cultured, Disease Models, Animal, Endothelial Cells, Female, Heart Valve Diseases, Humans, Male, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Knockout, Mutation, Phenotype, Receptors, Cell Surface, Zebrafish}, issn = {1546-1718}, doi = {10.1038/s41588-018-0265-y}, author = {Gould, Russell A and Aziz, Hamza and Woods, Courtney E and Seman-Senderos, Manuel Alejandro and Sparks, Elizabeth and Preuss, Christoph and W{\"u}nnemann, Florian and Bedja, Djahida and Moats, Cassandra R and McClymont, Sarah A and Rose, Rebecca and Sobreira, Nara and Ling, Hua and MacCarrick, Gretchen and Kumar, Ajay Anand and Luyckx, Ilse and Cannaerts, Elyssa and Verstraeten, Aline and Bj{\"o}rk, Hanna M and Lehsau, Ann-Cathrin and Jaskula-Ranga, Vinod and Lauridsen, Henrik and Shah, Asad A and Bennett, Christopher L and Ellinor, Patrick T and Lin, Honghuang and Isselbacher, Eric M and Lino Cardenas, Christian Lacks and Butcher, Jonathan T and Hughes, G Chad and Lindsay, Mark E and Mertens, Luc and Franco-Cereceda, Anders and Verhagen, Judith M A and Wessels, Marja and Mohamed, Salah A and Eriksson, Per and Mital, Seema and Van Laer, Lut and Loeys, Bart L and Andelfinger, Gregor and McCallion, Andrew S and Dietz, Harry C} } @article {58, title = {Association of MTOR Mutations With Developmental Brain Disorders, Including Megalencephaly, Focal Cortical Dysplasia, and Pigmentary Mosaicism.}, journal = {JAMA Neurol}, volume = {73}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 07 01}, pages = {836-845}, abstract = {

IMPORTANCE: Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), hemimegalencephaly, and megalencephaly constitute a spectrum of malformations of cortical development with shared neuropathologic features. These disorders are associated with significant childhood morbidity and mortality.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the underlying molecular cause of FCD, hemimegalencephaly, and diffuse megalencephaly.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Patients with FCD, hemimegalencephaly, or megalencephaly (mean age, 11.7 years; range, 2-32 years) were recruited from Pediatric Hospital A. Meyer, the University of Hong Kong, and Seattle Children{\textquoteright}s Research Institute from June 2012 to June 2014. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed on 8 children with FCD or hemimegalencephaly using standard-depth (50-60X) sequencing in peripheral samples (blood, saliva, or skin) from the affected child and their parents and deep (150-180X) sequencing in affected brain tissue. Targeted sequencing and WES were used to screen 93 children with molecularly unexplained diffuse or focal brain overgrowth. Histopathologic and functional assays of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-AKT (serine/threonine kinase)-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway activity in resected brain tissue and cultured neurons were performed to validate mutations.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Whole-exome sequencing and targeted sequencing identified variants associated with this spectrum of developmental brain disorders.

RESULTS: Low-level mosaic mutations of MTOR were identified in brain tissue in 4 children with FCD type 2a with alternative allele fractions ranging from 0.012 to 0.086. Intermediate-level mosaic mutation of MTOR (p.Thr1977Ile) was also identified in 3 unrelated children with diffuse megalencephaly and pigmentary mosaicism in skin. Finally, a constitutional de novo mutation of MTOR (p.Glu1799Lys) was identified in 3 unrelated children with diffuse megalencephaly and intellectual disability. Molecular and functional analysis in 2 children with FCD2a from whom multiple affected brain tissue samples were available revealed a mutation gradient with an epicenter in the most epileptogenic area. When expressed in cultured neurons, all MTOR mutations identified here drive constitutive activation of mTOR complex 1 and enlarged neuronal size.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this study, mutations of MTOR were associated with a spectrum of brain overgrowth phenotypes extending from FCD type 2a to diffuse megalencephaly, distinguished by different mutations and levels of mosaicism. These mutations may be sufficient to cause cellular hypertrophy in cultured neurons and may provide a demonstration of the pattern of mosaicism in brain and substantiate the link between mosaic mutations of MTOR and pigmentary mosaicism in skin.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Amino Acids, Animals, Cells, Cultured, Cerebral Cortex, Child, Child, Preschool, Developmental Disabilities, Embryo, Mammalian, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Genetic Association Studies, Humans, Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins, Male, Malformations of Cortical Development, Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1, Megalencephaly, Mosaicism, Multiprotein Complexes, Mutation, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Neurons, Rats, Retrospective Studies, TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases, Young Adult}, issn = {2168-6157}, doi = {10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.0363}, author = {Mirzaa, Ghayda M and Campbell, Catarina D and Solovieff, Nadia and Goold, Carleton and Jansen, Laura A and Menon, Suchithra and Timms, Andrew E and Conti, Valerio and Biag, Jonathan D and Adams, Carissa and Boyle, Evan August and Collins, Sarah and Ishak, Gisele and Poliachik, Sandra and Girisha, Katta M and Yeung, Kit San and Chung, Brian Hon Yin and Rahikkala, Elisa and Gunter, Sonya A and McDaniel, Sharon S and Macmurdo, Colleen Forsyth and Bernstein, Jonathan A and Martin, Beth and Leary, Rebecca and Mahan, Scott and Liu, Shanming and Weaver, Molly and Doerschner, Michael and Jhangiani, Shalini and Muzny, Donna M and Boerwinkle, Eric and Gibbs, Richard A and Lupski, James R and Shendure, Jay and Saneto, Russell P and Novotny, Edward J and Wilson, Christopher J and Sellers, William R and Morrissey, Michael and Hevner, Robert F and Ojemann, Jeffrey G and Guerrini, Renzo and Murphy, Leon O and Winckler, Wendy and Dobyns, William B} } @article {86, title = {FOXE3 mutations predispose to thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections.}, journal = {J Clin Invest}, volume = {126}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Mar 01}, pages = {948-61}, abstract = {

The ascending thoracic aorta is designed to withstand biomechanical forces from pulsatile blood. Thoracic aortic aneurysms and acute aortic dissections (TAADs) occur as a result of genetically triggered defects in aortic structure and a dysfunctional response to these forces. Here, we describe mutations in the forkhead transcription factor FOXE3 that predispose mutation-bearing individuals to TAAD. We performed exome sequencing of a large family with multiple members with TAADs and identified a rare variant in FOXE3 with an altered amino acid in the DNA-binding domain (p.Asp153His) that segregated with disease in this family. Additional pathogenic FOXE3 variants were identified in unrelated TAAD families. In mice, Foxe3 deficiency reduced smooth muscle cell (SMC) density and impaired SMC differentiation in the ascending aorta. Foxe3 expression was induced in aortic SMCs after transverse aortic constriction, and Foxe3 deficiency increased SMC apoptosis and ascending aortic rupture with increased aortic pressure. These phenotypes were rescued by inhibiting p53 activity, either by administration of a p53 inhibitor (pifithrin-α), or by crossing Foxe3-/- mice with p53-/- mice. Our data demonstrate that FOXE3 mutations lead to a reduced number of aortic SMCs during development and increased SMC apoptosis in the ascending aorta in response to increased biomechanical forces, thus defining an additional molecular pathway that leads to familial thoracic aortic disease.

}, keywords = {Adult, Aneurysm, Dissecting, Animals, Aorta, Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic, Apoptosis, Cells, Cultured, Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21, Female, Forkhead Transcription Factors, Gene Expression, Genetic Association Studies, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Humans, Male, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Knockout, Middle Aged, Muscle, Smooth, Vascular, Mutation, Missense, Myocytes, Smooth Muscle, Pedigree, Tumor Suppressor Protein p53, Vascular Remodeling, Zebrafish}, issn = {1558-8238}, doi = {10.1172/JCI83778}, author = {Kuang, Shao-Qing and Medina-Martinez, Olga and Guo, Dong-Chuan and Gong, Limin and Regalado, Ellen S and Reynolds, Corey L and Boileau, Catherine and Jondeau, Guillaume and Prakash, Siddharth K and Kwartler, Callie S and Zhu, Lawrence Yang and Peters, Andrew M and Duan, Xue-Yan and Bamshad, Michael J and Shendure, Jay and Nickerson, Debbie A and Santos-Cortez, Regie L and Dong, Xiurong and Leal, Suzanne M and Majesky, Mark W and Swindell, Eric C and Jamrich, Milan and Milewicz, Dianna M} } @article {33, title = {GNA14 Somatic Mutation Causes Congenital and Sporadic Vascular Tumors by MAPK Activation.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {99}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Aug 04}, pages = {443-50}, abstract = {

Vascular tumors are among the most common neoplasms in infants and children; 5\%-10\% of newborns present with or develop lesions within the first 3~months of life. Most are benign infantile hemangiomas that typically regress by 5 years of age; other vascular tumors include congenital tufted angiomas (TAs), kaposiform hemangioendotheliomas (KHEs), and childhood lobular capillary hemangiomas (LCHs). Some of these lesions can become locally invasive and unresponsive to pharmacologic intervention, leading to significant complications. Recent investigation has revealed that activating mutations in HRAS, KRAS, NRAS, GNAQ, and GNA11 can cause certain types of rare childhood vascular tumors, and we have now identified causal recurrent somatic activating mutations in GNA14 by whole-exome and targeted sequencing. We found somatic activating GNA14 c.614A>T (p.Gln205Leu) mutations in one KHE, one TA, and one LCH and a GNA11 c.547C>T (p.Arg183Cys) mutation in two LCH lesions. We examined mutation pathobiology via expression of mutant GNA14 or GNA11 in primary human endothelial cells and melanocytes. GNA14 and GNA11 mutations induced changes in cellular morphology and rendered cells growth-factor independent by upregulating the MAPK pathway. Our findings identify GNA14 mutations as a cause of childhood vascular tumors, offer insight into mechanisms of oncogenic transformation by mutations affecting Gaq family members, and identify potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

}, keywords = {Cells, Cultured, Child, Preschool, Enzyme Activation, GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gq-G11, Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins, Male, MAP Kinase Signaling System, Melanocytes, Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases, Mutation, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt, Vascular Neoplasms}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2016.06.010}, author = {Lim, Young H and Bacchiocchi, Antonella and Qiu, Jingyao and Straub, Robert and Bruckner, Anna and Bercovitch, Lionel and Narayan, Deepak and McNiff, Jennifer and Ko, Christine and Robinson-Bostom, Leslie and Antaya, Richard and Halaban, Ruth and Choate, Keith A} } @article {342, title = {MECR Mutations Cause Childhood-Onset Dystonia and Optic Atrophy, a Mitochondrial Fatty Acid Synthesis Disorder.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {99}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Dec 01}, pages = {1229-1244}, abstract = {

Mitochondrial fatty acid synthesis (mtFAS) is an evolutionarily conserved pathway essential for the function of the respiratory chain and several mitochondrial enzyme complexes. We report here a unique neurometabolic human disorder caused by defective mtFAS. Seven individuals from five unrelated families presented with childhood-onset dystonia, optic atrophy, and basal ganglia signal abnormalities on MRI. All affected individuals were found to harbor recessive mutations in MECR encoding the mitochondrial trans-2-enoyl-coenzyme A-reductase involved in human mtFAS. All six mutations are extremely rare in the general population, segregate with the disease in the families, and are predicted to be deleterious. The nonsense c.855T>G (p.Tyr285), c.247_250del (p.Asn83Hisfs4), and splice site c.830+2_830+3insT mutations lead to C-terminal truncation variants of MECR. The missense c.695G>A (p.Gly232Glu), c.854A>G (p.Tyr285Cys), and c.772C>T (p.Arg258Trp) mutations involve conserved amino acid residues, are located within the cofactor binding domain, and are predicted by structural analysis to have a destabilizing effect. Yeast modeling and complementation studies validated the pathogenicity of the MECR mutations. Fibroblast cell lines from affected individuals displayed reduced levels of both MECR and lipoylated proteins as well as defective respiration. These results suggest that mutations in MECR cause a distinct human disorder of the mtFAS pathway. The observation of decreased lipoylation raises the possibility of a potential therapeutic strategy.

}, keywords = {Basal Ganglia, Cells, Cultured, Child, Child, Preschool, Dystonic Disorders, Fatty Acids, Female, Fibroblasts, Genetic Complementation Test, Humans, Infant, Male, Mitochondria, Mitochondrial Diseases, Models, Molecular, Mutation, Mutation, Missense, Optic Atrophy, Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-CH Group Donors, Pedigree, RNA Splice Sites, Saccharomyces cerevisiae}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2016.09.021}, author = {Heimer, Gali and Ker{\"a}t{\"a}r, Juha M and Riley, Lisa G and Balasubramaniam, Shanti and Eyal, Eran and Pietik{\"a}inen, Laura P and Hiltunen, J Kalervo and Marek-Yagel, Dina and Hamada, Jeffrey and Gregory, Allison and Rogers, Caleb and Hogarth, Penelope and Nance, Martha A and Shalva, Nechama and Veber, Alvit and Tzadok, Michal and Nissenkorn, Andreea and Tonduti, Davide and Renaldo, Florence and Kraoua, Ichraf and Panteghini, Celeste and Valletta, Lorella and Garavaglia, Barbara and Cowley, Mark J and Gayevskiy, Velimir and Roscioli, Tony and Silberstein, Jonathon M and Hoffmann, Chen and Raas-Rothschild, Annick and Tiranti, Valeria and Anikster, Yair and Christodoulou, John and Kastaniotis, Alexander J and Ben-Zeev, Bruria and Hayflick, Susan J} } @article {84, title = {Mutations in nuclear pore genes NUP93, NUP205 and XPO5 cause steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome.}, journal = {Nat Genet}, volume = {48}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Apr}, pages = {457-65}, abstract = {

Nucleoporins are essential components of the nuclear pore complex (NPC). Only a few diseases have been attributed to NPC dysfunction. Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS), a frequent cause of chronic kidney disease, is caused by dysfunction of glomerular podocytes. Here we identify in eight families with SRNS mutations in NUP93, its interaction partner NUP205 or XPO5 (encoding exportin 5) as hitherto unrecognized monogenic causes of SRNS. NUP93 mutations caused disrupted NPC assembly. NUP93 knockdown reduced the presence of NUP205 in the NPC, and, reciprocally, a NUP205 alteration abrogated NUP93 interaction. We demonstrate that NUP93 and exportin 5 interact with the signaling protein SMAD4 and that NUP93 mutations abrogated interaction with SMAD4. Notably, NUP93 mutations interfered with BMP7-induced SMAD transcriptional reporter activity. We hereby demonstrate that mutations of NUP genes cause a distinct renal disease and identify aberrant SMAD signaling as a new disease mechanism of SRNS, opening a potential new avenue for treatment.

}, keywords = {Age of Onset, Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Cell Movement, Cell Proliferation, Cells, Cultured, Child, Child, Preschool, Drug Resistance, Female, Genes, Recessive, Genetic Association Studies, Genetic Linkage, HEK293 Cells, Humans, Infant, Karyopherins, Male, Mice, Molecular Sequence Data, Mutation, Nephrotic Syndrome, Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins, Oxidative Stress, Podocytes, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Steroids, Xenopus laevis}, issn = {1546-1718}, doi = {10.1038/ng.3512}, author = {Braun, Daniela A and Sadowski, Carolin E and Kohl, Stefan and Lovric, Svjetlana and Astrinidis, Susanne A and Pabst, Werner L and Gee, Heon Yung and Ashraf, Shazia and Lawson, Jennifer A and Shril, Shirlee and Airik, Merlin and Tan, Weizhen and Schapiro, David and Rao, Jia and Choi, Won-Il and Hermle, Tobias and Kemper, Markus J and Pohl, Martin and Ozaltin, Fatih and Konrad, Martin and Bogdanovic, Radovan and B{\"u}scher, Rainer and Helmchen, Udo and Serdaroglu, Erkin and Lifton, Richard P and Antonin, Wolfram and Hildebrandt, Friedhelm} } @article {56, title = {Mutations in the Histone Modifier PRDM6 Are Associated with Isolated Nonsyndromic Patent Ductus Arteriosus.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {98}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 06 02}, pages = {1082-1091}, abstract = {

Nonsyndromic patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common congenital heart defect (CHD) with both inherited and acquired causes, but the disease mechanisms have remained elusive. Using combined genome-wide linkage analysis and whole-exome sequencing (WES), we identified independent mutations in PRDM6, which encodes a nuclear protein that is specific to vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), has histone methyl transferase activities, and acts as a transcriptional suppressor of contractile proteins. In~vitro assays showed that the mutations cause loss of function either by intracellular redistribution of the protein and/or by alteration of its methyltransferase activities. Wild-type embryonic ductus arteriosus (DA) exhibited high levels of PRDM6, which rapidly declined postnatally as the number of VSMCs necessary for ductus contraction increased. This dynamic change suggests that PRDM6 plays a key role in maintaining VSMCs in an undifferentiated stage in order to promote their proliferation and that its loss of activity results in premature differentiation and impaired remodeling of the DA. Our findings identify PRDM6 mutations as underlying genetic causes of nonsyndromic isolated PDA in humans and implicates the wild-type protein in epigenetic regulation of ductus remodeling.

}, keywords = {Cell Differentiation, Cells, Cultured, Ductus Arteriosus, Patent, Epigenesis, Genetic, Female, Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Histones, Humans, Immunoblotting, Male, Muscle Proteins, Muscle, Smooth, Vascular, Mutation, Pedigree, Transcription Factors}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2016.03.022}, author = {Li, Na and Subrahmanyan, Lakshman and Smith, Emily and Yu, Xiaoqing and Zaidi, Samir and Choi, Murim and Mane, Shrikant and Nelson-Williams, Carol and Behjati, Mohaddeseh and Kazemi, Mohammad and Hashemi, Mohammad and Fathzadeh, Mohsen and Narayanan, Anand and Tian, Likun and Montazeri, Farhad and Mani, Mitra and Begleiter, Michael L and Coon, Brian G and Lynch, Henry T and Olson, Eric N and Zhao, Hongyu and Ruland, J{\"u}rgen and Lifton, Richard P and Mani, Arya} } @article {180, title = {Exome sequencing links mutations in PARN and RTEL1 with familial pulmonary fibrosis and telomere shortening.}, journal = {Nat Genet}, volume = {47}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 May}, pages = {512-7}, abstract = {

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an age-related disease featuring progressive lung scarring. To elucidate the molecular basis of IPF, we performed exome sequencing of familial kindreds with pulmonary fibrosis. Gene burden analysis comparing 78 European cases and 2,816 controls implicated PARN, an exoribonuclease with no previous connection to telomere biology or disease, with five new heterozygous damaging mutations in unrelated cases and none in controls (P = 1.3 {\texttimes} 10(-8)); mutations were shared by all affected relatives (odds in favor of linkage = 4,096:1). RTEL1, an established locus for dyskeratosis congenita, harbored significantly more new damaging and missense variants at conserved residues in cases than in controls (P = 1.6 {\texttimes} 10(-6)). PARN and RTEL1 mutation carriers had shortened leukocyte telomere lengths, and we observed epigenetic inheritance of short telomeres in family members. Together, these genes explain ~7\% of familial pulmonary fibrosis and strengthen the link between lung fibrosis and telomere dysfunction.

}, keywords = {Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Amino Acid Sequence, Case-Control Studies, Cells, Cultured, DNA Helicases, DNA Mutational Analysis, Exome, Exoribonucleases, Female, Genetic Association Studies, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Humans, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, Leukocytes, Lod Score, Male, Middle Aged, Molecular Sequence Data, Pedigree, Telomere, Telomere Shortening}, issn = {1546-1718}, doi = {10.1038/ng.3278}, author = {Stuart, Bridget D and Choi, Jungmin and Zaidi, Samir and Xing, Chao and Holohan, Brody and Chen, Rui and Choi, Mihwa and Dharwadkar, Pooja and Torres, Fernando and Girod, Carlos E and Weissler, Jonathan and Fitzgerald, John and Kershaw, Corey and Klesney-Tait, Julia and Mageto, Yolanda and Shay, Jerry W and Ji, Weizhen and Bilguvar, Kaya and Mane, Shrikant and Lifton, Richard P and Garcia, Christine Kim} } @article {172, title = {Whole exome sequencing identifies de novo heterozygous CAV1 mutations associated with a novel neonatal onset lipodystrophy syndrome.}, journal = {Am J Med Genet A}, volume = {167A}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Aug}, pages = {1796-806}, abstract = {

Despite remarkable progress in identifying causal genes for many types of genetic lipodystrophies in the last decade, the molecular basis of many extremely rare lipodystrophy patients with distinctive phenotypes remains unclear. We conducted whole exome sequencing of the parents and probands from six pedigrees with neonatal onset of generalized loss of subcutaneous fat with additional distinctive phenotypic features and report de novo heterozygous null mutations, c.424C>T (p.Q142*) and c.479_480delTT (p.F160*), in CAV1 in a 7-year-old male and a 3-year-old female of European origin, respectively. Both the patients had generalized fat loss, thin mottled skin and progeroid features at birth. The male patient had cataracts requiring extraction at age 30 months and the female patient had pulmonary arterial hypertension. Dermal fibroblasts of the female patient revealed negligible CAV1 immunofluorescence staining compared to control but there were no differences in the number and morphology of caveolae upon electron microscopy examination. Based upon the similarities in the clinical features of these two patients, previous reports of CAV1 mutations in patients with lipodystrophies and pulmonary hypertension, and similar features seen in CAV1 null mice, we conclude that these variants are the most likely cause of one subtype of neonatal onset generalized lipodystrophy syndrome.

}, keywords = {Caveolin 1, Cells, Cultured, Exome, Female, Heterozygote, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Lipodystrophy, Male, Mutation, Pedigree}, issn = {1552-4833}, doi = {10.1002/ajmg.a.37115}, author = {Garg, Abhimanyu and Kircher, Martin and Del Campo, Miguel and Amato, R Stephen and Agarwal, Anil K} } @article {261, title = {Mutations in Alstr{\"o}m protein impair terminal differentiation of cardiomyocytes.}, journal = {Nat Commun}, volume = {5}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Mar 04}, pages = {3416}, abstract = {

Cardiomyocyte cell division and replication in mammals proceed through embryonic development and abruptly decline soon after birth. The process governing cardiomyocyte cell cycle arrest is poorly understood. Here we carry out whole-exome sequencing in an infant with evidence of persistent postnatal cardiomyocyte replication to determine the genetic risk factors. We identify compound heterozygous ALMS1 mutations in the proband, and confirm their presence in her affected sibling, one copy inherited from each heterozygous parent. Next, we recognize homozygous or compound heterozygous truncating mutations in ALMS1 in four other children with high levels of postnatal cardiomyocyte proliferation. Alms1 mRNA knockdown increases multiple markers of proliferation in cardiomyocytes, the percentage of cardiomyocytes in G2/M phases, and the number of cardiomyocytes by 10\% in cultured cells. Homozygous Alms1-mutant mice have increased cardiomyocyte proliferation at 2 weeks postnatal compared with wild-type littermates. We conclude that deficiency of Alstr{\"o}m protein impairs postnatal cardiomyocyte cell cycle arrest.

}, keywords = {Animals, Cell Cycle, Cell Differentiation, Cells, Cultured, DNA-Binding Proteins, Humans, Immunohistochemistry, Mice, Molecular Sequence Data, Mutation, Myocytes, Cardiac, Proteins, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/ncomms4416}, author = {Shenje, Lincoln T and Andersen, Peter and Halushka, Marc K and Lui, Cecillia and Fernandez, Laviel and Collin, Gayle B and Amat-Alarcon, Nuria and Meschino, Wendy and Cutz, Ernest and Chang, Kenneth and Yonescu, Raluca and Batista, Denise A S and Chen, Yan and Chelko, Stephen and Crosson, Jane E and Scheel, Janet and Vricella, Luca and Craig, Brian D and Marosy, Beth A and Mohr, David W and Hetrick, Kurt N and Romm, Jane M and Scott, Alan F and Valle, David and Naggert, J{\"u}rgen K and Kwon, Chulan and Doheny, Kimberly F and Judge, Daniel P} } @article {283, title = {A new congenital disorder of glycosylation caused by a mutation in SSR4, the signal sequence receptor 4 protein of the TRAP complex.}, journal = {Hum Mol Genet}, volume = {23}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Mar 15}, pages = {1602-5}, abstract = {

Nearly 50 congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) are known, but many patients biochemically diagnosed with CDG do not have mutations in known genes. Here, we describe a 16-year-old male who was born with microcephaly, developed intellectual disability, gastroesophageal reflux and a seizure disorder. We identified a de novo variant in the X-linked SSR4 gene which encodes a protein of the heterotetrameric translocon-associated protein (TRAP) complex. The c.316delT causes a p.F106Sfs*53 in SSR4 and also reduces expression of other TRAP complex proteins. The glycosylation marker Glyc-ER-GFP was used to confirm the underglycosylation in fibroblasts from the patient. Overexpression of the wild-type SSR4 allele partially restores glycosylation of the marker and of the other members of the TRAP complex. This is the first evidence that the TRAP complex, which binds to the oligosaccharyltransferase complex, is directly involved in N-glycosylation.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Calcium-Binding Proteins, Cells, Cultured, Chromosomes, Human, X, Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation, Glycosylation, Humans, Male, Membrane Glycoproteins, Point Mutation, Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear, Receptors, Peptide}, issn = {1460-2083}, doi = {10.1093/hmg/ddt550}, author = {Losfeld, Marie Estelle and Ng, Bobby G and Kircher, Martin and Buckingham, Kati J and Turner, Emily H and Eroshkin, Alexey and Smith, Joshua D and Shendure, Jay and Nickerson, Deborah A and Bamshad, Michael J and Freeze, Hudson H} } @article {282, title = {ADCK4 mutations promote steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome through CoQ10 biosynthesis disruption.}, journal = {J Clin Invest}, volume = {123}, year = {2013}, month = {2013 Dec}, pages = {5179-89}, abstract = {

Identification of single-gene causes of steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) has furthered the understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease. Here, using a combination of homozygosity mapping and whole human exome resequencing, we identified mutations in the aarF domain containing kinase 4 (ADCK4) gene in 15 individuals with SRNS from 8 unrelated families. ADCK4 was highly similar to ADCK3, which has been shown to participate in coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) biosynthesis. Mutations in ADCK4 resulted in reduced CoQ10 levels and reduced mitochondrial respiratory enzyme activity in cells isolated from individuals with SRNS and transformed lymphoblasts. Knockdown of adck4 in zebrafish and Drosophila recapitulated nephrotic syndrome-associated phenotypes. Furthermore, ADCK4 was expressed in glomerular podocytes and partially localized to podocyte mitochondria and foot processes in rat kidneys and cultured human podocytes. In human podocytes, ADCK4 interacted with members of the CoQ10 biosynthesis pathway, including COQ6, which has been linked with SRNS and COQ7. Knockdown of ADCK4 in podocytes resulted in decreased migration, which was reversed by CoQ10 addition. Interestingly, a patient with SRNS with a homozygous ADCK4 frameshift mutation had partial remission following CoQ10 treatment. These data indicate that individuals with SRNS with mutations in ADCK4 or other genes that participate in CoQ10 biosynthesis may be treatable with CoQ10.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adrenal Cortex Hormones, Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Cells, Cultured, Child, Consanguinity, Conserved Sequence, Disease Models, Animal, DNA Mutational Analysis, Drosophila Proteins, Drug Resistance, Exome, Fibroblasts, Gene Knockdown Techniques, Humans, Mitochondria, Molecular Sequence Data, Mutation, Nephrotic Syndrome, Podocytes, Protein Kinases, Rats, Sequence Alignment, Sequence Homology, Amino Acid, Ubiquinone, Young Adult, Zebrafish, Zebrafish Proteins}, issn = {1558-8238}, doi = {10.1172/JCI69000}, author = {Ashraf, Shazia and Gee, Heon Yung and Woerner, Stephanie and Xie, Letian X and Vega-Warner, Virginia and Lovric, Svjetlana and Fang, Humphrey and Song, Xuewen and Cattran, Daniel C and Avila-Casado, Carmen and Paterson, Andrew D and Nitschk{\'e}, Patrick and Bole-Feysot, Christine and Cochat, Pierre and Esteve-Rudd, Julian and Haberberger, Birgit and Allen, Susan J and Zhou, Weibin and Airik, Rannar and Otto, Edgar A and Barua, Moumita and Al-Hamed, Mohamed H and Kari, Jameela A and Evans, Jonathan and Bierzynska, Agnieszka and Saleem, Moin A and Bockenhauer, Detlef and Kleta, Robert and El Desoky, Sherif and Hacihamdioglu, Duygu O and Gok, Faysal and Washburn, Joseph and Wiggins, Roger C and Choi, Murim and Lifton, Richard P and Levy, Shawn and Han, Zhe and Salviati, Leonardo and Prokisch, Holger and Williams, David S and Pollak, Martin and Clarke, Catherine F and Pei, York and Antignac, Corinne and Hildebrandt, Friedhelm} } @article {319, title = {Mutations in the TGF-β repressor SKI cause Shprintzen-Goldberg syndrome with aortic aneurysm.}, journal = {Nat Genet}, volume = {44}, year = {2012}, month = {2012 Nov}, pages = {1249-54}, abstract = {

Elevated transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling has been implicated in the pathogenesis of syndromic presentations of aortic aneurysm, including Marfan syndrome (MFS) and Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS). However, the location and character of many of the causal mutations in LDS intuitively imply diminished TGF-β signaling. Taken together, these data have engendered controversy regarding the specific role of TGF-β in disease pathogenesis. Shprintzen-Goldberg syndrome (SGS) has considerable phenotypic overlap with MFS and LDS, including aortic aneurysm. We identified causative variation in ten individuals with SGS in the proto-oncogene SKI, a known repressor of TGF-β activity. Cultured dermal fibroblasts from affected individuals showed enhanced activation of TGF-β signaling cascades and higher expression of TGF-β-responsive genes relative to control cells. Morpholino-induced silencing of SKI paralogs in zebrafish recapitulated abnormalities seen in humans with SGS. These data support the conclusions that increased TGF-β signaling is the mechanism underlying SGS and that high signaling contributes to multiple syndromic presentations of aortic aneurysm.

}, keywords = {Animals, Aortic Aneurysm, Arachnodactyly, Cells, Cultured, Craniosynostoses, DNA-Binding Proteins, Fibroblasts, Humans, Loeys-Dietz Syndrome, Marfan Syndrome, Mice, Mutation, Phenotype, Phosphorylation, Proto-Oncogene Proteins, Signal Transduction, Transforming Growth Factor beta, Zebrafish}, issn = {1546-1718}, doi = {10.1038/ng.2421}, author = {Doyle, Alexander J and Doyle, Jefferson J and Bessling, Seneca L and Maragh, Samantha and Lindsay, Mark E and Schepers, Dorien and Gillis, Elisabeth and Mortier, Geert and Homfray, Tessa and Sauls, Kimberly and Norris, Russell A and Huso, Nicholas D and Leahy, Dan and Mohr, David W and Caulfield, Mark J and Scott, Alan F and Destr{\'e}e, Anne and Hennekam, Raoul C and Arn, Pamela H and Curry, Cynthia J and Van Laer, Lut and McCallion, Andrew S and Loeys, Bart L and Dietz, Harry C} }