scholarly journals Can the Synergic Contribution of Multigenic Variants Explain the Clinical and Cellular Phenotypes of a Neurodevelopmental Disorder?

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
Nuno Maia ◽  
Maria João Nabais Sá ◽  
Cláudia Oliveira ◽  
Flávia Santos ◽  
Célia Azevedo Soares ◽  
...  

We describe an infant female with a syndromic neurodevelopmental clinical phenotype and increased chromosome instability as cellular phenotype. Genotype characterization revealed heterozygous variants in genes directly or indirectly linked to DNA repair: a de novo X-linked HDAC8 pathogenic variant, a paternally inherited FANCG pathogenic variant and a maternally inherited BRCA2 variant of uncertain significance. The full spectrum of the phenotype cannot be explained by any of the heterozygous variants on their own; thus, a synergic contribution is proposed. Complementation studies showed that the FANCG gene from the Fanconi Anaemia/BRCA (FA/BRCA) DNA repair pathway was impaired, indicating that the variant in FANCG contributes to the cellular phenotype. The patient’s chromosome instability represents the first report where heterozygous variant(s) in the FA/BRCA pathway are implicated in the cellular phenotype. We propose that a multigenic contribution of heterozygous variants in HDAC8 and the FA/BRCA pathway might have a role in the phenotype of this neurodevelopmental disorder. The importance of these findings may have repercussion in the clinical management of other cases with a similar synergic contribution of heterozygous variants, allowing the establishment of new genotype–phenotype correlations and motivating the biochemical study of the underlying mechanisms.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Lulu Yan ◽  
Ru Shen ◽  
Zongfu Cao ◽  
Chunxiao Han ◽  
Yuxin Zhang ◽  
...  

PPP2R5D-related neurodevelopmental disorder, which is mainly caused by de novo missense variants in the PPP2R5D gene, is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disorder with about 100 patients and a total of thirteen pathogenic variants known to exist globally so far. Here, we present a 24-month-old Chinese boy with developmental delay and other common clinical characteristics of PPP2R5D-related neurodevelopmental disorder including hypotonia, macrocephaly, intellectual disability, speech impairment, and behavioral abnormality. Trio-whole exome sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing were performed to identify the causal gene variant. The pathogenicity of the variant was evaluated using bioinformatics tools. We identified a novel pathogenic variant in the PPP2R5D gene (c.620G>T, p.Trp207Leu). The variant is located in the variant hotspot region of this gene and is predicted to cause PPP2R5D protein dysfunction due to an increase in local hydrophobicity and unstable three-dimensional structure. We report a novel pathogenic variant of PPP2R5D associated with PPP2R5D-related neurodevelopmental disorder from a Chinese family. Our findings expanded the phenotypic and mutational spectrum of PPP2R5D-related neurodevelopmental disorder.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueya Zhou ◽  
Pamela Feliciano ◽  
Tianyun Wang ◽  
Irina Astrovskaya ◽  
Chang Shu ◽  
...  

AbstractDespite the known heritable nature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), studies have primarily identified risk genes with de novo variants (DNVs). To capture the full spectrum of ASD genetic risk, we performed a two-stage analysis of rare de novo and inherited coding variants in 42,607 ASD cases, including 35,130 new cases recruited online by SPARK. In the first stage, we analyzed 19,843 cases with one or both biological parents and found that known ASD or neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) risk genes explain nearly 70% of the genetic burden conferred by DNVs. In contrast, less than 20% of genetic risk conferred by rare inherited loss-of-function (LoF) variants are explained by known ASD/NDD genes. We selected 404 genes based on the first stage of analysis and performed a meta-analysis with an additional 22,764 cases and 236,000 population controls. We identified 60 genes with exome-wide significance (p < 2.5e-6), including five new risk genes (NAV3, ITSN1, MARK2, SCAF1, and HNRNPUL2). The association of NAV3 with ASD risk is entirely driven by rare inherited LoFs variants, with an average relative risk of 4, consistent with moderate effect. ASD individuals with LoF variants in the four moderate risk genes (NAV3, ITSN1, SCAF1, and HNRNPUL2, n = 95) have less cognitive impairment compared to 129 ASD individuals with LoF variants in well-established, highly penetrant ASD risk genes (CHD8, SCN2A, ADNP, FOXP1, SHANK3) (59% vs. 88%, p= 1.9e-06). These findings will guide future gene discovery efforts and suggest that much larger numbers of ASD cases and controls are needed to identify additional genes that confer moderate risk of ASD through rare, inherited variants.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin T. Fierheller ◽  
Laure Guitton-Sert ◽  
Wejdan M. Alenezi ◽  
Timothée Revil ◽  
Kathleen K. Oros ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Familial ovarian cancer (OC) cases not harbouring pathogenic variants in either of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 OC-predisposing genes, which function in homologous recombination (HR) of DNA, could involve pathogenic variants in other DNA repair pathway genes. Methods Whole exome sequencing was used to identify rare variants in HR genes in a BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variant negative OC family of French Canadian (FC) ancestry, a population exhibiting genetic drift. OC cases and cancer-free individuals from FC and non-FC populations were investigated for carrier frequency of FANCI c.1813C>T; p.L605F, the top-ranking candidate. Gene and protein expression were investigated in cancer cell lines and tissue microarrays, respectively. Results In FC subjects, c.1813C>T was more common in familial (7.1%, 3/42) than sporadic (1.6%, 7/439) OC cases (P = 0.048). Carriers were detected in 2.5% (74/2950) of cancer-free females though female/male carriers were more likely to have a first-degree relative with OC (121/5249, 2.3%; Spearman correlation = 0.037; P = 0.011), suggesting a role in risk. Many of the cancer-free females had host factors known to reduce risk to OC which could influence cancer risk in this population. There was an increased carrier frequency of FANCI c.1813C>T in BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variant negative OC families, when including the discovery family, compared to cancer-free females (3/23, 13%; OR = 5.8; 95%CI = 1.7–19; P = 0.005). In non-FC subjects, 10 candidate FANCI variants were identified in 4.1% (21/516) of Australian OC cases negative for pathogenic variants in BRCA1 and BRCA2, including 10 carriers of FANCI c.1813C>T. Candidate variants were significantly more common in familial OC than in sporadic OC (P = 0.04). Localization of FANCD2, part of the FANCI-FANCD2 (ID2) binding complex in the Fanconi anaemia (FA) pathway, to sites of induced DNA damage was severely impeded in cells expressing the p.L605F isoform. This isoform was expressed at a reduced level, destabilized by DNA damaging agent treatment in both HeLa and OC cell lines, and exhibited sensitivity to cisplatin but not to a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor. By tissue microarray analyses, FANCI protein was consistently expressed in fallopian tube epithelial cells and only expressed at low-to-moderate levels in 88% (83/94) of OC samples. Conclusions This is the first study to describe candidate OC variants in FANCI, a member of the ID2 complex of the FA DNA repair pathway. Our data suggest that pathogenic FANCI variants may modify OC risk in cancer families.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1502-1502
Author(s):  
Bhavana Sree Vangara Chapman ◽  
Diane D. Liu ◽  
Shane Richard Stecklein ◽  
Angelica Gutierrez Barrera ◽  
Wendy A. Woodward ◽  
...  

1502 Background: Women with germline mutations in DNA repair pathways are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer. We posit that tumors arising in these patients may be more sensitive to radiotherapy and, therefore, patients may experience improved locoregional control and survival outcomes following adjuvant radiotherapy as compared to patients without DNA repair pathway mutations. Methods: We evaluated the records of 2,221 women with stage 0-III de novo primary breast cancer treated with surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy who all underwent genetic testing at our institution from 1993 to 2018. Mutations were categorized as pathogenic variant, variant of unknown significance (VUS), or negative. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the locoregional recurrence rate (LRR), rate of distant metastasis (DM), disease-free survival (DSS), and overall survival (OS) from the time of surgery. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 45 years (range 19-84). Median follow-up time was 7 years (95% confidence interval 6.6-7.4). Among 1,960 patients with evaluable radiation records, 752 (38.4%) received breast only radiation, 12 (0.6%) received chest wall only radiation, and 1,196 (61.0%) received breast/chest wall and regional nodal radiation. A total of 255 (11.4%) and 162 (7.3%) patients had a pathogenic variant mutation and a VUS only, respectively. Pathogenic variant and VUS in BRCA1/2 mutations were detected in 216 (9.7%) and 82 (3.7%) patients, respectively. Perturbations in ATM, CHEK2, MLH, MSH2/6, MUTYH, PALB2, RAD50/51, and/or TP53 were detected in 71% (85/119) of patients who tested positive for a non- BRCA1/2 pathogenic variant or VUS. On univariate analysis, there was no significant association between BRCA1/2 mutation status or any genetic mutation and rate of LRR or DM, DSS, or OS ( p > 0.10 for all). Clinicopathological features including advanced stage and lymphovascular invasion were associated with higher cumulative incidence of LRR and DM as well as shorter DFS and OS ( p < 0.01 for all). Conclusions: Herein we report on the largest cohort of women with breast cancer treated with adjuvant radiotherapy at a single institution who have undergone germline testing. Our findings suggest that the overall prognosis of breast cancer treated with adjuvant radiotherapy in patients with germline BRCA1/2 or other genetic predisposition is similar to patients with sporadic breast cancer. Further investigation to evaluate acute or late toxicities and secondary cancers as a result of radiotherapy is warranted.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed A. Nugud ◽  
Nermeen Mahmoud ELkholy ◽  
Awad Alkarim Omar ◽  
Abid Qazi ◽  
Christos Tzivinikos ◽  
...  

Background: Long QT syndactyly syndrome (long QT syndrome type 8), also known as Timothy Syndrome (TS) was first described in 1994 with still &lt;50 case reported in the literature. The full spectrum of the syndrome is not yet known.Results: Here we report a girl who presented with new onset refractory seizures and an undiagnosed cause of intermittent abdominal distention. She also had syndactyly of her fingers and toes and was found to have prolonged QT. Upon further investigations she was found to have a de novo pathogenic variant in CACNA1C, along with Segmental Ileal Dilatation (SID), and subsequently diagnosed with Timothy syndrome.Conclusion: To our knowledge, the association of Timothy Syndrome with Segmental Ileal Dilatation, was not described before.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keiko Shimojima Yamamoto ◽  
Tomoe Yanagishita ◽  
Hisako Yamamoto ◽  
Yusaku Miyamoto ◽  
Miho Nagata ◽  
...  

AbstractA recurrent de novo pathogenic variant of WASF1, NM_003931:c.1516C>T [p.Arg506*], was identified in a 6-year-old female Japanese patient with severe developmental delay, hypotonia, hyperkinetic behavior, and distinctive facial features. The initial report of five adult patients with WASF1 variants was the only previous report regarding variants of this gene; this is the second such report, reaffirming that rare but recurrent truncating variants of WASF1 are associated with severe neurodevelopmental disorders.


Author(s):  
Anne Helbling-Leclerc ◽  
Cécile Garcin ◽  
Filippo Rosselli

AbstractFanconi anaemia (FA) is the most frequent inherited bone marrow failure syndrome, due to mutations in genes encoding proteins involved in replication fork protection, DNA interstrand crosslink repair and replication rescue through inducing double-strand break repair and homologous recombination. Clinically, FA is characterised by aplastic anaemia, congenital defects and cancer predisposition. In in vitro studies, FA cells presented hallmarks defining senescent cells, including p53-p21 axis activation, altered telomere length, mitochondrial dysfunction, chromatin alterations, and a pro-inflammatory status. Senescence is a programme leading to proliferation arrest that is involved in different physiological contexts, such as embryogenesis, tissue remodelling and repair and guarantees tumour suppression activity. However, senescence can become a driving force for developmental abnormalities, aging and cancer. Herein, we summarise the current knowledge in the field to highlight the mutual relationships between FA and senescence that lead us to consider FA not only as a DNA repair and chromosome fragility syndrome but also as a “senescence syndrome”.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kohei Kitagawa ◽  
Kensuke Matsumura ◽  
Masayuki Baba ◽  
Momoka Kondo ◽  
Tomoya Takemoto ◽  
...  

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by core symptoms of impaired social behavior and communication. Recent studies have suggested that the oxytocin system, which regulates social behavior in mammals, is potentially involved in ASD. Mouse models of ASD provide a useful system for understanding the associations between an impaired oxytocin system and social behavior deficits. However, limited studies have shown the involvement of the oxytocin system in the behavioral phenotypes in mouse models of ASD. We have previously demonstrated that a mouse model that carries the ASD patient-derived de novo mutation in the pogo transposable element derived with zinc finger domain (POGZWT/Q1038R mice), showed ASD-like social behavioral deficits. Here, we have explored whether oxytocin (OXT) administration improves impaired social behavior in POGZWT/Q1038R mice and found that intranasal oxytocin administration effectively restored the impaired social behavior in POGZWT/Q1038R mice. We also found that the expression level of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) was low in POGZWT/Q1038R mice. However, we did not detect significant changes in the number of OXT-expressing neurons between the paraventricular nucleus of POGZWT/Q1038R mice and that of WT mice. A chromatin immunoprecipitation assay revealed that POGZ binds to the promoter region of OXTR and is involved in the transcriptional regulation of OXTR. In summary, our study demonstrate that the pathogenic mutation in the POGZ, a high-confidence ASD gene, impairs the oxytocin system and social behavior in mice, providing insights into the development of oxytocin-based therapeutics for ASD.


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