Heimler Syndrome Is Caused by Hypomorphic Mutations in the Peroxisome-Biogenesis Genes PEX1 and PEX6.

Heimler syndrome (HS) is a rare recessive disorder characterized by sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), amelogenesis imperfecta, nail abnormalities, and occasional or late-onset retinal pigmentation. We ascertained eight families affected by HS and, by using a whole-exome sequencing approach, identified biallelic mutations in PEX1 or PEX6 in six of them. Loss-of-function mutations in both genes are known causes of a spectrum of autosomal-recessive peroxisome-biogenesis disorders (PBDs), including Zellweger syndrome. PBDs are characterized by leukodystrophy, hypotonia, SNHL, retinopathy, and skeletal, craniofacial, and liver abnormalities. We demonstrate that each HS-affected family has at least one hypomorphic allele that results in extremely mild peroxisomal dysfunction. Although individuals with HS share some subtle clinical features found in PBDs, the diagnosis was not suggested by routine blood and skin fibroblast analyses used to detect PBDs. In conclusion, our findings define HS as a mild PBD, expanding the pleiotropy of mutations in PEX1 and PEX6.

A Fourth KLK4 Mutation Is Associated with Enamel Hypomineralisation and Structural Abnormalities.

"Amelogenesis imperfecta" (AI) describes a group of genetic conditions that result in defects in tooth enamel formation. Mutations in many genes are known to cause AI, including the gene encoding the serine protease, kallikrein related peptidase 4 (KLK4), expressed during the maturation stage of amelogenesis. In this study we report the fourth KLK4 mutation to be identified in autosomal recessively-inherited hypomaturation type AI, c.632delT, p.(L211Rfs*37) (NM_004917.4, NP_004908.4). This homozygous variant was identified in five Pakistani AI families and is predicted to result in a transcript with a premature stop codon that escapes nonsense mediated decay. However, the protein may misfold, as three of six disulphide bonds would be disrupted, and may be degraded or non-functional as a result. Primary teeth were obtained from one affected individual. The enamel phenotype was characterized using high-resolution computerized X-ray tomography (CT), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and microhardness testing (MH). Enamel from the affected individual (referred to as KLK4 enamel) was hypomineralised in comparison with matched control enamel. Furthermore, KLK4 inner enamel was hypomineralised compared with KLK4 outer enamel. SEM showed a clear structural demarcation between KLK4 inner and outer enamel, although enamel structure was similar to control tissue overall. EDX showed that KLK4 inner enamel contained less calcium and phosphorus and more nitrogen than control inner enamel and KLK4 outer enamel. MH testing showed that KLK4 inner enamel was significantly softer than KLK4 outer enamel (p < 0.001). However, the hardness of control inner enamel was not significantly different to that of control outer enamel. Overall, these findings suggest that the KLK4 c.632delT mutation may be a common cause of autosomal recessive AI in the Pakistani population. The phenotype data obtained mirror findings in the Klk4-/- mouse and suggest that KLK4 is required for the hardening and mineralization of the inner enamel layer but is less essential for hardening and mineralization of the outer enamel layer.

The Meckel-Gruber syndrome protein TMEM67 controls basal body positioning and epithelial branching morphogenesis in mice via the non-canonical Wnt pathway.

Ciliopathies are a group of developmental disorders that manifest with multi-organ anomalies. Mutations in TMEM67 (MKS3) cause a range of human ciliopathies, including Meckel-Gruber and Joubert syndromes. In this study we describe multi-organ developmental abnormalities in the Tmem67(tm1Dgen/H1) knockout mouse that closely resemble those seen in Wnt5a and Ror2 knockout mice. These include pulmonary hypoplasia, ventricular septal defects, shortening of the body longitudinal axis, limb abnormalities, and cochlear hair cell stereociliary bundle orientation and basal body/kinocilium positioning defects. The basal body/kinocilium complex was often uncoupled from the hair bundle, suggesting aberrant basal body migration, although planar cell polarity and apical planar asymmetry in the organ of Corti were normal. TMEM67 (meckelin) is essential for phosphorylation of the non-canonical Wnt receptor ROR2 (receptor-tyrosine-kinase-like orphan receptor 2) upon stimulation with Wnt5a-conditioned medium. ROR2 also colocalises and interacts with TMEM67 at the ciliary transition zone. Additionally, the extracellular N-terminal domain of TMEM67 preferentially binds to Wnt5a in an in vitro binding assay. Cultured lungs of Tmem67 mutant mice failed to respond to stimulation of epithelial branching morphogenesis by Wnt5a. Wnt5a also inhibited both the Shh and canonical Wnt/ß-catenin signalling pathways in wild-type embryonic lung. Pulmonary hypoplasia phenotypes, including loss of correct epithelial branching morphogenesis and cell polarity, were rescued by stimulating the non-canonical Wnt pathway downstream of the Wnt5a-TMEM67-ROR2 axis by activating RhoA. We propose that TMEM67 is a receptor that has a main role in non-canonical Wnt signalling, mediated by Wnt5a and ROR2, and normally represses Shh signalling. Downstream therapeutic targeting of the Wnt5a-TMEM67-ROR2 axis might, therefore, reduce or prevent pulmonary hypoplasia in ciliopathies and other congenital conditions.

Polymorphisms in OPA1 are associated with normal tension glaucoma.

PURPOSE: [corrected] To confirm whether specific polymorphisms in intron 8 (IVS8) of the OPA1 gene are found more commonly in patients with normal tension glaucoma (NTG) compared to normal controls. METHODS: This is a cohort study of 61 patients with NTG, 49 known healthy controls and 119 individuals from the general population. The DNA sequence was determined at the +4 and +32 positions of IVS8 of the OPA1 gene. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was confirmed in our population by comparing the allele frequencies in two additional genes, TP53 and TYRP1. Genotypes for the NTG and control groups were compared for statistically significant differences. RESULTS: There were no differences in the OPA1 genotypes of the NTG and control groups at the +4 location, as had been suggested in a previous study, but a significant difference was observed at the +32 location of IVS8. The CC genotype was found in 28% of NTG patients compared to 13% of controls (p=0.006). The TC genotype was more prevalent in the control population (p=0.02) but this difference did not reach statistical significance when the Bonferroni adjustment was made for multiple analyses. CONCLUSIONS: We have refined the previously reported association between OPA1 sequence changes and NTG by identifying a specific CC genotype at position +32 in IVS8 of the OPA1 gene that acts as a marker for NTG. At the current time, NTG is frequently diagnosed late when loss of neurons has already caused significant and irreversible peripheral field loss. If a test could be designed to identify those people at risk of developing NTG, then careful screening might detect earlier signs of disease allowing commencement of treatment before significant field loss has occurred.

Profiling retinal biochemistry in the MPDZ mutant retinal dysplasia and degeneration chick: a model of human RP and LCA.

PURPOSE: Raman microscopy, a rapid nondestructive technique that profiles the composition of biological samples, was used to characterize retinal biochemistry in the retinal dysplasia and degeneration (rdd) and wild-type (wt) chick retina during retinogenesis and at hatching. METHODS: Embryonic day (E)13 and posthatch day (P)1 rdd and wt retinal cross-sections (n = 3 of each line at each age) were profiled using 633 helium-neon laser excitation. The biochemical composition was determined using computational analysis of the Raman spectra. In parallel histology, TUNEL and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunostaining were used to visualize retinal dysfunction. RESULTS: Principal component (PC) analysis of the Raman spectra identified 50 major biochemical profiles, but only PCs that made significant contributions to variation within rdd and wt retina were mapped. These significant PCs were shown to arise from DNA, various fatty acids, melanin, and a number of proteins. Distinct patterns of GFAP immunostaining and a larger population of TUNEL-positive nuclei were observed in the rdd versus wt retina. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated that Raman microscopy can discriminate between major retinal biomolecules, thus providing an unbiased account of how their composition varies due to the impact of the MPDZ null mutation in the rdd chick relative to expression in the normal wt retina.

The D153del mutation in GNB3 gene causes tissue specific signalling patterns and an abnormal renal morphology in Rge chickens.

BACKGROUND: The GNB3 gene is expressed in cone but not rod photoreceptors of vertebrates, where it acts as the ß transducin subunit in the colour visual transduction process. A naturally occurring mutation 'D153del' in the GNB3 gene causes the recessively inherited blinding phenotype retinopathy globe enlarged (rge) disease in chickens. GNB3 is however also expressed in most other vertebrate tissues suggesting that the D153del mutation may exert pathological effects that outlie from eye. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Recombinant studies in COS-7 cells that were transfected with normal and mutant recombinant GNB3 constructs and subjected to cycloheximide chase showed that the mutant GNB3d protein had a much shorter half life compared to normal GNB3. GNB3 codes for the Gß3 protein subunit that, together with different Gγ and Gα subunits, activates and regulates phosphorylation cascades in different tissues. As expected, the relative levels of cGMP and cAMP secondary messengers and their activated kinases such as MAPK, AKT and GRK2 were also found to be altered significantly in a tissue specific manner in rge chickens. Histochemical analysis on kidney tissue sections, from rge homozygous affected chickens, showed the chickens had enlargement of the glomerular capsule, causing glomerulomegaly and tubulointerstitial inflammation whereas other tissues (brain, heart, liver, pancreas) were unaffected. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings confirm that the D153del mutation in GNB3 gene targets GNB3 protein to early degradation. Lack of GNB3 signalling causes reduced phosphorylation activity of ERK2 and AKT leading to severe pathological phenotypes such as blindness and renal abnormalities in rge chickens.