Mutation of the proline P81 into a serine modifies the tumour suppressor function of the von Hippel-Lindau gene in the ccRCC.

BACKGROUND: The von Hippel-Lindau disease is an autosomal dominant syndrome associated with tumour formation in various tissues, such as retina, central nervous system, kidney, and adrenal glands. VHL gene deletion or mutations support the development of various cancers. Unclassified VHL variants also referred as "of unknown significance" result from gene mutations that have an unknown or unclear effect on protein functions. The P81S mutation has been linked to low penetrance Type 1 disease but its pathogenic function was not clearly determined. METHODS: We established a stable cell line expressing the pVHL213 (c.241C>T, P81S) mutant. Using biochemical and physiological approaches, we herein analysed pVHL folding, stability and function in the context of this VHL single missense mutation. RESULTS: The P81S mutation mostly affects the non-canonical function of the pVHL protein. The cells expressing the pVHL213P81S acquire invasive properties in relation with modified architecture network. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated the pathogenic role of this mutation in tumour development in vhl patients and confirm a medical follow up of family carrying the c.241C>T, P81S.

Germline mutations in the new E1' cryptic exon of the VHL gene in patients with tumours of von Hippel-Lindau disease spectrum or with paraganglioma.

BACKGROUNDS: The incidence of germline mutations in the newly discovered cryptic exon (E1') of VHL gene in patients with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease and in patients with paraganglioma or pheochromocytoma (PPGL) is not currently known. METHODS: We studied a large international multicentre cohort of 1167 patients with a previous negative genetic testing. Germline DNA from 75 patients with a single tumour of the VHL spectrum ('Single VHL tumour' cohort), 70 patients with multiple tumours of the VHL spectrum ('Multiple VHL tumours' cohort), 76 patients with a VHL disease as described in the literature ('VHL-like' cohort) and 946 patients with a PPGL were screened for E1' genetic variants. RESULTS: Six different genetic variants in E1' were detected in 12 patients. Two were classified as pathogenic, 3 as variants of unknown significance and 1 as benign. The rs139622356 was found in seven unrelated patients but described in only 16 patients out of the 31 390 of the Genome Aggregation Database (p<0.0001) suggesting that this variant might be either a recurrent mutation or a modifier mutation conferring a risk for the development of tumours and cancers of the VHL spectrum. CONCLUSIONS: VHL E1' cryptic exon mutations contribute to 1.32% (1/76) of 'VHL-like' cohort and to 0.11% (1/946) of PPGL cohort and should be screened in patients with clinical suspicion of VHL, and added to panels for Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) diagnostic testing of hereditary PPGL. Our data highlight the importance of studying variants identified in deep intronic sequences, which would have been missed by examining only coding sequences of genes/exomes. These variants will likely be more frequently detected and studied with the upcoming implementation of whole-genome sequencing into clinical practice.

Identification of a new VHL exon and complex splicing alterations in familial erythrocytosis or von Hippel-Lindau disease.

Chuvash polycythemia is an autosomal recessive form of erythrocytosis associated with a homozygous p.Arg200Trp mutation in the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene. Since this discovery, additional VHL mutations have been identified in patients with congenital erythrocytosis, in a homozygous or compound-heterozygous state. VHL is a major tumor suppressor gene, mutations in which were first described in patients presenting with VHL disease, which is characterized by the development of highly vascularized tumors. Here, we identify a new VHL cryptic exon (termed E1') deep in intron 1 that is naturally expressed in many tissues. More importantly, we identify mutations in E1' in 7 families with erythrocytosis (1 homozygous case and 6 compound-heterozygous cases with a mutation in E1' in addition to a mutation in VHL coding sequences) and in 1 large family with typical VHL disease but without any alteration in the other VHL exons. In this study, we show that the mutations induced a dysregulation of VHL splicing with excessive retention of E1' and were associated with a downregulation of VHL protein expression. In addition, we demonstrate a pathogenic role for synonymous mutations in VHL exon 2 that altered splicing through E2-skipping in 5 families with erythrocytosis or VHL disease. In all the studied cases, the mutations differentially affected splicing, correlating with phenotype severity. This study demonstrates that cryptic exon retention and exon skipping are new VHL alterations and reveals a novel complex splicing regulation of the VHL gene. These findings open new avenues for diagnosis and research regarding the VHL-related hypoxia-signaling pathway.