scholarly journals Role of Centrality in Network-Based Prioritization of Disease Genes

Author(s):  
Sinan Erten ◽  
Mehmet Koyutürk
Keyword(s):  
2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 1393-1404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Brand

Abstract The Popeye domain-containing gene family encodes a novel class of cAMP effector proteins in striated muscle tissue. In this short review, we first introduce the protein family and discuss their structure and function with an emphasis on their role in cyclic AMP signalling. Another focus of this review is the recently discovered role of POPDC genes as striated muscle disease genes, which have been associated with cardiac arrhythmia and muscular dystrophy. The pathological phenotypes observed in patients will be compared with phenotypes present in null and knockin mutations in zebrafish and mouse. A number of protein–protein interaction partners have been discovered and the potential role of POPDC proteins to control the subcellular localization and function of these interacting proteins will be discussed. Finally, we outline several areas, where research is urgently needed.


Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1237
Author(s):  
Anna Morgan ◽  
Stefania Lenarduzzi ◽  
Beatrice Spedicati ◽  
Elisabetta Cattaruzzi ◽  
Flora Maria Murru ◽  
...  

Hearing loss (HL), both syndromic (SHL) and non-syndromic (NSHL), is the most common sensory disorder, affecting ~460 million people worldwide. More than 50% of the congenital/childhood cases are attributable to genetic causes, highlighting the importance of genetic testing in this class of disorders. Here we applied a multi-step strategy for the molecular diagnosis of HL in 125 patients, which included: (1) an accurate clinical evaluation, (2) the analysis of GJB2, GJB6, and MT-RNR1 genes, (3) the evaluation STRC-CATSPER2 and OTOA deletions via Multiplex Ligation Probe Amplification (MLPA), (4) Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) in patients negative to steps 2 and 3. Our approach led to the characterization of 50% of the NSHL cases, confirming both the relevant role of the GJB2 (20% of cases) and STRC deletions (6% of cases), and the high genetic heterogeneity of NSHL. Moreover, due to the genetic findings, 4% of apparent NSHL patients have been re-diagnosed as SHL. Finally, WES characterized 86% of SHL patients, supporting the role of already know disease-genes. Overall, our approach proved to be efficient in identifying the molecular cause of HL, providing essential information for the patients’ future management.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J Lubbe ◽  
Yvette C. Wong ◽  
Bernabe Bustos ◽  
Soojin Kim ◽  
Jana Vandrovcova ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTEarly-onset Parkinson’s disease (EOPD) can be caused by biallelic mutations in PRKN, DJ1 and PINK1. However, while the identification of novel genes is becoming increasingly challenging, new insights into EOPD genetics have important relevance for understanding the pathways driving disease pathogenesis. Here, using extended runs of homozygosity (ROH) >8Mb as a marker for possible autosomal recessive inheritance, we identified 90 EOPD patients with extended ROH. Investigating rare, damaging homozygous variants to identify candidate genes for EOPD, 81 genes were prioritised. Through the assessment of biallelic (homozygous and compound heterozygous) variant frequencies in cases and controls from three independent cohorts totalling 3,381 PD patients and 2,463 controls, we identified two biallelic MIEF1 variant carriers among EOPD patients. We further investigated the role of disease-associated variants in MIEF1 which encodes for MID51, an outer mitochondrial membrane protein, and found that putative EOPD-associated variants in MID51 preferentially disrupted its oligomerization state. These findings provide further support for the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the development of PD. Together, we have used genome-wide homozygosity mapping to identify potential EOPD genes, and future studies incorporating expanded datasets and further functional analyses will help to determine their roles in disease aetiology.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Qiao ◽  
Le Xu ◽  
Lan Yu ◽  
Julia Wynn ◽  
Rebecca Hernan ◽  
...  

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a severe congenital anomaly that is often accompanied by other anomalies. Although the role of genetics in the pathogenesis of CDH has been established, only a small number of disease genes have been identified. To further investigate the genetics of CDH, we analyzed de novo coding variants in 827 proband-parent trios and confirmed an overall significant enrichment of damaging de novo variants, especially in constrained genes. We identified LONP1 (Lon Peptidase 1, Mitochondrial) and ALYREF (Aly/REF Export Factor) as novel candidate CDH genes based on de novo variants at a false discovery rate below 0.05. We also performed ultra-rare variant association analyses in 748 cases and 11,220 ancestry-matched population controls and identified LONP1 as a risk gene contributing to CDH through both de novo and ultra-rare inherited largely heterozygous variants clustered in the core of the domains and segregating with CDH in familial cases. Approximately 3% of our CDH cohort was heterozygous with ultra-rare predicted damaging variants in LONP1 who have a range of clinical phenotypes including other anomalies in some individuals and higher mortality and requirement for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Mice with lung epithelium specific deletion of Lonp1 die immediately after birth and have reduced lung growth and branching that may at least partially explain the high mortality in humans. Our findings of both de novo and inherited rare variants in the same gene may have implications in the design and analysis for other genetic studies of congenital anomalies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 3192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosanna Capparelli ◽  
Domenico Iannelli

This narrative review discusses the genetics of protection against Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection. After a brief overview of the importance of studying infectious disease genes, we provide a detailed account of the properties of Hp, with a view to those relevant for our topic. Hp displays a very high level of genetic diversity, detectable even between single colonies from the same patient. The high genetic diversity of Hp can be evaded by stratifying patients according to the infecting Hp strain. This approach enhances the power and replication of the study. Scanning for single nucleotide polymorphisms is generally not successful since genes rarely work alone. We suggest selecting genes to study from among members of the same family, which are therefore inclined to cooperate. Further, extending the analysis to the metabolism would significantly enhance the power of the study. This combined approach displays the protective role of MyD88, TIRAP, and IL1RL1 against Hp infection. Finally, several studies in humans have demonstrated that the blood T cell levels are under the genetic control of the CD39+ T regulatory cells (TREGS).


2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi C. Gu ◽  
D.C. Rao ◽  
Gary Stormo ◽  
Chindo Hicks ◽  
Michael A. Province

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph S. Reddy ◽  
Mariet Allen ◽  
Xue Wang ◽  
Joanna M. Biernacka ◽  
Brandon J. Coombes ◽  
...  

AbstractBy analyzing whole-exome data from the Alzheimer’s disease sequencing project (ADSP), we identify a set of 4 genes that show highly significant association with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These genes were identified within a human TREM2 co-expression network using a novel approach wherein prioritized polygenic score analyses were performed sequentially to identify significant polygenic components. Two of the 4 genes (TREM2, RIN3) have previously been linked to AD and two (ATP8B4, IL17RA) are novel. Like TREM2, the 2 novel AD genes are selectively expressed in human microglial cells. The most significant variants in ATP8B4 and IL17RA are non-synonymous variants with strong effects comparable to the APOE ε4 and ε2 alleles. These protein-altering variants will provide unique opportunities to further explore the biological role of microglial cells in AD and help inform future immune modulatory therapeutic development for AD.


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