@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 {195, title = {Rare variants in RTEL1 are associated with familial interstitial pneumonia.}, journal = {Am J Respir Crit Care Med}, volume = {191}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Mar 15}, pages = {646-55}, abstract = {

RATIONALE: Up to 20\% of cases of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia cluster in families, comprising the syndrome of familial interstitial pneumonia (FIP); however, the genetic basis of FIP remains uncertain in most families.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if new disease-causing rare genetic variants could be identified using whole-exome sequencing of affected members from FIP families, providing additional insights into disease pathogenesis.

METHODS: Affected subjects from 25 kindreds were selected from an ongoing FIP registry for whole-exome sequencing from genomic DNA. Candidate rare variants were confirmed by Sanger sequencing, and cosegregation analysis was performed in families, followed by additional sequencing of affected individuals from another 163 kindreds.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We identified a potentially damaging rare variant in the gene encoding for regulator of telomere elongation helicase 1 (RTEL1) that segregated with disease and was associated with very short telomeres in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in 1 of 25 families in our original whole-exome sequencing cohort. Evaluation of affected individuals in 163 additional kindreds revealed another eight families (4.7\%) with heterozygous rare variants in RTEL1 that segregated with clinical FIP. Probands and unaffected carriers of these rare variants had short telomeres (<10\% for age) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and increased T-circle formation, suggesting impaired RTEL1 function.

CONCLUSIONS: Rare loss-of-function variants in RTEL1 represent a newly defined genetic predisposition for FIP, supporting the importance of telomere-related pathways in pulmonary fibrosis.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, DNA Helicases, Female, Genetic Variation, Heterozygote, Humans, Lung, Lung Diseases, Interstitial, Male, Middle Aged, Pedigree, Telomere}, issn = {1535-4970}, doi = {10.1164/rccm.201408-1510OC}, author = {Cogan, Joy D and Kropski, Jonathan A and Zhao, Min and Mitchell, Daphne B and Rives, Lynette and Markin, Cheryl and Garnett, Errine T and Montgomery, Keri H and Mason, Wendi R and McKean, David F and Powers, Julia and Murphy, Elissa and Olson, Lana M and Choi, Leena and Cheng, Dong-Sheng and Blue, Elizabeth Marchani and Young, Lisa R and Lancaster, Lisa H and Steele, Mark P and Brown, Kevin K and Schwarz, Marvin I and Fingerlin, Tasha E and Schwartz, David A and Lawson, William E and Loyd, James E and Zhao, Zhongming and Phillips, John A and Blackwell, Timothy S} }