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1.
Circ Genom Precis Med ; 16(1): e003641, 2023 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36548480

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The genetics of rheumatic heart disease (RHDGen) Network was developed to assist the discovery and validation of genetic variations and biomarkers of risk for rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in continental Africans, as a part of the global fight to control and eradicate rheumatic fever/RHD. Thus, we describe the rationale and design of the RHDGen study, comprising participants from 8 African countries. METHODS: RHDGen screened potential participants using echocardiography, thereafter enrolling RHD cases and ethnically-matched controls for whom case characteristics were documented. Biological samples were collected for conducting genetic analyses, including a discovery case-control genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a replication trio family study. Additional biological samples were also collected, and processed, for the measurement of biomarker analytes and the biomarker analyses are underway. RESULTS: Participants were enrolled into RHDGen between December 2012 and March 2018. For GWAS, 2548 RHD cases and 2261 controls (3301 women [69%]; mean age [SD], 37 [16.3] years) were available. RHD cases were predominantly Black (66%), Admixed (24%), and other ethnicities (10%). Among RHD cases, 34% were asymptomatic, 26% had prior valve surgery, and 23% had atrial fibrillation. The trio family replication arm included 116 RHD trio probands and 232 parents. CONCLUSIONS: RHDGen presents a rare opportunity to identify relevant patterns of genetic factors and biomarkers in Africans that may be associated with differential RHD risk. Furthermore, the RHDGen Network provides a platform for further work on fully elucidating the causes and mechanisms associated with RHD susceptibility and development.


Subject(s)
Atrial Fibrillation , Rheumatic Fever , Rheumatic Heart Disease , Humans , Female , Adolescent , Rheumatic Heart Disease/genetics , Genome-Wide Association Study , Echocardiography
2.
Circ Genom Precis Med ; 15(6): e003510, 2022 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36205932

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a leading non-infectious cause of pediatric morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although the etiology of CHD is poorly understood, genetic factors including copy number variants (CNVs) contribute to the risk of CHD in individuals of European ancestry. The presence of rare CNVs in African CHD populations is unknown. This study aimed to identify pathogenic and likely pathogenic CNVs in South African patients with CHD. METHODS: Genotyping was performed on 90 patients with nonsyndromic CHD using the Affymetrix CytoScan HD platform. These data were used to identify large, rare CNVs in known CHD-associated genes and candidate genes. RESULTS: We identified eight CNVs overlapping known CHD-associated genes (GATA4, CRKL, TBX1, FLT4, B3GAT3, NSD1) in six patients. The analysis also revealed CNVs encompassing five candidate genes likely to play a role in the development of CHD (DGCR8, KDM2A, JARID2, FSTL1, CYFIP1) in five patients. One patient was found to have 47, XXY karyotype. We report a total discovery yield of 6.7%, with 5.6% of the cohort carrying pathogenic or likely pathogenic CNVs expected to cause the observed phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we show that chromosomal microarray is an effective technique for identifying CNVs in African patients diagnosed with CHD and have demonstrated results similar to previous CHD genetic studies in Europeans. Novel potential CHD genes were also identified, indicating the value of genetic studies of CHD in ancestrally diverse populations.


Subject(s)
F-Box Proteins , Follistatin-Related Proteins , Heart Defects, Congenital , MicroRNAs , Humans , DNA Copy Number Variations , South Africa , RNA-Binding Proteins/genetics , Heart Defects, Congenital/diagnosis , Follistatin-Related Proteins/genetics , F-Box Proteins/genetics , Jumonji Domain-Containing Histone Demethylases/genetics
3.
Clin Proteomics ; 19(1): 7, 2022 Mar 22.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35317720

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains a major source of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. A deeper insight into the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying RHD could provide opportunities for drug repurposing, guide recommendations for secondary penicillin prophylaxis, and/or inform development of near-patient diagnostics. METHODS: We performed quantitative proteomics using Sequential Windowed Acquisition of All Theoretical Fragment Ion Mass Spectrometry (SWATH-MS) to screen protein expression in 215 African patients with severe RHD, and 230 controls. We applied a machine learning (ML) approach to feature selection among the 366 proteins quantifiable in at least 40% of samples, using the Boruta wrapper algorithm. The case-control differences and contribution to Area Under the Receiver Operating Curve (AUC) for each of the 56 proteins identified by the Boruta algorithm were calculated by Logistic Regression adjusted for age, sex and BMI. Biological pathways and functions enriched for proteins were identified using ClueGo pathway analyses. RESULTS: Adiponectin, complement component C7 and fibulin-1, a component of heart valve matrix, were significantly higher in cases when compared with controls. Ficolin-3, a protein with calcium-independent lectin activity that activates the complement pathway, was lower in cases than controls. The top six biomarkers from the Boruta analyses conferred an AUC of 0.90 indicating excellent discriminatory capacity between RHD cases and controls. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the presence of an ongoing inflammatory response in RHD, at a time when severe valve disease has developed, and distant from previous episodes of acute rheumatic fever. This biomarker signature could have potential utility in recognizing different degrees of ongoing inflammation in RHD patients, which may, in turn, be related to prognostic severity.

4.
Heart ; 108(23): 1843-1850, 2022 11 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35140110

ABSTRACT

Over the past three decades numerous disease-causing genes have been linked to the pathogenesis of heritable cardiomyopathies, but many causal genes are yet to be identified. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms have revolutionised clinical testing capacity in familial cardiomyopathy. In this review, we summarise how NGS technologies have advanced our understanding of genetic non-syndromic cardiomyopathy over the last decade. First, 26 putative new disease-causing genes have been identified to date, mostly from whole-exome sequencing, and some of which (FLNC, MTO1, HCN4) have had a considerable clinical impact and are now included in routine diagnostic gene panels. Second, we consider challenges in variant interpretation and the importance of large-scale NGS population control cohorts for this purpose. Third, an emerging role of common variation in some forms of genetic cardiomyopathy is being elucidated through recent studies which have illustrated an additive effect of numerous polymorphic loci on cardiac parameters; this may explain phenotypic variability and low rates of genetic diagnosis from sequencing studies. Finally, we discuss the clinical utility of genetic testing in cardiomyopathy in Western settings, where NGS panel testing of core disease genes is currently recommended with possible implications for patient management. Given the findings of recent studies, whole-exome or whole-genome sequencing should be considered in patients of non-European ancestry with clearly familial disease, or severe paediatric disease, when no result is obtained on panel sequencing. The clinical utility of polygenic risk assessment needs to be investigated further in patients with unexplained dilated cardiomyopathy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in whom a pathogenic variant is not identified.


Subject(s)
Cardiomyopathies , Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic , Humans , Child , Cardiomyopathies/diagnosis , Cardiomyopathies/genetics , Genetic Testing/methods , High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing/methods , Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic/genetics , Genomics
5.
Front Pediatr ; 9: 763060, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34746065

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The PartneRships in cOngeniTal hEart disease (PROTEA) project aims to establish a densely phenotyped and genotyped Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) cohort for southern Africa. This will facilitate research into the epidemiology and genetic determinants of CHD in the region. This paper introduces the PROTEA project, characterizes its initial cohort, from the Western Cape Province of South Africa, and compares the proportion or "cohort-prevalences" of CHD-subtypes with international findings. Methods: PROTEA is a prospective multicenter CHD registry and biorepository. The initial cohort was recruited from seven hospitals in the Western Cape Province of South Africa from 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2019. All patients with structural CHD were eligible for inclusion. Descriptive data for the preliminary cohort are presented. In addition, cohort-prevalences (i.e., the proportion of patients within the cohort with a specific CHD-subtype) of 26 CHD-subtypes in PROTEA's pediatric cohort were compared with the cohort-prevalences of CHD-subtypes in two global birth-prevalence studies. Results: The study enrolled 1,473 participants over 2 years, median age was 1.9 (IQR 0.4-7.1) years. Predominant subtypes included ventricular septal defect (VSD) (339, 20%), atrial septal defect (ASD) (174, 11%), patent ductus arteriosus (185, 11%), atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) (124, 7%), and tetralogy of Fallot (121, 7%). VSDs were 1.8 (95% CI, 1.6-2.0) times and ASDs 1.4 (95% CI, 1.2-1.6) times more common in global prevalence estimates than in PROTEA's pediatric cohort. AVSDs were 2.1 (95% CI, 1.7-2.5) times more common in PROTEA and pulmonary stenosis and double outlet right ventricle were also significantly more common compared to global estimates. Median maternal age at delivery was 28 (IQR 23-34) years. Eighty-two percent (347/425) of mothers used no pre-conception supplementation and 42% (105/250) used no first trimester supplements. Conclusions: The cohort-prevalence of certain mild CHD subtypes is lower than for international estimates and the cohort-prevalence of certain severe subtypes is higher. PROTEA is not a prevalence study, and these inconsistencies are unlikely the result of true differences in prevalence. However, these findings may indicate under-diagnosis of mild to moderate CHD and differences in CHD management and outcomes. This reemphasizes the need for robust CHD epidemiological research in the region.

6.
JAMA Cardiol ; 6(9): 1000-1011, 2021 09 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34106200

ABSTRACT

Importance: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD), a sequela of rheumatic fever characterized by permanent heart valve damage, is the leading cause of cardiac surgery in Africa. However, its pathophysiologic characteristics and genetics are poorly understood. Understanding genetic susceptibility may aid in prevention, control, and interventions to eliminate RHD. Objective: To identify common genetic loci associated with RHD susceptibility in Black African individuals. Design, Setting, and Participants: This multicenter case-control genome-wide association study (GWAS), the Genetics of Rheumatic Heart Disease, examined more than 7 million genotyped and imputed single-nucleotide variations. The 4809 GWAS participants and 116 independent trio families were enrolled from 8 African countries between December 31, 2012, and March 31, 2018. All GWAS participants and trio probands were screened by use of echocardiography. Data analyses took place from May 15, 2017, until March 14, 2021. Main Outcomes and Measures: Genetic associations with RHD. Results: This study included 4809 African participants (2548 RHD cases and 2261 controls; 3301 women [69%]; mean [SD] age, 36.5 [16.3] years). The GWAS identified a single RHD risk locus, 11q24.1 (rs1219406 [odds ratio, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.48-1.82; P = 4.36 × 10-8]), which reached genome-wide significance in Black African individuals. Our meta-analysis of Black (n = 3179) and admixed (n = 1055) African individuals revealed several suggestive loci. The study also replicated a previously reported association in Pacific Islander individuals (rs11846409) at the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus, in the meta-analysis of Black and admixed African individuals (odds ratio, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.06-1.27; P = 1.19 × 10-3). The HLA (rs9272622) associations reported in Aboriginal Australian individuals could not be replicated. In support of the known polygenic architecture for RHD, overtransmission of a polygenic risk score from unaffected parents to affected probands was observed (polygenic transmission disequilibrium testing mean [SE], 0.27 [0.16] SDs; P = .04996), and the chip-based heritability was estimated to be high at 0.49 (SE = 0.12; P = 3.28 × 10-5) in Black African individuals. Conclusions and Relevance: This study revealed a novel candidate susceptibility locus exclusive to Black African individuals and an important heritable component to RHD susceptibility in African individuals.


Subject(s)
Black People/genetics , Genetic Predisposition to Disease/ethnology , Genome-Wide Association Study/methods , Health Status , Rheumatic Heart Disease/ethnology , Adolescent , Adult , Africa/epidemiology , Child , Disease Progression , Echocardiography , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Genotype , Humans , Incidence , Male , Middle Aged , Multifactorial Inheritance , Retrospective Studies , Rheumatic Heart Disease/diagnosis , Rheumatic Heart Disease/genetics , Young Adult
7.
Int J Cardiol ; 333: 119-126, 2021 06 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33607192

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF), the dominant form of cardiovascular disease in Africans, is mainly due to hypertension, rheumatic heart disease and cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathies pose a great challenge because of poor prognosis and high prevalence in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Little is known about the etiology and outcome of cardiomyopathy in Africa. Specifically, the role of myocarditis and the genetic causes of cardiomyopathy are largely unidentified in Africans. METHOD: The African Cardiomyopathy and Myocarditis Registry Program (the IMHOTEP study) is a pan-African multi-centre, hospital-based cohort study, designed with the primary aim of describing the clinical characteristics, genetic causes, prevalence, management and outcome of cardiomyopathy and myocarditis in children and adults. The secondary aim is to identify barriers to the implementation of evidence-based care and provide a platform for trials and other intervention studies to reduce morbidity and mortality in cardiomyopathy. The registry consists of a prospective cohort of newly diagnosed (i.e., incident) cases and a retrospective (i.e., prevalent) cohort of existing cases from participating centres. Patients with cardiomyopathy and myocarditis will be subjected to a standardized 3-stage diagnostic process. To date, 750 patients have been recruited into the multi-centre pilot phase of the study. CONCLUSION: The IMHOTEP study will provide comprehensive and novel data on clinical features, genetic causes, prevalence and outcome of African children and adults with all forms of cardiomyopathy and myocarditis in Africa. Based on these findings, appropriate strategies for management and prevention of the cardiomyopathies in LMICs are likely to emerge.


Subject(s)
Cardiomyopathies , Myocarditis , Adult , Africa/epidemiology , Cardiomyopathies/diagnosis , Cardiomyopathies/epidemiology , Cardiomyopathies/genetics , Child , Cohort Studies , Humans , Myocarditis/diagnosis , Myocarditis/epidemiology , Myocarditis/therapy , Prospective Studies , Registries , Retrospective Studies
8.
Genes (Basel) ; 12(1)2021 01 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33467574

ABSTRACT

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a condition in which heart failure and systolic dysfunction occur late in pregnancy or within months following delivery. Over the last decade, genetic advances in heritable cardiomyopathy have provided new insights into the role of genetics in PPCM. In this review, we summarise current knowledge of the genetics of PPCM and potential avenues for further research, including the role of molecular chaperone mutations in PPCM. Evidence supporting a genetic basis for PPCM has emanated from observations of familial disease, overlap with familial dilated cardiomyopathy, and sequencing studies of PPCM cohorts. Approximately 20% of PPCM patients screened for cardiomyopathy genes have an identified pathogenic mutation, with TTN truncations most commonly implicated. As a stress-associated condition, PPCM may be modulated by molecular chaperones such as heat shock proteins (Hsps). Recent studies have led to the identification of Hsp mutations in a PPCM model, suggesting that variation in these stress-response genes may contribute to PPCM pathogenesis. Although some Hsp genes have been implicated in dilated cardiomyopathy, their roles in PPCM remain to be determined. Additional areas of future investigation may include the delineation of genotype-phenotype correlations and the screening of newly-identified cardiomyopathy genes for their roles in PPCM. Nevertheless, these findings suggest that the construction of a family history may be advised in the management of PPCM and that genetic testing should be considered. A better understanding of the genetics of PPCM holds the potential to improve treatment, prognosis, and family management.


Subject(s)
Cardiomyopathies , Connectin , Heat-Shock Proteins , Peripartum Period , Puerperal Disorders , Cardiomyopathies/genetics , Cardiomyopathies/metabolism , Cardiomyopathies/pathology , Connectin/genetics , Connectin/metabolism , Female , Heat-Shock Proteins/genetics , Heat-Shock Proteins/metabolism , Humans , Peripartum Period/genetics , Peripartum Period/metabolism , Pregnancy , Puerperal Disorders/genetics , Puerperal Disorders/metabolism , Puerperal Disorders/pathology
10.
Cardiovasc Diagn Ther ; 10(2): 262-278, 2020 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32420109

ABSTRACT

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is rising disproportionately in comparison to the rest of the world, affecting urban, semi-urban and rural dwellers alike. NCDs are predicted to surpass infections like human immunodeficiency virus, tuberculosis and malaria as the leading cause of mortality in SSA over the next decade. Heart failure (HF) is the dominant form of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and a leading cause of NCD in SSA. The main causes of HF in SSA are hypertension, cardiomyopathies, rheumatic heart disease, pericardial disease, and to a lesser extent, coronary heart disease. Of these, the cardiomyopathies deserve greater attention because of the relatively poor understanding of mechanisms of disease, poor outcomes and the disproportionate impact they have on young, economically active individuals. Morphofunctionally, cardiomyopathies are classified as dilated, hypertrophic, restrictive and arrhythmogenic; regardless of classification, at least half of these are inherited forms of CVD. In this review, we summarise all studies that have investigated the incidence of cardiomyopathy across Africa, with a focus on the inherited cardiomyopathies. We also review data on the molecular genetic underpinnings of cardiomyopathy in Africa, where there is a striking lack of studies reporting on the genetics of cardiomyopathy. We highlight the impact that genetic testing, through candidate gene screening, association studies and next generation sequencing technologies such as whole exome sequencing and targeted resequencing has had on the understanding of cardiomyopathy in Africa. Finally, we emphasise the need for future studies to fill large gaps in our knowledge in relation to the genetics of inherited cardiomyopathies in Africa.

11.
Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet ; 184(1): 159-177, 2020 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32083395

ABSTRACT

Genetic association studies in rheumatic heart disease (RHD) have the potential to contribute toward our understanding of the pathogenetic mechanism, and may shed light on controversies about RHD etiology. Furthermore, genetic association studies may uncover biomarkers that can be used to identify susceptible individuals, and contribute toward developing vaccine and novel therapeutic targets. Genetic predisposition to rheumatic fever and RHD has been hypothesized by findings from familial studies and observed associations between genes located in the human leukocyte antigens on chromosome 6p21.3 and elsewhere in the genome. We sought to summarize, from published Genetic association studies in RHD, evidence on genetic variants implicated in RHD susceptibility. Using HuGENet™ systematic review methods, we evaluated 66 studies reporting on 42 genes. Existing meta-analyses of candidate gene studies suggest that TGF-ß1 [rs1800469], and IL-1ß [rs2853550] single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) contribute to susceptibility to RHD, whereas the TNF-α [rs1800629 and rs361525], TGF-ß1 [rs1800470 and rs4803457], IL-6 [rs1800795], IL-10 [rs1800896] were not associated with RHD. However, candidate gene studies in RF/RHD are relatively small, thus lacking statistical power to identify reliable and reproducible findings, emphasizing the need for large-scale multicenter studies with different populations.


Subject(s)
Genetic Association Studies , Rheumatic Fever/genetics , Rheumatic Heart Disease/genetics , Female , Genetic Predisposition to Disease/genetics , Humans , Interleukin-10/genetics , Interleukin-6/genetics , Male , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics , Rheumatic Fever/pathology , Rheumatic Heart Disease/pathology , Transforming Growth Factor beta1/genetics
12.
Circ Cardiovasc Genet ; 10(2)2017 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28280076

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a genetically heterogeneous condition caused by mutations in genes encoding desmosomal proteins in up to 60% of cases. The 40% of genotype-negative cases point to the need of identifying novel genetic substrates by studying genotype-negative ARVC families. METHODS AND RESULTS: Whole exome sequencing was performed on 2 cousins with ARVC. Validation of 13 heterozygous variants that survived internal quality and frequency filters was performed by Sanger sequencing. These variants were also genotyped in all family members to establish genotype-phenotype cosegregation. High-resolution melting analysis followed by Sanger sequencing was used to screen for mutations in cadherin 2 (CDH2) gene in unrelated genotype-negative patients with ARVC. In a 3-generation family, we identified by whole exome sequencing a novel mutation in CDH2 (c.686A>C, p.Gln229Pro) that cosegregated with ARVC in affected family members. The CDH2 c.686A>C variant was not present in >200 000 chromosomes available through public databases, which changes a conserved amino acid of cadherin 2 protein and is supported as the causal mutation by parametric linkage analysis. We subsequently screened 73 genotype-negative ARVC probands tested previously for mutations in known ARVC genes and found an additional likely pathogenic variant in CDH2 (c.1219G>A, p.Asp407Asn). CDH2 encodes cadherin 2 (also known as N-cadherin), a protein that plays a vital role in cell adhesion, making it a biologically plausible candidate gene in ARVC pathogenesis. CONCLUSIONS: These data implicate CDH2 mutations as novel genetic causes of ARVC and contribute to a more complete identification of disease genes involved in cardiomyopathy.


Subject(s)
Antigens, CD/genetics , Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia/genetics , Cadherins/genetics , Exome , Mutation, Missense , Adolescent , Adult , Amino Acid Substitution , Female , Humans , Male
13.
Cardiovasc J Afr ; 27(3): 152-158, 2016.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27841901

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the clinical characteristics, spectrum of causal genetic mutations and outcome of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in Africans. The objective of this study was to delineate the clinical and genetic features and outcome of HCM in African patients. METHODS: Information on clinical presentation, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings, and outcome of cases with HCM was collected from the Cardiac Clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital over a mean duration of follow up of 9.1 ± 3.4 years. Genomic DNA was screened for mutations in 15 genes that cause HCM, i.e. cardiac myosin-binding protein C (MYBPC3), cardiac ß-myosin heavy chain (MYH7), cardiac troponin T2 (TNNT2), cardiac troponin I (TNNI3), regulatory light chain of myosin (MYL2), essential light chain of myosin (MYL3), tropomyosin 1 (TPM1), phospholamban (PLN), α-actin (ACTC1), cysteine and glycine-rich protein 3 (CSRP3), AMP-activated protein kinase (PRKAG2), α-galactosidase (GLA), four-and-a-half LIM domains 1 (FHL1), lamin A/C (LMNA) and lysosome-associated membrane protein 2 (LAMP2). Survival and its predictors were analysed using the Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression methods, respectively. RESULTS: Forty-three consecutive patients [mean age 38.5 ± 14.3 years; 25 (58.1%) male; and 13 (30.2%) black African] were prospectively enrolled in the study from January 1996 to December 2012. Clinical presentation was similar to that reported in other studies. The South African founder mutations that cause HCM were not found in the 42 probands. Ten of 35 index cases (28.6%) tested for mutations in 15 genes had disease-causing mutations in MYH7 (six cases or 60%) and MYBPC3 (four cases or 40%). No disease-causing mutation was found in the other 13 genes screened. The annual mortality rate was 2.9% per annum and overall survival was 74% at 10 years, which was similar to the general South African population. Cox's proportional hazards regression showed that survival was predicted by New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class at last visit (p equals; 0.026), but not by the presence of a disease-causing mutation (p = 0.474). CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive genetic screening was associated with a 29% yield of causal genetic mutations in South African HCM cases, all in MYH7 and MBPC3 genes. A quarter of the patients had died after a decade of follow up, with NYHA functional class serving as a predictor of survival.


Subject(s)
Cardiac Myosins/genetics , Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic, Familial/genetics , Carrier Proteins/genetics , Mutation , Myosin Heavy Chains/genetics , Adult , Aged , Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic, Familial/diagnosis , Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic, Familial/mortality , Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic, Familial/physiopathology , DNA Mutational Analysis , Echocardiography , Electrocardiography , Female , Genetic Markers , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Humans , Kaplan-Meier Estimate , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle Aged , Phenotype , Prognosis , Proportional Hazards Models , Prospective Studies , Risk Factors , South Africa/epidemiology , Time Factors
16.
Sci Rep ; 6: 22235, 2016 Feb 26.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26917049

ABSTRACT

Cardiomyopathy is an important cause of heart failure in Sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for up to 30% of adult heart failure hospitalisations. This high prevalence poses a challenge in societies without access to resources and interventions essential for disease management. Over 80 genes have been implicated as a cause of cardiomyopathy. Mutations in the phospholamban (PLN) gene are associated with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and severe heart failure. In Africa, the prevalence of PLN mutations in cardiomyopathy patients is unknown. Our aim was to screen 315 patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (n = 111), DCM (n = 95), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (n = 40) and peripartum cardiomyopathy (n = 69) for disease-causing PLN mutations by high resolution melt analysis and DNA sequencing. We detected the previously reported PLN c.25C > T (p.R9C) mutation in a South African family with severe autosomal dominant DCM. Haplotype analysis revealed that this mutation occurred against a different haplotype background to that of the original North American family and was therefore unlikely to have been inherited from a common ancestor. No other mutations in PLN were detected (mutation prevalence = 0.2%). We conclude that PLN is a rare cause of cardiomyopathy in African patients. The PLN p.R9C mutation is not well-tolerated, emphasising the importance of this gene in cardiac function.


Subject(s)
Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia/genetics , Calcium-Binding Proteins/genetics , Cardiomyopathy, Dilated/genetics , Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic/genetics , Mutation , Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular/genetics , Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia/diagnosis , Base Sequence , Cardiomyopathy, Dilated/diagnosis , Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic/diagnosis , DNA Mutational Analysis/methods , Family Health , Female , Genetic Predisposition to Disease/genetics , Genetic Testing/methods , Haplotypes , Humans , Male , Pedigree , Peripartum Period , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular/diagnosis , Sequence Homology, Amino Acid , South Africa
17.
Cardiovasc J Afr ; 27(3): 184-187, 2016.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26815006

ABSTRACT

Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remain major causes of heart failure, stroke and death among African women and children, despite being preventable and imminently treatable. From 21 to 22 February 2015, the Social Cluster of the Africa Union Commission (AUC) hosted a consultation with RHD experts convened by the Pan-African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to develop a 'roadmap' of key actions that need to be taken by governments to eliminate ARF and eradicate RHD in Africa. Seven priority areas for action were adopted: (1) create prospective disease registers at sentinel sites in affected countries to measure disease burden and track progress towards the reduction of mortality by 25% by the year 2025, (2) ensure an adequate supply of high-quality benzathine penicillin for the primary and secondary prevention of ARF/RHD, (3) improve access to reproductive health services for women with RHD and other non-communicable diseases (NCD), (4) decentralise technical expertise and technology for diagnosing and managing ARF and RHD (including ultrasound of the heart), (5) establish national and regional centres of excellence for essential cardiac surgery for the treatment of affected patients and training of cardiovascular practitioners of the future, (6) initiate national multi-sectoral RHD programmes within NCD control programmes of affected countries, and (7) foster international partnerships with multinational organisations for resource mobilisation, monitoring and evaluation of the programme to end RHD in Africa. This Addis Ababa communiqué has since been endorsed by African Union heads of state, and plans are underway to implement the roadmap in order to end ARF and RHD in Africa in our lifetime.


Subject(s)
Delivery of Health Care, Integrated/organization & administration , Health Priorities/organization & administration , Health Services Needs and Demand/organization & administration , Needs Assessment/organization & administration , Primary Prevention/organization & administration , Rheumatic Fever/prevention & control , Rheumatic Heart Disease/prevention & control , Secondary Prevention/organization & administration , Africa/epidemiology , Anti-Bacterial Agents/supply & distribution , Cardiac Surgical Procedures , Cooperative Behavior , Health Services Accessibility/organization & administration , Humans , International Cooperation , Penicillin G Benzathine/supply & distribution , Registries , Rheumatic Fever/diagnosis , Rheumatic Fever/epidemiology , Rheumatic Heart Disease/diagnosis , Rheumatic Heart Disease/epidemiology
20.
Am J Hum Genet ; 93(6): 1100-7, 2013 Dec 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24268661

ABSTRACT

Congenital poikiloderma is characterized by a combination of mottled pigmentation, telangiectasia, and epidermal atrophy in the first few months of life. We have previously described a South African European-descent family affected by a rare autosomal-dominant form of hereditary fibrosing poikiloderma accompanied by tendon contracture, myopathy, and pulmonary fibrosis. Here, we report the identification of causative mutations in FAM111B by whole-exome sequencing. In total, three FAM111B missense mutations were identified in five kindreds of different ethnic backgrounds. The mutation segregated with the disease in one large pedigree, and mutations were de novo in two other pedigrees. All three mutations were absent from public databases and were not observed on Sanger sequencing of 388 ethnically matched control subjects. The three single-nucleotide mutations code for amino acid changes that are clustered within a putative trypsin-like cysteine/serine peptidase domain of FAM111B. These findings provide evidence of the involvement of FAM111B in congenital poikiloderma and multisystem fibrosis.


Subject(s)
Cell Cycle Proteins/genetics , Contracture/physiopathology , Muscular Diseases/complications , Mutation , Pulmonary Fibrosis/complications , Rothmund-Thomson Syndrome/complications , Rothmund-Thomson Syndrome/genetics , Tendons/physiopathology , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Pedigree , Phenotype , Rothmund-Thomson Syndrome/diagnosis , Young Adult
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