scholarly journals Novel Optineurin Frameshift Insertion in a Family With Frontotemporal Dementia and Parkinsonism Without Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Dominguez ◽  
Jeryl Tan Yu ◽  
Yi Jayne Tan ◽  
Arlene Ng ◽  
Ma Fe De Guzman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Frontotemporal Dementia ◽  
Positive Family History ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Chromosome 9 ◽  
Genetic Modifiers ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Hexanucleotide Repeat ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) is a common cause of Young Onset Dementia and has diverse clinical manifestations involving behavior, executive function, language and motor function, including parkinsonism. Up to 50% of FTD patients report a positive family history, supporting a strong genetic basis, particularly in cases with both FTD and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FTD-ALS). Mutations in three genes are associated with the majority of familial FTD (fFTD) cases - microtubule associated protein tau gene (MAPT), granulin precursor (GRN), and hexanucleotide repeat expansions in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72- SMCR8complex subunit (C9orf72) while mutations in other genes such as optineurin (OPTN) have rarely been reported. Mutations in OPTN have been reported mostly in familial and sporadic cases of ALS, or in rare cases of FTD-ALS, but not in association with pure or predominant FTD and/or parkinsonian phenotype. Here, we report for the first time, a family from the Philippines with four members harboring a novel frameshift insertion at OPTN (Chr 10:13166090 G>GA) p.Lys328GluTer11, three of whom presented with FTD-related phenotypes. Additionally, one sibling heterozygous for the frameshift insertion had a predominantly parkinsonian phenotype resembling corticobasal syndrome, but it remains to be determined if this phenotype is related to the frameshift insertion. Notably, none of the affected members showed any evidence of motor neuron disease or ALS at the time of writing, both clinically and on electrophysiological testing, expanding the phenotypic spectrum of OPTN mutations. Close follow-up of mutation carriers for the development of new clinical features and wider investigation of additional family members with further genetic analyses will be conducted to investigate the possibility of other genetic modifiers in this family which could explain phenotypic heterogeneity.

scholarly journals Genetics and Sex in the Pathogenesis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): Is There a Link?

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 3647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Trojsi ◽  
Giulia D’Alvano ◽  
Simona Bonavita ◽  
Gioacchino Tedeschi
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Genetic Mutation ◽  
Chromosome 9 ◽  
Patient Specific ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Hexanucleotide Repeat ◽  
Sporadic Als ◽  
Als Patients ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with no known cure. Approximately 90% of ALS cases are sporadic, although multiple genetic risk factors have been recently revealed also in sporadic ALS (SALS). The pathological expansion of a hexanucleotide repeat in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) is the most common genetic mutation identified in familial ALS, detected also in 5–10% of SALS patients. C9orf72-related ALS phenotype appears to be dependent on several modifiers, including demographic factors. Sex has been reported as an independent factor influencing ALS development, with men found to be more susceptible than women. Exposure to both female and male sex hormones have been shown to influence disease risk or progression. Moreover, interplay between genetics and sex has been widely investigated in ALS preclinical models and in large populations of ALS patients carrying C9orf72 repeat expansion. In light of the current need for reclassifying ALS patients into pathologically homogenous subgroups potentially responsive to targeted personalized therapies, we aimed to review the recent literature on the role of genetics and sex as both independent and synergic factors, in the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and prognosis of ALS. Sex-dependent outcomes may lead to optimizing clinical trials for developing patient-specific therapies for ALS.

scholarly journals Plasma microRNA signature in presymptomatic and symptomatic subjects with C9orf72-associated frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

2020 ◽  
pp. jnnp-2020-324647
Author(s):  
Virgilio Kmetzsch ◽  
Vincent Anquetil ◽  
Dario Saracino ◽  
Daisy Rinaldi ◽  
Agnès Camuzat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Frontotemporal Dementia ◽  
Chromosome 9 ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Clinical Onset ◽  
Plasma Microrna ◽  
A Prospective Study ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

ObjectiveTo identify potential biomarkers of preclinical and clinical progression in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 gene (C9orf72)-associated disease by assessing the expression levels of plasma microRNAs (miRNAs) in C9orf72 patients and presymptomatic carriers.MethodsThe PREV-DEMALS study is a prospective study including 22 C9orf72 patients, 45 presymptomatic C9orf72 mutation carriers and 43 controls. We assessed the expression levels of 2576 miRNAs, among which 589 were above noise level, in plasma samples of all participants using RNA sequencing. The expression levels of the differentially expressed miRNAs between patients, presymptomatic carriers and controls were further used to build logistic regression classifiers.ResultsFour miRNAs were differentially expressed between patients and controls: miR-34a-5p and miR-345-5p were overexpressed, while miR-200c-3p and miR-10a-3p were underexpressed in patients. MiR-34a-5p was also overexpressed in presymptomatic carriers compared with healthy controls, suggesting that miR-34a-5p expression is deregulated in cases with C9orf72 mutation. Moreover, miR-345-5p was also overexpressed in patients compared with presymptomatic carriers, which supports the correlation of miR-345-5p expression with the progression of C9orf72-associated disease. Together, miR-200c-3p and miR-10a-3p underexpression might be associated with full-blown disease. Four presymptomatic subjects in transitional/prodromal stage, close to the disease conversion, exhibited a stronger similarity with the expression levels of patients.ConclusionsWe identified a signature of four miRNAs differentially expressed in plasma between clinical conditions that have potential to represent progression biomarkers for C9orf72-associated frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This study suggests that dysregulation of miRNAs is dynamically altered throughout neurodegenerative diseases progression, and can be detectable even long before clinical onset.Trial registration numberNCT02590276.

scholarly journals The Emerging Role of DNA Damage in the Pathogenesis of the C9orf72 Repeat Expansion in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 3137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Konopka ◽  
Julie Atkin
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Repeat Expansion ◽  
Chromosome 9 ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
C9orf72 Repeat Expansion ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Early Onset Dementia ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal, rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease affecting motor neurons, and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a behavioural disorder resulting in early-onset dementia. Hexanucleotide (G4C2) repeat expansions in the gene encoding chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) are the major cause of familial forms of both ALS (~40%) and FTD (~20%) worldwide. The C9orf72 repeat expansion is known to form abnormal nuclei acid structures, such as hairpins, G-quadruplexes, and R-loops, which are increasingly associated with human diseases involving microsatellite repeats. These configurations form during normal cellular processes, but if they persist they also damage DNA, and hence are a serious threat to genome integrity. It is unclear how the repeat expansion in C9orf72 causes ALS, but recent evidence implicates DNA damage in neurodegeneration. This may arise from abnormal nucleic acid structures, the greatly expanded C9orf72 RNA, or by repeat-associated non-ATG (RAN) translation, which generates toxic dipeptide repeat proteins. In this review, we detail recent advances implicating DNA damage in C9orf72-ALS. Furthermore, we also discuss increasing evidence that targeting these aberrant C9orf72 confirmations may have therapeutic value for ALS, thus revealing new avenues for drug discovery for this disorder.

scholarly journals The Genetics of Monogenic Frontotemporal Dementia

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonel T. Takada
Keyword(s):  
Frontotemporal Dementia ◽  
Autosomal Dominant ◽  
Positive Family History ◽  
Chromosome 9 ◽  
Complex Phenotype ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Protein Tau ◽  
Paget Disease ◽  
Fused In Sarcoma ◽  
Spectrum Disorders

ABSTRACT Around 10-15% of patients diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) have a positive family history for FTD with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. Since the identification of mutations in MAPT(microtubuleassociated protein tau gene) in 1998, over 10 other genes have been associated with FTD spectrum disorders, discussed in this review. Along with MAPT, mutations in GRN(progranulin) and C9orf72(chromosome 9 open reading frame 72) are the most commonly identified in FTD cohorts. The association of FTD and motor neuron disease (MND) can be caused by mutations in C9orf72and other genes, such as TARDBP(TAR DNA-binding protein), FUS(fused in sarcoma), UBQLN2(ubiquilin 2). Multisystem proteinopathy is a complex phenotype that includes FTD, Paget disease of the bone, inclusion body myopathy and MND, and can be due to mutations in VCP(valosing containing protein) and other recently identified genes.

scholarly journals Who and Why? Requests for Presymptomatic Genetic Testing for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Frontotemporal Dementia vs Huntington Disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. e538
Author(s):  
Maria del Mar Amador ◽  
Marcela Gargiulo ◽  
Christilla Boucher ◽  
Ariane Herson ◽  
Stéphanie Staraci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Frontotemporal Dementia ◽  
Huntington Disease ◽  
Dropout Rate ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Hexanucleotide Repeat ◽  
Hexanucleotide Repeat Expansion ◽  
Added Uncertainty ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

ObjectiveWe aimed to describe the population of subjects seeking presymptomatic counseling for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and/or frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD) and compared them with those demanding the well-established presymptomatic test for Huntington disease (HD).MethodsWe retrospectively examined the requests of a cohort of individuals at risk of familial ALS/FTD and 1 at risk of HD over the same time frame of 11 years. The individuals were seen in the referral center of our neurogenetics unit.ResultsOf the 106 presymptomatic testing (PT) requests from subjects at risk of ALS/FTD, 65% were seen in the last 3 years. Over two-thirds of the subjects were at risk of carrying mutations responsible for ALS, FTD, or both. Sixty-two percent of the subjects came from families with a known hexanucleotide repeat expansion in C9ORF72. During the same period, we counseled 840 subjects at risk of HD. Subjects at risk of ALS/FTD had the presymptomatic test significantly sooner after being aware of their risk, but were older than those at risk of HD. The youngest subjects requesting the test had the highest disease load in the family (p < 0.05).ConclusionsDemands for PT for ALS/FTD have been increasingly growing, particularly since the discovery of the C9ORF72 gene. The major specificity of the genetic counseling for these diseases is the unpredictability of the clinical phenotype for most of the genes involved. Awareness of this added uncertainty does not prevent individuals from taking the test, as the dropout rate is not higher than that for HD.

Different CSF protein profiles in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia with C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (5) ◽  
pp. 503-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy Barschke ◽  
Patrick Oeckl ◽  
Petra Steinacker ◽  
MHD Rami Al Shweiki ◽  
Jochen H Weishaupt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Frontotemporal Dementia ◽  
Multiple Reaction Monitoring ◽  
Repeat Expansion ◽  
Common Mutation ◽  
Hexanucleotide Repeat ◽  
Mutation Carriers ◽  
Csf Levels ◽  
Hexanucleotide Repeat Expansion ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

ObjectivesThe hexanucleotide repeat expansion in the C9orf72 gene is the most common mutation associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (C9-ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (C9-FTD). Until now, it is unknown which factors define whether C9orf72 mutation carriers develop ALS or FTD. Our aim was to identify protein biomarker candidates in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) which differentiate between C9-ALS and C9-FTD and might be indicative for the outcome of the mutation.MethodsWe compared the CSF proteome of 16 C9-ALS and 8 C9-FTD patients and 11 asymptomatic C9orf72 mutation carriers (CAR) by isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation. Eleven biomarker candidates were selected from the pool of differentially regulated proteins for further validation by multiple reaction monitoring and single-molecule array in a larger cohort (n=156).ResultsIn total, 2095 CSF proteins were identified and 236 proteins were significantly different in C9-ALS versus C9-FTD including neurofilament medium polypeptide (NEFM) and chitotriosidase-1 (CHIT1). Eight candidates were successfully validated including significantly increased ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase isozyme L1 (UCHL1) levels in C9-ALS compared with C9-FTD and controls and decreased neuronal pentraxin receptor (NPTXR) levels in C9-FTD versus CAR.ConclusionsThis study presents a deep proteomic CSF analysis of C9-ALS versus C9-FTD patients. As a proof of concept, we observed higher NEFM and CHIT1 CSF levels in C9-ALS. In addition, we also show clear upregulation of UCHL1 in C9-ALS and downregulation of NPTXR in C9-FTD. Significant differences in UCHL1 CSF levels may explain diverging ubiquitination and autophagy processes and NPTXR levels might reflect different synapses organisation processes.

Analysis of known amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia genes reveals a substantial genetic burden in patients manifesting both diseases not carrying the C9orf72 expansion mutation

2017 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oriol Dols-Icardo ◽  
Alberto García-Redondo ◽  
Ricardo Rojas-García ◽  
Daniel Borrego-Hernández ◽  
Ignacio Illán-Gala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Frontotemporal Dementia ◽  
Pathogenic Mutation ◽  
Genetic Alterations ◽  
Repeat Expansion ◽  
Chromosome 9 ◽  
Systematic Screening ◽  
Expansion Mutation ◽  
Genetic Burden ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are part of a clinical, pathological and genetic continuum.ObjectivesThe purpose of the present study was to assess the mutation burden that is present in patients with concurrent ALS and FTD (ALS/FTD) not carrying the chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) hexanucleotide repeat expansion, the most important genetic cause in both diseases.MethodsFrom an initial group of 973 patients with ALS, we retrospectively selected those patients fulfilling diagnostic criteria of concomitant ALS and FTD lacking the repeat expansion mutation in C9orf72. Our final study group consisted of 54 patients clinically diagnosed with ALS/FTD (16 with available postmortem neuropathological diagnosis). Data from whole exome sequencing were used to screen for mutations in known ALS and/or FTD genes.ResultsWe identified 11 patients carrying a probable pathogenic mutation, representing an overall mutation frequency of 20.4%. TBK1 was the most important genetic cause of ALS/FTD (n=5; 9.3%). The second most common mutated gene was SQSTM1, with three mutation carriers (one of them also harboured a TBK1 mutation). We also detected probable pathogenic genetic alterations in TAF15, VCP and TARDBP and possible pathogenic mutations in FIG4 and ERBB4.ConclusionOur results indicate a high genetic burden underlying the co-occurrence of ALS and FTD and expand the phenotype associated with TAF15, FIG4 and ERBB4 to FTD. A systematic screening of ALS and FTD genes could be indicated in patients manifesting both diseases without the C9orf72 expansion mutation, regardless of family history of disease.

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