Depression and anxiety in Parkinson's disease: possible effect of genetic variation in the serotonin transporter.

Recently, a functional polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene has been linked to anxiety. In cell culture, the short allele of this polymorphism synthesizes less serotonin transporter, resulting in a reduction of the removal of serotonin from the synaptic cleft. This pilot study examines depression and anxiety in Parkinson's disease patients as a function of the variation in this polymorphism. Thirty-two patients were genotyped and then blindly administered the Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Scales. Clinical data on the neurologic features of the disease were also gathered. Patients with the short allele of the serotonin transporter promotor scored significantly higher on both the depression and anxiety measures. There were no differences between groups for any neurologic variable. Patients with the short allele were more likely to have scores for anxiety and depression that indicated "caseness." This study suggests that the short allele of the serotonin transporter gene may represent a significant risk factor for the development of anxiety and depression in Parkinson's disease patients.

Association of long variants of the dopamine D4 receptor exon 3 repeat polymorphism with Parkinson's disease.

The dopamine D4 receptor (D4DR) has a highly polymorphic region in the third exon which has been associated with novelty seeking (NS) behavior. Due to the central position of dopamine and the documented low NS in Parkinson's disease (PD), the frequency of the exon 3 variants of D4DR in 95 PD patients and 47 controls was investigated. A significantly higher frequency of exon 3 alleles with six or more repeat units was found in the PD group (p = 0.039). This provides evidence that some forms of the highly polymorphic D4DR may represent a genetic susceptibility factor for PD.

The R496H mutation of arylsulfatase A does not cause metachromatic leukodystrophy.

Deficiency of arylsulfatase A (ARSA) enzyme activity causes metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD). A number of ARSA gene mutations responsible for MLD have been identified. Recently, the R496H mutation of ARSA was proposed to be a cause of MLD (Draghia et al., 1997). We have investigated the R496H mutation and found this mutation at a relatively high frequency in an African American population (f=0.09, n=61 subjects). The ARSA enzyme activity in subjects with and without the R496H mutation was determined and found to be normal. It is therefore concluded that the R496H mutation of ARSA does not negatively influence the activity of ARSA and is not a cause of MLD.

Association of a serotonin transporter gene promoter polymorphism with harm avoidance behaviour in an elderly population.

A polymorphic 44-nucleotide insertion/deletion in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) has been shown to affect the level of expression of the serotonin transporter protein. An association between anxiety-related behavioural traits and the short form of the 5-HTTLPR has been reported. We determined the 5-HTTLPR genotype in genomic DNA samples from 84 subjects (47 Parkinson's disease patients and 37 controls) with a mean age of 67.4 years. The TPQ of Cloninger was used to obtain values for harm avoidance (HA), reward dependence and novelty seeking for all subjects. Analysis of variance showed a significant influence of the s-allele of the 5-HTTLPR on HA in both subject groups, with no significant interaction between diagnosis and genotype. Subjects with the l/l-genotype had significantly lower mean HA scores than the l/s subjects (P < 0.04) and s/s subjects (P < 0.003). A linear change in HA with genotype was observed, indicating a gene dose effect of the 5-HTTLPR s-allele on this personality dimension. Based on these findings it is suggested that there may be increased influence of the 5-HTTLPR short allele on anxiety-related traits during aging.

Multiple defects in type III collagen synthesis are associated with the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Confluent skin fibroblast cultures were prepared from 40 patients diagnosed with and surgically treated for an abdominal aortic aneurysm. An analysis of secreted type I and type III collagen in the media of these fibroblast preparations revealed reduced secretion of type III collagen from six patients. DNA sequence analysis of the entire coding domain of the pro alpha 1 (III) collagen mRNA in skin fibroblast RNA from these six patients revealed a C to T substitution at nucleotide 607 in one of the probands that would result in the replacement of a leucine residue with phenylalanine in the second position of the first tripeptide repeat in the triple-helical domain of type III collagen. Allele-specific hybridization analysis of genomic DNA from this proband and family members indicated that this non-glycine substitution probably contributed to the aneurysmal phenotype in this patient. No coding sequence mutations were found in the other five patients. It is clear from this study, therefore, that aberrant synthesis of type III collagen, as a consequence of both a coding sequence mutation and other factors contributing to reduced secretion of type III procollagen, will result in the development of an aortic aneurysm in a significant percentage of patients with this disease.

A novel arylsulfatase A protein variant and genotype in two patients with major depression.

A new, 'diffuse, multiple banding', electrophoretic variant of arylsulfatase A protein was found in two patients with major depression. Protein analyses showed that this variant and the normal enzyme differed in amino acid sequence and/or post-translational modifications unrelated to phosphate groups and oligomannose glycans. Analysis of the arylsulfatase A genes from a subject with the new variant identified three mutations; one gene had the two mutations associated with arylsulfatase A pseudodeficiency, and the other had a G to T transversion which changes a tryptophan to cysteine in the protein. These mutations result in an arylsulfatase A protein heteromer with diffuse electrophoretic banding. The possible association of these mutations with major depression is discussed.

Arylsulfatase A pseudodeficiency-associated mutations: population studies and identification of a novel haplotype.

Pseudodeficiency of arylsulfatase A is characterized by reduction of arylsulfatase A activity without neurodegeneration, making it an important complication when diagnosing metachromatic leukodystrophy. Two DNA substitutions are associated with arylsulfatase A pseudodeficiency. One, 1788A-->G, results in the loss of an N-glycosylated asparagine in the protein, and the second, 2723A-->G, removes the polyadenylation signal site of the mRNA. Previously, the polyadenylation signal site variant was observed only in the presence of the N-glycosylation site variant, although the latter has been reported to occur in the absence of the polyadenylation signal site variant. We investigated the frequencies of these alleles and their linkage disequilibrium in a number of populations and in psychiatric patients. While the N-glycosylation site variant had a high frequency in the Bantu-speaking people from Southern Africa (0.44), the San of Southern Africa (0.22), African Americans (0.37), and Cheyenne Indians (0.375), the polyadenylation signal site variant was absent in these groups. The mutated polyadenylation signal site was found only in the Caucasian groups surveyed. Two Caucasian sibs were identified with the pseudodeficiency polyadenylation signal site variant in the absence of the N-glycosylation site variant, indicating that linkage disequilibrium between the two polymorphisms is not perfect.

Arylsulfatase A: relationship of genotype to variant electrophoretic properties.

Previous work has shown that specific electrophoretic variants of arylsulfatase A occur more frequently among alcoholic patients than among psychiatric and normal controls. The present study sequenced the gene for two of these electrophoretic variants, IIIa and IIIb. Both contain an A-to-G transition corresponding to substitution of Asn350 by Ser, with the resulting loss of an N-glycosylation site. The difference in electrophoretic mobility of their gene products is due to a mutation in the IIIb gene resulting in the replacement of Arg496 by His. Evidence is presented that individuals possessing either of two other electrophoretic variants, Va and Vb, are heterozygous for a normal ASA allele and either a IIIa or IIIb allele, respectively. Thus, the relationship between the phenotype of the electrophoretic banding patterns, IIIa, IIIb, Va, and Vb, and their corresponding genotypes has been elucidated.

Positive and negative modulation of H-ras transforming potential by mutations of phenylalanine-28.

Conserved amino-acids of H-ras from residues 25 to 34 were mutated in human H-ras cDNA with a pre-existing valine-12 activating mutation ([V12]p21), and built into SV40-driven expression vectors. The influence of the introduced mutations was initially screened by transfection of Rat-1 cells to score foci of transformed cells. Non-conservative mutations of amino-acids 25 (tryptophan for glutamine), 27 (asparagine for histidine) and 34 (alanine for proline) did not abrogate the transforming potential of [V12]p21. The conservative mutation of phenylalanine-28 to tryptophan ([V12W28]p21) was also still transforming. Significantly, in the absence of the valine-12 activating mutation, tryptophan-28-ras ([W28]p21) was weakly transforming while, in contrast, [V12D28]p21 was unable to transform Rat-1 cells and retarded cell growth. Analysis of the binding and dissociation of GTP and GDP to normal and mutated p21 expressed in Escherichia coli showed that [V12D28]p21 and [D28]p21 do not bind GTP. The dissociation rate of both GTP and GDP bound to [W28]p21 is increased, suggesting a mechanism for its transforming potential in Rat-1 cells. These studies illustrate the importance of phenylalanine-28 in guanine nucleotide binding by p21H-ras. The mutations described could be valuable tools in investigations of cellular signal transduction involving small GTP-binding proteins.

A method for rapid detection of arylsulfatase A pseudodeficiency mutations.

Pseudodeficiency of arylsulfatase A is a complicating factor in the determination of metachromatic leukodystrophy risk and carrier status. A method using polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzyme digestion to detect the presence of both the mutations that contribute to arylsulfatase A pseudodeficiency is described using DNA from blood or buccal cells. Application of this technique should facilitate determination of metachromatic leukodystrophy status and counseling in families where the pseudodeficiency allele is present.

Amplification of P450c21 expression in cultured mammalian cells.

We describe in this paper an investigation of mammalian expression systems for P450c21 (21-hydroxylase). Four different promoters, the SV40 early and late promoters, MMTV-LTR, and CMV immediate early promoter were tested for their ability to drive the expression of P450c21 in cultured COS-1 cells. With the exception of MMTV-LTR, all drove the expression of similar levels of functional 21-hydroxylase. In addition, the Rat-1 cell line was tested and shown to be suitable for the stable expression of functional P450c21. We have established cell lines derived from Rat-1 either normal or mutant P450c21 stably expressed together with amplifiable markers. The expression of P450c21 was further increased by selection in methotrexate.

Analysis of co-transfected expression vectors amplified by methotrexate selection in rat-1 cells.

In an earlier investigation of the influence of high level expression of p21H-ras, rat-1 cells were co-transfected with a selectable vector (pSV2Neo), an amplifiable vector (encoding dihydrofolate reductase; DHFR) and an H-ras expression vector. In this study we have analyzed the gene dose and expression levels of the three co-transfected plasmid vectors in cell lines that had been selected and isolated at different methotrexate concentrations. Growth of the cells in the absence of selection and Southern blot analyses indicate that the transfected vectors are stably co-integrated into the host genome. High expression levels from all three co-transfected vectors were evident at both the mRNA and protein levels, indicating that they are tightly linked in the host genome. The presence of a large amount of unspliced H-ras mRNA in cells expressing high levels of H-ras p21 indicates that processing of mRNA may be rate-limiting. Comparison of the gene dose and expression levels shows that the resistance of cells to increased methotrexate concentrations can occur by different mechanisms. It is concluded that co-transfection of individual plasmid vectors into rat-1 cells, followed by methotrexate selection, is an effective manner of achieving high level expression of proteins in cultured cells.

Increased intracellular Ca2+ is necessary for maximal expression of the proto-oncogene c-jun in the Jurkat T-cell line.

The time course and signal-transduction requirements for proto-oncogene c-jun expression in T-cells were investigated. Expression of c-jun mRNA was evident at 30 min after stimulation. Both the activation of Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent kinase as well as an increased intracellular free Ca2+ concentration were necessary for the maximal induction of c-jun mRNA and synthesis of Jun protein 1 h after stimulation.

Cancer--approaching a universal molecular mechanism?

Accumulating evidence strongly suggests that cancer is a genetic disease, arising from mutations in DNA. These mutations alter the function or synthesis of two groups of proteins, which are the products of either proto-oncogenes or anti-oncogenes. Of the more than 30 proto-oncogenes identified, ras proto-oncogenes are most frequently found to be mutationally activated (to oncogenes) in human tumours. Developments leading to current understanding of the function of ras proto-oncogenes and of the retinoblastoma anti-oncogene are reviewed. Based on the involvement of all known oncogenes and anti-oncogenes in cellular signal transduction pathways, it is suggested that a general model for cancer at the molecular level may become a reality.

DNA screening for hereditary goitre in Afrikander cattle.

DNA isolated from blood samples of Afrikander cattle (n = 66) were screened by blot-hybridisation analysis to determine the frequency of carriers of the goitre mutation. No carriers were found, suggesting that the frequency of the goitre mutation is less than 0.01.

High-level expression of c-H-ras1 fails to fully transform rat-1 cells.

Rat-1 cells were transfected with plasmids encoding normal (Gly-12), nonactivated (Pro-12), and activated (Val-12 and Ile-12) p21H-ras in the presence of an amplifiable dihydrofolate reductase marker. The introduced DNA was amplified by selection in methotrexate to establish the relationship between p21H-ras expression and various hallmarks of cellular transformation. The maximum level of p21H-ras (Gly-12) consistent with cell viability was approximately 0.13% of total cell protein (approximately 60,000 molecules per cell); this is 44-fold greater than the level of the endogenous protein. The maximum tolerated level of a second nontransforming form of p21H-ras (pro-12) was about half of this. Amplification in Rat-1 cells of H-ras genes encoding the highly oncogenic Val-12 and Ile-12 forms of p21H-ras could not be achieved by methotrexate selection, providing strong evidence that synthesis of activated p21H-ras above a certain threshold (about 0.02% of total protein) in Rat-1 cells is incompatible with cell viability. Individual cell lines were isolated and their morphology, anchorage-independent growth, tumorigenicity, and response to and production of growth factors were studied. We report that cell lines expressing near-maximum tolerated levels of either the normal or pro-12 form of p21H-ras were not as transformed as cells expressing much more modest levels of the highly oncogenic (Val-12) form, suggesting that the complete elaboration of the transformed phenotype by ras depends, at least in part, on mutations that distinguish the cellular and viral proteins. We found that cells expressing elevated levels of the normal p21(H-ras) could be fully transformed by the activated (Val-12) form and that such cells continued to overexpress p21(H-ras) (Gly-12), arguing against a role for normal ras genes in suppression of the oncogenic potential of their mutationally activated counterparts.

A nonsense mutation causes hereditary goitre in the Afrikander cattle and unmasks alternative splicing of thyroglobulin transcripts.

The hereditary goitre of Afrikander cattle is an autosomal recessive disease characterized in homozygotes by the production of abnormal thyroglobulin (Tg) and the coexistence in the thyroid of normal-sized 8.4-kilobase (kb) Tg mRNA with a misspliced 7.3-kb message having lost exon 9. We have cloned and sequenced the cDNA segment corresponding to the abnormal exon 8-exon 10 junction and the relevant genomic DNA region. The mutation responsible for the disease is a cytosine to thymine transition creating a stop codon at position 697 in exon 9. The original reading frame is maintained in the 7.3-kb mRNA, which, as it lacks the mutated exon, is translatable into a potentially functional protein. This puzzling phenotype in which a mutated exon is apparently removed selectively from transcripts by alternative splicing leads us to suggest that the 7.3-kb transcript could be present in normal animals. Using a sensitive oligonucleotide hybridization assay, we have demonstrated that a 7.3-kb mRNA lacking exon 9 does exist in normal thyroids as a minor mRNA species. As it is fully translatable, the 7.3-kb mRNA is expected to be more stable than the normal-sized 8.4-kb message. This probably accounts for the higher proportion of 7.3-kb transcript found in the goitre.

Defective splicing of thyroglobulin gene transcripts in the congenital goitre of the Afrikander cattle.

The structure of thyroglobulin mRNA was analyzed in an inbred herd of Afrikander cattle with hereditary goitre. Northern transfer of RNA from affected animals revealed both a shorter (approximately 7100 bases) and a normal-sized (approximately 8200 bases) thyroglobulin mRNA when hybridized to bovine thyroglobulin cDNA clones. S1 nuclease mapping experiments established that 1100 bases are deleted in the 5' region of the smaller mRNA. Electron microscopy of RNA from animals with goitre hybridized to a bovine genomic DNA clone showed that the region deleted corresponds to exon 9 of the thyroglobulin gene. Southern blot analysis of the exon 9 region revealed differences between affected and control animals with the enzymes PstI and TaqI. Although they could reflect a linkage disequilibrium between the mutation and restriction fragment length polymorphism, it is noteworthy that these differences map in the region of the exon 9/intron 9 junction. Our results show that a genetic lesion in the thyroglobulin gene causes aberrant splicing of the pre-mRNA, and suggest that the responsible mutation is at the exon 9/intron 9 junction.

Afrikander cattle congenital goiter: size heterogeneity in thyroglobulin mRNA.

The mRNA coding for thyroglobulin in cattle homozygous for an autosomal recessive defect of thyroglobulin synthesis was investigated using a recombinant plasmid containing bovine mRNA coding sequence. Total RNA preparations from goiter contained one third of the thyroglobulin mRNA sequences found in normal thyroid tissue. This mRNA was not translated into thyroglobulin by Xenopus oocytes. Northern transfer analysis revealed both a normal sized and a smaller thyroglobulin mRNA in the goiter.