Mapping of a gene for type 2 diabetes associated with an insulin secretion defect by a genome scan in Finnish families.

Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) affects more than 100 million people worldwide and is associated with severe metabolic defects, including peripheral insulin resistance, elevated hepatic glucose production, and inappropriate insulin secretion. Family studies point to a major genetic component, but specific susceptibility genes have not yet been identified-except for rare early-onset forms with monogenic or mitochondrial inheritance. We have screened over 4,000 individuals from a population isolate in western Finland, identified 26 families (comprising 217 individuals) enriched for NIDDM and performed a genome-wide scan using non-parametric linkage analysis. We found no significant evidence for linkage when the families were analysed together, but strong evidence for linkage when families were classified according to mean insulin levels in affecteds (in oral glucose tolerance tests). Specifically, families with the lowest insulin levels showed linkage (P = 2 x 10(-6)) to chromosome 12 near D12S1349. Interestingly, this region contains the gene causing the rare, dominant, early-onset form of diabetes MODY3. Unlike MODY3 families, the Finnish families with low insulin have an age-of-onset typical for NIDDM (mean = 58 years). We infer the existence of a gene NIDDM2 causing NIDDM associated with low insulin secretion, and suggest that NIDDM2 and MODY3 may represent different alleles of the same gene.

Characterization of the MODY3 phenotype. Early-onset diabetes caused by an insulin secretion defect.

Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) type 3 is a dominantly inherited form of diabetes, which is often misdiagnosed as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Phenotypic analysis of members from four large Finnish MODY3 kindreds (linked to chromosome 12q with a maximum lod score of 15) revealed a severe impairment in insulin secretion, which was present also in those normoglycemic family members who had inherited the MODY3 gene. In contrast to patients with NIDDM, MODY3 patients did not show any features of the insulin resistance syndrome. They could be discriminated from patients with IDDM by lack of glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies (GAD-Ab). Taken together with our recent findings of linkage between this region on chromosome 12 and an insulin-deficient form of NIDDM (NIDDM2), the data suggest that mutations at the MODY3/NIDDM2 gene(s) result in a reduced insulin secretory response, that subsequently progresses to diabetes and underlines the importance of subphenotypic classification in studies of diabetes.

Genome scan of schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to identify chromosomal regions likely to contain schizophrenia susceptibility genes. METHOD: A genomewide map of 310 microsatellite DNA markers with average spacing of 11 centimorgans was genotyped in 269 individuals--126 of them with schizophrenia-related psychoses--from 43 pedigrees. Nonparametric linkage analysis was used to assess the pattern of allele sharing at each marker locus relative to the presence of disease. RESULTS: Nonparametric linkage scores did not reach a genomewide level of statistical significance for any marker. There were five chromosomal regions in which empirically derived p values reached nominal levels of significance at eight marker locations. There were p values less than 0.01 at chromosomes 2q (with the peak value in this region at D2S410) and 10q (D10S1239), and there were p values less than 0.05 at chromosomes 4q (D4S2623), 9q (D9S257), and 11q (D11S2002). CONCLUSIONS: The results do not support the hypothesis that a single gene causes a large increase in the risk of schizophrenia. The sample (like most others being studied for psychiatric disorders) has limited power to detect genes of small effect or those that are determinants of risk in a small proportion of families. All of the most positive results could be due to chance, or some could reflect weak linkage (genes of small effect). Multicenter studies may be useful in the effort to identify chromosomal regions most likely to contain schizophrenia susceptibility genes.

Pulsed-field and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of long arrays of tandemly repeated DNA : analysis of human centromeric alpha satellite.

Complex genomes are characterized by large amounts of tandemly repeated DNA that can comprise up to several percent of the genome in some organisms (1,2). The analysis of the organization of this type of DNA presents certain challenges owing to its repetitive nature, genomic distribution, and large array size. The availability of the large-scale resolution of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) (3,4) has allowed an increased understanding of the genomic organization of long arrays of tandemly repeated DNA, including their overall size and internal polymorphic variation. Such analyses are useful for long-range physical mapping of the large blocks of repetitive DNA characteristic of complex genomes and allow genetic information to be obtained for these loci. Although described here for human centromerit alpha satellite DNA, these techniques are also applicable to other repetitive and multicopy DNA families.

A polymorphic X-linked tetranucleotide repeat locus displaying a high rate of new mutation: implications for mechanisms of mutation at short tandem repeat loci.

We report a high rate of new mutation at a short tandem repeat sequence polymorphism (STR, microsatellite) at locus DXS981 on the proximal long arm of the human X chromosome. Among individuals of the CEPH pedigrees, new allele lengths are detected at this tetranucleotide repeat with a frequency of approximately 1.5%. In cases where the origin of the new allele was traceable, new mutant alleles at DXS981 varied by exactly one repeat length (4 bp) relative to that on the originating parental chromosome. Complete linkage disequilibrium between two additional insertion/deletion polymorphisms which closely flank the variation at the tetranucleotide repeat suggests that, to the extent that these new mutants are germline in origin, they are not generated by unequal exchange between homologues. Considered in light of the types of new mutations detected and the substantial linkage disequilibrium at this locus, these data have implications for the mechanism of variation at other loci containing short tandemly repeated sequences.

A primary genetic map of the pericentromeric region of the human X chromosome.

We report a genetic linkage map of the pericentromeric region of the human X chromosome, extending from Xp11 to Xq13. Genetic analysis with five polymorphic markers, including centromeric alpha satellite DNA, spanned a distance of approximately 38 cM. Significant lod scores were obtained with linkage analysis in 26 families from the Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain, establishing estimates of genetic distances between these markers and across the centromere. Physical mapping experiments, using a panel of somatic cell hybrids segregating portions of the X chromosome due to translocations or deletions, are in agreement with the multilocus linkage analysis and indicate the order Xp11 . . . DXS7(L1.28)-TIMP- DXZ1(alpha satellite, cen)- DXS159(cpX73)-PGK1 . . . Xq13. The frequency of recombination in the two approximately 20-cM intervals flanking alpha satellite on either chromosome arm was roughly proportional to the estimated physical distance between markers; no evidence for a reduced crossover frequency was found in the intervals adjacent to the centromere. However, significant interfamilial variations in recombination rates were noted in this region. This primary map should be useful both as a foundation for a higher resolution centromere-based linkage map of the X chromosome and in the localization of genes to the pericentromeric region.

Physical and genetic mapping of the human X chromosome centromere: repression of recombination.

Classical genetic studies in Drosophila and yeast have shown that chromosome centromeres have a cis-acting ability to repress meiotic exchange in adjacent DNA. To determine whether a similar phenomenon exists at human centromeres, we measured the rate of meiotic recombination across the centromere of the human X chromosome. We have constructed a long-range physical map of centromeric alpha-satellite DNA (DXZ1) by pulsed-field gel analysis, as well as detailed meiotic maps of the pericentromeric region of the X chromosome in the CEPH family panel. By comparing these two maps, we determined that, in the proximal region of the X chromosome, a genetic distance of 0.57 cM exists between markers that span the centromere and are separated by at least the average 3600 kb physical distance mapped across the DXZ1 array. Therefore, the rate of meiotic exchange across the X chromosome centromere is <1 cM/6300 kb (and perhaps as low as 1 cM/17,000 kb on the basis of other physical mapping data), at least eightfold lower than the average rate of female recombination on the X chromosome and one of the lowest rates of exchange yet observed in the human genome.

Pulsed-field gel analysis of alpha-satellite DNA at the human X chromosome centromere: high-frequency polymorphisms and array size estimate.

Using pulsed-field gel analysis (PFGE), we have characterized the large array of alpha-satellite DNA located in the centromeric region of the human X chromosome. The tandem repetitive nature of this DNA family lends itself to examination by PFGE using restriction enzymes that cleave frequently in unique sequence DNA but which cut only rarely within the repetitive alpha-satellite array. Several such restriction enzymes (BglI, BglII, KpnI, ScaI) have proven highly informative in sizing the alpha-satellite array and in following the segregation of individual X-chromosome centromeres using PFGE polymorphisms. Among 29 different X chromosomes, alpha-satellite array length varied between 1380 and 3730 kb (mean = 2895 kb; SD = 537). In three large CEPH families comprising 24 meioses, inheritance of these PFGE polymorphisms was strictly Mendelian, with no indication of intraarray recombination. Such DXZ1 alpha-satellite polymorphisms, therefore, may prove useful in the study of pericentromeric X-linked disorders.

Genetic mapping of four DNA markers (DXS16, DXS43, DXS85, and DXS143) from the p22 region of the human X chromosome.

Linkage analysis of four polymorphic anonymous DNA markers from the Xp22 region was performed using families from the Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain. The loci DXS43 (pD2) and DXS16 (pXUT23) were found to be tightly linked (theta = 0.02 at Z = 14.96) and proximal to both DXS85 (782) and DXS143 (dic56). Multipoint linkage analysis suggests the order: (Formula: see text).

An 18-locus linkage map of the pericentromeric region of the human X chromosome: genetic framework for mapping X-linked disorders.

We report a high-resolution genetic linkage map of the region Xp11.4 to Xq13.3, spanning the centromere of the X chromosome and encompassing approximately 30 cM. This 18-locus map is composed of 11 intervals that are spaced on average about 3 cM apart. Markers incorporated into the map together detect 19 distinct polymorphisms and include five genes (TIMP, SYP, AR, CCG1, PGK1), the OATL1 cluster, the hypervariable locus DXS255, the centromeric locus DXZ1, and 10 other anonymous DNA segments. Given that this map spans roughly one-fifth of the length of the X chromosome and includes many loci currently used in both diagnosis and mapping of X-linked disorders, it should be useful for genetic counseling and for guiding efforts to clone disease genes in this region.

A highly polymorphic dinucleotide repeat on the proximal short arm of the human X chromosome: linkage mapping of the synapsin I/A-raf-1 genes.

A compound (AC)n repeat located 1,000 bp downstream from the human synapsin I gene and within the last intron of the A-raf-1 gene has been identified. DNA data-base comparisons of the sequences surrounding the repeat indicate that the synapsin I gene and the A-raf-1 gene lie immediately adjacent to each other, in opposite orientation. PCR amplification of this synapsin I/A-raf-1 associated repeat by using total genomic DNA from members of the 40 reference pedigree families of the Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humaine showed it to be highly polymorphic, with a PIC value of .84 and a minimum of eight alleles. Because the synapsin I gene has been mapped previously to the short arm of the human X chromosome at Xp11.2, linkage analysis was performed with markers on the proximal short arm of the X chromosome. The most likely gene order is DXS7SYN/ARAF1TIMPDXS255DXS146, with a relative probability of 5 x 10(8) as compared with the next most likely order. This highly informative repeat should serve as a valuable marker for disease loci mapped to the Xp11 region.

Localization of the gene for X-linked recessive type of retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP) to Xp21 by linkage analysis.

The X-linked recessive type of retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP) causes progressive night blindness, visual field constriction, and eventual blindness in affected males by the third or fourth decade of life. The biochemical basis of the disease is unknown, and prenatal diagnosis and definitive carrier diagnosis remain elusive. Heterogeneity in XLRP has been suggested by linkage studies of families affected with XLRP and by phenotypic differences observed in female carriers. Localization of XLRP near Xp11.3 has been suggested by close linkage to an RFLP at the locus DXS7 (Xp11.3) detected by probe L1.28. In other studies a locus for XLRP with metallic sheen has been linked to the ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) locus mapping to the Xp21 region. In this study, by linkage analysis using seven RFLP markers between Xp21 and Xcen, we examined four families with multiple affected individuals. Close linkage was found between XLRP and polymorphic sites OTC (theta = .06 with lod 5.69), DXS84 (theta = .05 with lod 4.08), and DXS206 (theta = .06 with lod 2.56), defined by probes OTC, 754, and XJ, respectively. The close linkage of OTC, 754, and XJ to XLRP localizes the XLRP locus to the Xp21 region. Data from recombinations in three of four families place the locus above L1.28 and below the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) gene, consistent with an Xp21 localization. In one family, however, one affected male revealed a crossover between XLRP and all DNA markers, except for the more distal DXS28 (C7), while his brother is recombined for this marker (C7) and not other, more proximal markers. This suggests that in this family the XLRP mutation maps near DXS28 and above the DMD locus.

Regional localization of the TIMP gene on the human X chromosome. Extension of a conserved synteny and linkage group on proximal Xp.

The gene encoding a tissue inhibitor of metallo-proteinases, TIMP, has previously been shown to be X-linked in both the human and mouse genomes. We have used a series of somatic cell hybrids segregating translocation and deletion X chromosomes to map the TIMP gene on the human X chromosome. In combination with previous data, the gene can be assigned to Xp11.23----Xp11.4. Genetic linkage analyses demonstrate that TIMP is linked to the more distal ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) locus at a distance of about 22 centimorgans. The data are consistent with the conclusion that TIMP maps to a conserved synteny and linkage group on the proximal short arm of the human X chromosome and on the pericentric region of the mouse X chromosome, including loci for synapsin-1, a member of the raf oncogene family, OTC, and TIMP.

Linkage studies of the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome: polymorphisms at TIMP and the X chromosome centromere are informative markers for genetic prediction.

Eleven families segregating for the X-linked recessive immune deficiency disorder, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS), were studied by linkage analysis with an alpha satellite DNA probe, pBamX-7, which detects polymorphisms at the X chromosome centromere, locus DXZ1, as well as three other polymorphic markers defining loci on the proximal short arm of the X chromosome. Linkage has been established between WAS and DXZ1 (zeta (theta) = 7.08 at theta = 0.03) and WAS and the TIMP gene locus (zeta (theta) = 5.09 at theta = 0.0). We have also confirmed close linkage between DXZ1 and two marker loci, DXS14 and DXS7, previously shown to be linked to the WAS locus. The probe pBamX-7 detected allelic variation in all females tested, reflecting the high frequency of polymorphism at the centromere. One WAS carrier revealed a recombination between WAS and both marker loci DXZ1 and DXS14, indicating that WAS does not map between these loci. In conjunction with previous data from genetic mapping studies of WAS, these results confirm the pericentromeric Xp localization of WAS and demonstrate the usefulness of alpha satellite DNA probes as tools for genetic prediction in WAS as well as other pericentric X-linked diseases.

The diastrophic dysplasia gene encodes a novel sulfate transporter: positional cloning by fine-structure linkage disequilibrium mapping.

Diastrophic dysplasia (DTD) is a well-characterized autosomal recessive osteochondrodysplasia with clinical features including dwarfism, spinal deformation, and specific joint abnormalities. The disease occurs in most populations, but is particularly prevalent in Finland owing to an apparent founder effect. DTD maps to distal chromosome 5q and, based on linkage disequilibrium studies in the Finnish population, we had previously predicted that the DTD gene should lie about 64 kb away from the CSF1R locus. Here, we report the positional cloning of the DTD gene by fine-structure linkage disequilibrium mapping. The gene lies in the predicted location, approximately 70 kb proximal to CSF1R, and encodes a novel sulfate transporter. Impaired function of its product is likely to lead to undersulfation of proteoglycans in cartilage matrix and thereby to cause the clinical phenotype of the disease. These results demonstrate the power of linkage disequilibrium mapping in isolated populations for positional cloning.

Genomewide search for type 2 diabetes mellitus susceptibility loci in Finnish families: the Botnia study.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a heterogeneous inherited disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia resulting from pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance. Although the pathogenic mechanisms are not fully understood, manifestation of the disease most likely requires interaction between both environmental and genetic factors. In the search for such susceptibility genes, we have performed a genomewide scan in 58 multiplex families (comprising 440 individuals, 229 of whom were affected) from the Botnia region in Finland. Initially, linkage between chromosome 12q24 and impaired insulin secretion had been reported, by Mahtani et al., in a subsample of 26 families. In the present study, we extend the initial genomewide scan to include 32 additional families, update the affectation status, and fine map regions of interest, and we try to replicate the initial stratification analysis. In our analysis of all 58 families, we identified suggestive linkage to one region, chromosome 9p13-q21 (nonparametric linkage [NPL] score 3.9; P<.0002). Regions with nominal P values <.05 include chromosomes 2p11 (NPL score 2.0 [P<.03]), 3p24-p22 (NPL score 2.2 [P<.02]), 4q32-q33 (NPL score 2.5 [P<.01]), 12q24 (NPL score 2.1 [P<.03]), 16p12-11 (NPL score 1.7 [P<.05]), and 17p12-p11 (NPL score 1.9 [P<.03]). When chromosome 12q24 was analyzed in only the 32 additional families, a nominal P value <.04 was observed. Together with data from other published genomewide scans, these findings lend support to the hypothesis that regions on chromosome 9p13-q21 and 12q24 may harbor susceptibility genes for type 2 diabetes.