Genotype-guided diagnostic reassessment after exome sequencing in neuromuscular disorders: experiences with a two-step approach.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Next-generation sequencing has greatly improved the diagnostic success rates for genetic neuromuscular disorders (NMDs). Nevertheless, most patients still remain undiagnosed, and there is a need to maximize the diagnostic yield. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 72 patients with NMDs who underwent exome sequencing (ES), partly followed by genotype-guided diagnostic reassessment and secondary investigations. The diagnostic yields that would have been achieved by appropriately chosen narrow and comprehensive gene panels were also analysed. RESULTS: The initial diagnostic yield of ES was 30.6% (n = 22/72 patients). In an additional 15.3% of patients (n = 11/72) ES results were of unknown clinical significance. After genotype-guided diagnostic reassessment and complementary investigations, the yield was increased to 37.5% (n = 27/72). Compared to ES, targeted gene panels (<25 kilobases) reached a diagnostic yield of 22.2% (n = 16/72), whereas comprehensive gene panels achieved 34.7% (n = 25/72). CONCLUSION: Exome sequencing allows the detection of pathogenic variants missed by (narrowly) targeted gene panel approaches. Diagnostic reassessment after genetic testing further enhances the diagnostic outcomes for NMDs.

Homozygous XYLT2 variants as a cause of spondyloocular syndrome.

Spondyloocular syndrome (SOS) is a rare autosomal recessive, skeletal disorder. Two recent studies have shown that it is the result of biallelic sequence variants in the XYLT2 gene with pleiotropic effects in multiple organs, including retina, heart muscle, inner ear, cartilage, and bone. The XYLT2 gene encodes xylosyltransferase 2, which catalyzes the transfer of xylose (monosaccharide) to the core protein of proteoglycans (PGs) leading to initiating the process of PG assembly. SOS was originally characterized in 2 families A and B of Iraqi and Turkish origin, respectively. Using DNA from affected members of the same 2 families, we performed whole exome sequencing, which revealed 2 novel homozygous missense variants (c.1159C > T, p.Arg387Trp) and (c.2548G > C, p.Asp850His). Our findings extend the body of evidence that SOS is caused by homozygous variants in the XYLT2 gene. In addition, this report has extended the phenotypic description of SOS by adding follow-up data from 5 affected individuals in one of the two families, presented here.

Extension of the phenotype of biallelic loss-of-function mutations in SLC25A46 to the severe form of pontocerebellar hypoplasia type I.

Biallelic mutations in SLC25A46, encoding a modified solute transporter involved in mitochondrial dynamics, have been identified in a wide range of conditions such as hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with optic atrophy type VIB (OMIM: *610826) and congenital lethal pontocerebellar hypoplasia (PCH). To date, 18 patients from 13 families have been reported, presenting with the key clinical features of optic atrophy, peripheral neuropathy, and cerebellar atrophy. The course of the disease was highly variable ranging from severe muscular hypotonia at birth and early death to first manifestations in late childhood and survival into the fifties. Here we report on 4 patients from 2 families diagnosed with PCH who died within the first month of life from respiratory insufficiency. Patients from 1 family had pathoanatomically proven spinal motor neuron degeneration (PCH1). Using exome sequencing, we identified biallelic disease-segregating loss-of-function mutations in SLC25A46 in both families. Our study adds to the definition of the SLC25A46-associated phenotypic spectrum that includes neonatal fatalities due to PCH as the severe extreme.

A K(ATP) channel gene effect on sleep duration: from genome-wide association studies to function in Drosophila.

Humans sleep approximately a third of their lifetime. The observation that individuals with either long or short sleep duration show associations with metabolic syndrome and psychiatric disorders suggests that the length of sleep is adaptive. Although sleep duration can be influenced by photoperiod (season) and phase of entrainment (chronotype), human familial sleep disorders indicate that there is a strong genetic modulation of sleep. Therefore, we conducted high-density genome-wide association studies for sleep duration in seven European populations (N=4251). We identified an intronic variant (rs11046205; P=3.99 × 10(-8)) in the ABCC9 gene that explains ≈5% of the variation in sleep duration. An influence of season and chronotype on sleep duration was solely observed in the replication sample (N=5949). Meta-analysis of the associations found in a subgroup of the replication sample, chosen for season of entry and chronotype, together with the discovery results showed genome-wide significance. RNA interference knockdown experiments of the conserved ABCC9 homologue in Drosophila neurons renders flies sleepless during the first 3 h of the night. ABCC9 encodes an ATP-sensitive potassium channel subunit (SUR2), serving as a sensor of intracellular energy metabolism.

Adolescent growth: genes, hormones and the peer group. Proceedings of the 20th Aschauer Soiree, held at Glücksburg castle, Germany, 15th to 17th November 2013.

The association between poverty, malnutrition, illness and poor socioeconomic conditions on the one side, and poor growth and short adult stature on the other side, is well recognized. Yet, the simple assumption by implication that poor growth and short stature result from poor living conditions, should be questioned. Recent evidence on the impact of the social network on adolescent growth and adult height further challenges the traditional concept of growth being a mirror of health. Twenty-nine scientists met at Glücksburg castle, Northern Germany, November 15th - 17th 2013, to discuss genetic, endocrine, mathematical and psychological aspects and related issues, of child and adolescent growth and final height.

Molecular modelling of the Norrie disease protein predicts a cystine knot growth factor tertiary structure.

The X-lined gene for Norrie disease, which is characterized by blindness, deafness and mental retardation has been cloned recently. This gene has been thought to code for a putative extracellular factor; its predicted amino acid sequence is homologous to the C-terminal domain of diverse extracellular proteins. Sequence pattern searches and three-dimensional modelling now suggest that the Norrie disease protein (NDP) has a tertiary structure similar to that of transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta). Our model identifies NDP as a member of an emerging family of growth factors containing a cystine knot motif, with direct implications for the physiological role of NDP. The model also sheds light on sequence related domains such as the C-terminal domain of mucins and of von Willebrand factor.

Mutational hot spot within a new RPGR exon in X-linked retinitis pigmentosa.

The gene RPGR was previously identified in the RP3 region of Xp21.1 and shown to be mutated in 10-20% of patients with the progressive retinal degeneration X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP). The mutations predominantly affected a domain homologous to RCC1, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for the small GTPase Ran, although they were present in fewer than the 70-75% of XLRP patients predicted from linkage studies. Mutations in the RP2 locus at Xp11.3 were found in a further 10-20% of XLRP patients, as predicted from linkage studies. Because the mutations in the remainder of the XLRP patients may reside in undiscovered exons of RPGR, we sequenced a 172-kb region containing the entire gene. Analysis of the sequence disclosed a new 3' terminal exon that was mutated in 60% of XLRP patients examined. This exon encodes 567 amino acids, with a repetitive domain rich in glutamic acid residues. The sequence is conserved in the mouse, bovine and Fugu rubripes genes. It is preferentially expressed in mouse and bovine retina, further supporting its importance for retinal function. Our results suggest that mutations in RPGR are the only cause of RP3 type XLRP and account for the disease in over 70% of XLRP patients and an estimated 11% of all retinitis pigmentosa patients.

Norrie disease is caused by mutations in an extracellular protein resembling C-terminal globular domain of mucins.

A candidate gene for Norrie disease, an X-linked disorder characterized by blindness, deafness and mental disturbances, was recently isolated and found to contain microdeletions in numerous patients. No strong homologies were identified. By studying the number and spacing of cysteine residues, we now detect homologies between the Norrie gene product and a C-terminal domain which is common to a group of proteins including mucins. Three newly-characterized missense mutations, replacing evolutionarily conserved cysteines or creating new cysteine codons, emphasize the functional importance of these sites. These findings and the clinical features of this disorder suggest a possible role for the Norrie gene in neuroectodermal cell-cell interaction.

A common region of 10p deleted in DiGeorge and velocardiofacial syndromes.

DiGeorge (DGS, MIM 188400) and velocardiofacial (VCFS, MIM 192430) syndromes may present many clinical problems including cardiac defects, hypoparathyroidism, T-cell immunodeficiency and facial dysmorphism. They are frequently associated with deletions within 22q11.2, but a number of cases have no detectable molecular defect of this region. A number of single case reports with deletions of 10p suggest genetic heterogeneity of DGS. Here we compare the regions of hemizygosity in four patients with terminal deletions of 10p (one patient diagnosed as having hypoparathyroidism and three as DGS) and one patient with a large interstitial deletion (diagnosed as VCFS). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis demonstrates that these patients have overlapping deletions at the 10p13/10p14 boundary. A YAC contig spanning the shortest region of deletion overlap (SRO) has been assembled, and allows the size of SRO to be approximated to 2 Mb. As with deletions of 22q11, phenotypes vary considerably between affected patients. These results strongly support the hypothesis that haploinsufficiency of a gene or genes within 10p (the DGSII locus) can cause the DGS/VCFS spectrum of malformation.

Mutations in a new gene in Ellis-van Creveld syndrome and Weyers acrodental dysostosis.

Ellis-van Creveld syndrome (EvC, MIM 225500) is an autosomal recessive skeletal dysplasia characterized by short limbs, short ribs, postaxial polydactyly and dysplastic nails and teeth. Congenital cardiac defects, most commonly a defect of primary atrial septation producing a common atrium, occur in 60% of affected individuals. The disease was mapped to chromosome 4p16 in nine Amish subpedigrees and single pedigrees from Mexico, Ecuador and Brazil. Weyers acrodental dysostosis (MIM 193530), an autosomal dominant disorder with a similar but milder phenotype, has been mapped in a single pedigree to an area including the EvC critical region. We have identified a new gene (EVC), encoding a 992-amino-acid protein, that is mutated in individuals with EvC. We identified a splice-donor change in an Amish pedigree and six truncating mutations and a single amino acid deletion in seven pedigrees. The heterozygous carriers of these mutations did not manifest features of EvC. We found two heterozygous missense mutations associated with a phenotype, one in a man with Weyers acrodental dysostosis and another in a father and his daughter, who both have the heart defect characteristic of EvC and polydactyly, but not short stature. We suggest that EvC and Weyers acrodental dysostosis are allelic conditions.

Mutations in the gene encoding epsilon-sarcoglycan cause myoclonus-dystonia syndrome.

The dystonias are a common clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of movement disorders. More than ten loci for inherited forms of dystonia have been mapped, but only three mutated genes have been identified so far. These are DYT1, encoding torsin A and mutant in the early-onset generalized form, GCH1 (formerly known as DYT5), encoding GTP-cyclohydrolase I and mutant in dominant dopa-responsive dystonia, and TH, encoding tyrosine hydroxylase and mutant in the recessive form of the disease. Myoclonus-dystonia syndrome (MDS; DYT11) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by bilateral, alcohol-sensitive myoclonic jerks involving mainly the arms and axial muscles. Dystonia, usually torticollis and/or writer's cramp, occurs in most but not all affected patients and may occasionally be the only symptom of the disease. In addition, patients often show prominent psychiatric abnormalities, including panic attacks and obsessive-compulsive behavior. In most MDS families, the disease is linked to a locus on chromosome 7q21 (refs. 11-13). Using a positional cloning approach, we have identified five different heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in the gene for epsilon-sarcoglycan (SGCE), which we mapped to a refined critical region of about 3.2 Mb. SGCE is expressed in all brain regions examined. Pedigree analysis shows a marked difference in penetrance depending on the parental origin of the disease allele. This is indicative of a maternal imprinting mechanism, which has been demonstrated in the mouse epsilon-sarcoglycan gene.

An L-type calcium-channel gene mutated in incomplete X-linked congenital stationary night blindness.

The locus for the incomplete form of X-linked congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB2) maps to a 1.1-Mb region in Xp11.23 between markers DXS722 and DXS255. We identified a retina-specific calcium channel alpha1-subunit gene (CACNA1F) in this region, consisting of 48 exons encoding 1966 amino acids and showing high homology to L-type calcium channel alpha1-subunits. Mutation analysis in 13 families with CSNB2 revealed nine different mutations in 10 families, including three nonsense and one frameshift mutation. These data indicate that aberrations in a voltage-gated calcium channel, presumably causing a decrease in neurotransmitter release from photoreceptor presynaptic terminals, are a frequent cause of CSNB2.

A gene (RPGR) with homology to the RCC1 guanine nucleotide exchange factor is mutated in X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (RP3).

X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (xlRP) is a severe progressive retinal degeneration which affects about 1 in 25,000 of the population. The most common form of xlRP, RP3, has been localised to the interval between CYBB and OTC in Xp21.1 by linkage analysis and deletion mapping. Identification of microdeletions within this region has now led to the positional cloning of a gene, RPGR, that spans 60 kg of genomic DNA and is ubiquitously expressed. The predicted 90 kD protein contains in its N-terminal half a tandem repeat structure highly similar to RCC1 (regulator of chromosome condensation), suggesting an interaction with a small GTPase. The C-terminal half contains a domain, rich in acidic residues, and ends in a potential isoprenylation anchorage site. The two intragenic deletions, two nonsense and three missense mutations within conserved domains provide evidence that RPGR (retinitis pigmentosa GTPase regulator) is the RP3 gene.

Genome-wide, large-scale production of mutant mice by ENU mutagenesis.

In the post-genome era, the mouse will have a major role as a model system for functional genome analysis. This requires a large number of mutants similar to the collections available from other model organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans. Here we report on a systematic, genome-wide, mutagenesis screen in mice. As part of the German Human Genome Project, we have undertaken a large-scale ENU-mutagenesis screen for dominant mutations and a limited screen for recessive mutations. In screening over 14,000 mice for a large number of clinically relevant parameters, we recovered 182 mouse mutants for a variety of phenotypes. In addition, 247 variant mouse mutants are currently in genetic confirmation testing and will result in additional new mutant lines. This mutagenesis screen, along with the screen described in the accompanying paper, leads to a significant increase in the number of mouse models available to the scientific community. Our mutant lines are freely accessible to non-commercial users (for information, see http://www.gsf.de/ieg/groups/enu-mouse.html).

Replication of restless legs syndrome loci in three European populations.

BACKGROUND: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is associated with common variants in three intronic and intergenic regions in MEIS1, BTBD9, and MAP2K5/LBXCOR1 on chromosomes 2p, 6p and 15q. METHODS: Our study investigated these variants in 649 RLS patients and 1230 controls from the Czech Republic (290 cases and 450 controls), Austria (269 cases and 611 controls) and Finland (90 cases and 169 controls). Ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the three genomic regions were selected according to the results of previous genome-wide scans. Samples were genotyped using Sequenom platforms. RESULTS: We replicated associations for all loci in the combined samples set (rs2300478 in MEIS1, p = 1.26 x 10(-5), odds ratio (OR) = 1.47, rs3923809 in BTBD9, p = 4.11 x 10(-5), OR = 1.58 and rs6494696 in MAP2K5/LBXCOR1, p = 0.04764, OR = 1.27). Analysing only familial cases against all controls, all three loci were significantly associated. Using sporadic cases only, we could confirm the association only with BTBD9. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that variants in these three loci confer consistent disease risks in patients of European descent. Among the known loci, BTBD9 seems to be the most consistent in its effect on RLS across populations and is also most independent of familial clustering.

INSIG2 promoter variant, obesity markers and lipid parameters - No association in a large Slavonic Caucasian population sample.

Heritability studies have estimated the genetically attributable part of body mass index variance to be in the range of 30-70 %. Rs7566650 (G>C) single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) near the promoter of the INSIG2 gene has been identified as associated with body mass index. The gene product of INSIG2 is involved in regulation of fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis. In order to replicate this association we have analysed 2,559 unrelated individuals of Slavonic Caucasian origin from the populationbased Czech MONICA 3-year cohort. Body mass index, waist-hip ratio and plasma lipids (total-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides) were measured at two independent examinations within three years. We could not detect any association between the SNP rs7566605 and body mass index, waist-hip ratio or lipid parameters, both with or without adjusting for age and gender. Neither the body mass index change nor lipid changes were significantly affected by the INSIG2 gene variant. Our results indicated that this INSIG2 polymorphism has no significant effect on body mass index and plasma lipids in the Czech Slavonic population.

MitoP2: the mitochondrial proteome database--now including mouse data.

The MitoP2 database (http://www.mitop.de) integrates information on mitochondrial proteins, their molecular functions and associated diseases. The central database features are manually annotated reference proteins localized or functionally associated with mitochondria supplied for yeast, human and mouse. MitoP2 enables (i) the identification of putative orthologous proteins between these species to study evolutionarily conserved functions and pathways; (ii) the integration of data from systematic genome-wide studies such as proteomics and deletion phenotype screening; (iii) the prediction of novel mitochondrial proteins using data integration and the assignment of evidence scores; and (iv) systematic searches that aim to find the genes that underlie common and rare mitochondrial diseases. The data and analysis files are referenced to data sources in PubMed and other online databases and can be easily downloaded. MitoP2 users can explore the relationship between mitochondrial dysfunctions and disease and utilize this information to conduct systems biology approaches on mitochondria.

Informatics and medicine--from molecules to populations.

OBJECTIVES: To clarify challenges and research topics for informatics in health and to describe new approaches for interdisciplinary collaboration and education. METHODS: Research challenges and possible solutions were elaborated by scientists of two universities using an interdisciplinary approach, in a series of meetings over several months. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In order to translate scientific results from bench to bedside and further into an evidence-based and efficient health system, intensive collaboration is needed between experts from medicine, biology, informatics, engineering, public health, as well as social and economic sciences. Research challenges can be attributed to four areas: bioinformatics and systems biology, biomedical engineering and informatics, health informatics and individual healthcare, and public health informatics. In order to bridge existing gaps between different disciplines and cultures, we suggest focusing on interdisciplinary education, taking an integrative approach and starting interdisciplinary practice at early stages of education.

A novel exon in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene activated by the nonsense mutation E92X in airway epithelial cells of patients with cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. We report on a novel nonsense mutation that leads to exon skipping and the activation of a cryptic exon. Screening of genomic DNA from 700 German patients with CF uncovered four cases with the nonsense mutation E92X, a G-->T transversion that creates a termination codon and affects the first base of exon 4 of the CFTR gene. Lymphocyte RNA of two CF patients heterozygous for E92X was found to contain the wild type sequence and a differentially spliced isoform lacking exon 4. In RNA derived from nasal epithelial cells of E92X patients, a third fragment of longer size was observed. Sequencing revealed the presence of E92X and an additional 183-bp fragment, inserted between exons 3 and 4. The 183-bp sequence was mapped to intron 3 of the CFTR gene. It is flanked by acceptor and donor splice sites. We conclude that the 183-bp fragment in intron 3 is a cryptic CFTR exon that can be activated in epithelial cells by the presence of the E92X mutation. E92X abolishes correctly spliced CFTR mRNA and leads to severe cystic fibrosis.