The social value of genomic sequencing for disadvantaged families facing rare disease.

This study explores parental expectations and value-making processes in respect to pediatric clinical genomic sequencing for socially disadvantaged families. Drawing on interviews and ethnographic observations with parents of children with undiagnosed physical and/or intellectual differences seeking to find whether these differences have a genetic etiology, we explore expectations and parental assessments of the value of genomic sequencing within the context of an ongoing research study. We demonstrate how the value of sequencing to parents goes well beyond finding diagnostic results or receiving prescriptive guidance as to the best care and treatment of their child; instead, value is co-created by parents, clinicians, and genetic counsellors throughout the enrollment and return of results process. Parents in our study found that clinicians and genetic counsellors repeatedly reenforce that parents need to lower their expectations and be prepared to wait for genetic science to provide more definitive answers. At the same time, parents experience that clinical teams validate parents for having made a good choice in their undertaking of genomic sequencing and, no matter the result, that they are not to blame for their child's symptoms. The experience of many parents (although not all) is that genomic science reduces or removes their sense of guilt for their child's condition, providing a platform that affirms them as "good parents." Moreover, rather than being voiceless and isolated, socially disadvantaged parents who enter into diagnostic sequencing find themselves in a familial-biosocial framework wherein they are co-partners in a socially and biologically authoritative vision of the future.

Efficacy and tolerability of bimatoprost versus travoprost in patients previously on latanoprost: a 3-month, randomised, masked-evaluator, multicentre study.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of replacing latanoprost with another prostaglandin analogue (PGA) in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension requiring additional intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering while on latanoprost. METHODS: Prospective, randomised, investigator-masked, multicentre clinical trial. Patients on latanoprost 0.005% monotherapy requiring additional IOP lowering discontinued latanoprost and were randomised to bimatoprost 0.03% (n = 131) or travoprost 0.004% (n = 135). IOP was measured at latanoprost-treated baseline and after 1 month and 3 months of replacement therapy. RESULTS: Baseline mean diurnal IOP on latanoprost was similar between groups. The mean diurnal IOP was significantly lower with bimatoprost than with travoprost at 1 month (p = 0.009) and 3 months (p = 0.024). Overall, 22.0% of bimatoprost patients versus 12.1% of travoprost patients achieved a > or =15% reduction in diurnal IOP from latanoprost-treated baseline at both months 1 and 3 (p = 0.033). At month 3, the additional mean diurnal IOP reduction from latanoprost-treated baseline was 2.1 (95% CI 1.7 to 2.5) mm Hg (11.0%) with bimatoprost and 1.4 (95% CI 0.9 to 1.8) mm Hg (7.4%) with travoprost (p = 0.024). At 3 months, 11.5% of bimatoprost and 16.5% of travoprost patients demonstrated a > or =1-grade increase in physician-graded conjunctival hyperaemia (p = 0.288). Hyperaemia was reported as a treatment-related adverse event in 3.1% of bimatoprost and 1.5% of travoprost patients (p = 0.445). CONCLUSION: Patients on latanoprost requiring lower IOP achieved a greater additional short-term diurnal IOP reduction when latanoprost was replaced by bimatoprost compared with travoprost. Low rates of hyperaemia were observed in patients treated with bimatoprost or travoprost after switching from latanoprost.

UNC5C is required for spinal accessory motor neuron development.

In both invertebrates and vertebrates, UNC5 receptors facilitate chemorepulsion away from a Netrin source. Unlike most motor neurons in the embryonic vertebrate spinal cord, spinal accessory motor neuron (SACMN) cell bodies and their axons translocate along a dorsally directed trajectory away from the floor plate/ventral midline and toward the lateral exit point (LEP). We have recently shown that Netrin-1 and DCC are required for the migration of SACMN cell bodies, in vivo. These observations raised the possibility that vertebrate UNC5 proteins mediate the presumed repulsion of SACMN away from the Netrin-rich ventral midline. Here, we show that SACMN are likely to express UNC5A and UNC5C. Whereas SACMN development proceeds normally in UNC5A null mice, many SACMN cell bodies fail to migrate away from the ventral midline and inappropriately cluster in the ventrolateral spinal cord of mouse embryos lacking UNC5C. These results support an important role for UNC5C in SACMN development.

Phosphatidylinositol transfer protein-alpha in netrin-1-induced PLC signalling and neurite outgrowth.

Neurite extension is essential for wiring the nervous system during development. Although several factors are known to regulate neurite outgrowth, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we provide evidence for a role of phosphatidylinositol transfer protein-alpha (PlTPalpha) in neurite extension in response to netrin-1, an extracellular guidance cue. PlTPalpha interacts with the netrin receptor DCC (deleted in colorectal cancer) and neogenin. Netrin-1 stimulates PlTPalpha binding to DCC and to phosphatidylinositol (5) phosphate [Pl(5)P], increases its lipid-transfer activity and elevates hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PlP2). In addition, the stimulated PIP2 hydrolysis requires PlTPalpha. Furthermore, cortical explants of PlTPalpha mutant mice are defective in extending neurites in response to netrin-1. Commissural neurons from chicken embryos expressing a dominant-negative PlTPalpha mutant show reduced axon outgrowth. Morpholino-mediated knockdown of PlTPalpha expression in zebrafish embryos leads to dose-dependent defects in motor-neuron axons and reduced numbers of spinal-cord neurons. Taken together, these results identify a crucial role for PlTPalpha in netrin-1-induced neurite outgrowth, revealing a signalling mechanism for DCC/neogenin and PlTPalpha regulation.

Ducky mouse phenotype of epilepsy and ataxia is associated with mutations in the Cacna2d2 gene and decreased calcium channel current in cerebellar Purkinje cells.

The mouse mutant ducky, a model for absence epilepsy, is characterized by spike-wave seizures and ataxia. The ducky gene was mapped previously to distal mouse chromosome 9. High-resolution genetic and physical mapping has resulted in the identification of the Cacna2d2 gene encoding the alpha2delta2 voltage-dependent calcium channel subunit. Mutations in Cacna2d2 were found to underlie the ducky phenotype in the original ducky (du) strain and in a newly identified strain (du(2J)). Both mutations are predicted to result in loss of the full-length alpha2delta2 protein. Functional analysis shows that the alpha2delta2 subunit increases the maximum conductance of the alpha1A/beta4 channel combination when coexpressed in vitro in Xenopus oocytes. The Ca(2+) channel current in acutely dissociated du/du cerebellar Purkinje cells was reduced, with no change in single-channel conductance. In contrast, no effect on Ca(2+) channel current was seen in cerebellar granule cells, results consistent with the high level of expression of the Cacna2d2 gene in Purkinje, but not granule, neurons. Our observations document the first mammalian alpha2delta mutation and complete the association of each of the major classes of voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channel subunits with a phenotype of ataxia and epilepsy in the mouse.

Abnormal dispersion of a purkinje cell subset in the mouse mutant cerebellar deficient folia (cdf).

Purkinje cells of different molecular phenotypes subdivide the cortex of the cerebellum both rostrocaudally into parasagittal bands and mediolaterally into transverse zones. Superimposed on the Purkinje cell compartmentation, the cerebellar cortex is pleated into a reproducible array of lobes and lobules. During cerebellar development, Purkinje cell bands are formed through the rostrocaudal dispersal of embryonic clusters, triggered primarily by a Reelin-dependent signaling pathway. In the naturally occurring mouse mutant cerebellar deficient folia (cdf), there is a failure of Purkinje cell dispersion that results in widespread Purkinje cell ectopia in the adult. The ectopia is restricted primarily to that subset of Purkinje cells that does not express zebrin II/aldolase C and that forms ectopic clusters in among the cerebellar nuclei. Most Purkinje cells that express zebrin II are located normally in a monolayer. Thus, the cerebellum of cdf mutants has a failure of Purkinje cell dispersion that is confined primarily to a zebrin II-negative (zebrin II(-)) subpopulation. Despite the Purkinje cell ectopia, the parasagittal band organization of the cerebellum is still clear. The shortening of the cortex is distributed evenly over all lobules, with the result that transverse expression boundaries are relocated with respect to the lobules and fissures. The number of Purkinje cells in the cdf/cdf cerebellum is similar to the number in littermate controls. Therefore, it appears that the lesion in cdf results in the failure of a zebrin II(-) Purkinje cell subset to disperse either due to a cell intrinsic defect or due to an abnormal interaction between the Purkinje cells and either granule cells or afferent inputs.

Mice deficient in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase exhibit hyperhomocysteinemia and decreased methylation capacity, with neuropathology and aortic lipid deposition.

Hyperhomocysteinemia, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, is caused by nutritional and/or genetic disruptions in homocysteine metabolism. The most common genetic cause of hyperhomocysteinemia is the 677C-->T mutation in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene. This variant, with mild enzymatic deficiency, is associated with an increased risk for neural tube defects and pregnancy complications and with a decreased risk for colon cancer and leukemia. Although many studies have reported that this variant is also a risk factor for vascular disease, this area of investigation is still controversial. Severe MTHFR deficiency results in homocystinuria, an inborn error of metabolism with neurological and vascular complications. To investigate the in vivo pathogenetic mechanisms of MTHFR deficiency, we generated mice with a knockout of MTHFR: Plasma total homocysteine levels in heterozygous and homozygous knockout mice are 1.6- and 10-fold higher than those in wild-type littermates, respectively. Both heterozygous and homozygous knockouts have either significantly decreased S-adenosylmethionine levels or significantly increased S-adenosylhomocysteine levels, or both, with global DNA hypomethylation. The heterozygous knockout mice appear normal, whereas the homozygotes are smaller and show developmental retardation with cerebellar pathology. Abnormal lipid deposition in the proximal portion of the aorta was observed in older heterozygotes and homozygotes, alluding to an atherogenic effect of hyperhomocysteinemia in these mice.

Mouse models for the Wolf-Hirschhorn deletion syndrome.

Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) is a deletion syndrome caused by segmental haploidy of chromosome 4p16.3. Its hallmark features include a 'Greek warrior helmet' facial appearance, mental retardation, various midline defects and seizures. The WHS critical region (WHSCR) lies between the Huntington's disease gene, HD, and FGFR3. In mice, the homologs of these genes map to chromosome 5 in a region of conserved synteny with human 4p16.3. To derive mouse models of WHS and map genes responsible for subphenotypes of the syndrome, five mouse lines bearing radiation-induced deletions spanning the WHSCR syntenic region were generated and characterized. Similar to WHS patients, these animals were growth-retarded, were susceptible to seizures and showed midline (palate closure, tail kinks), craniofacial and ocular anomalies (colobomas, corneal opacities). Other phenotypes included cerebellar hypoplasia and a shortened cerebral cortex. Expression of WHS-like traits was variable and influenced by strain background and deletion size. These mice represent the first animal models for WHS. This collection of nested chromosomal deletions will be useful for mapping and identifying loci responsible for the various subphenotypes of WHS, and provides a paradigm for the dissection of other deletion syndromes using the mouse.

Genetic and physical mapping of the cerebellar deficient folia (cdf) locus on mouse chromosome 6.

Cerebellar deficient folia (cdf) is a recessive mouse mutation causing ataxia and cerebellar cytoarchitectural abnormalities, including hypoplasia, foliation defects, and Purkinje cell ectopia. To identify the cdf gene, we have generated a high-resolution genetic map of a 3.24 +/- 0.55 cM (95% CI) region encompassing the cdf gene using 1997 F2 mice generated from a (C3H/HeSnJ-cdf/cdf x CAST/Ei)F1 intercross. Linkage analysis showed that the cdf gene cosegregates with D6Mit208, D6Mit359, and D6Mit225. A contig of five YACs, nine BACs, and three P1s was constructed across the cdf nonrecombinant region. Based on genetic and physical maps, the cdf gene was localized to the 0.28 +/- 0.23 cM (95% CI) interval between D6Mit209 and D6Ack1. These results will greatly facilitate the map-based cloning of the cdf gene, which in turn should further knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of neuronal positioning and foliation during cerebellar development.

Granule cells and cerebellar boundaries: analysis of Unc5h3 mutant chimeras.

Mutations in the Unc5h3 gene, a receptor for the netrin 1 ligand, result in abnormal migrations of both Purkinje and granule cells to regions outside the cerebellum and of granule cells to regions within the cerebellum. Because both Purkinje and granule cells express this molecule, we sought to determine whether one or both of these cell types are the primary target of the mutation. Chimeric mice were made between wild-type ROSA26 transgenic mouse embryos (whose cells express beta-galactosidase) and Unc5h3 mutant embryos. The resulting chimeric brains exhibited a range of phenotypes. Chimeras that had a limited expression of the extracerebellar phenotype (movement of cerebellar cells into the colliculus and midbrain tegmentum) and the intracerebellar phenotype (migration of granule cells into white matter) had a normal-appearing cerebellum, whereas chimeras that had more ectopic cells had attenuated anterior cerebellar lobules. Furthermore, the colonization of colliculus and midbrain tegmentum by cerebellar cells was not equivalent in all chimeras, suggesting different origins for extracerebellar ectopias in these regions. The granule cells of the extracerebellar ectopias were almost entirely derived from Unc5h3/Unc5h3 mutant embryos, whereas the ectopic Purkinje cells were a mixture of both mutant and wild-type cells. Intracerebellar ectopias in the chimera were composed exclusively of mutant granule cells. These findings demonstrate that both inside and outside the cerebellum, the granule cell is the key cell type to demarcate the boundaries of the cerebellum.

Differential expression of the zinc finger gene TCF17 in testicular tumors.

TCF17, the human homologue of the rat zinc finger gene Kid1, is highly expressed in neurons derived from the retinoic acid-treated human embryonal carcinoma (EC) cell line, NTERA-2. This differentiation-related up-regulation of TCF17 prompted us to investigate its expression during human spermatogenesis and in human testicular germ cell tumors considered to be precursors of EC. Expression of TCF17 increases as spermatogonia differentiate into spermatocytes, indicating that this gene is developmentally regulated during spermatogenesis. TCF17 mRNA levels are high in carcinoma in situ and in seminoma, a tumor derived from carcinoma in situ but still of low-grade malignancy. However, TCF17 expression is decreased in highly malignant EC. The differential regulation of TCF17 during neoplastic germ cell differentiation may be of predictive value in germ cell tumor diagnosis.

Cloning and mapping of the UNC5C gene to human chromosome 4q21-q23.

The vertebrate Unc5 genes, like their Caenorhabditis elegans counterpart, define a family of putative netrin receptors. One member of this family, Unc5h3, has been shown to have an important role during cell migration in the developing murine cerebellum. Mice homozygous for mutations in Unc5h3 are ataxic and have cerebellar hypoplasia and laminar structure defects. In addition, these mice have ectopic granule and Purkinje cells in the midbrain and brainstem. We have identified the human homologue of this gene, UNC5C, and shown it to have a restricted expression pattern in adult human tissues. By radiation hybrid analysis, we have determined that UNC5C localizes to chromosome 4q21-q23 between markers D4S1557 and D4S836 and is closely linked to the Parkinson disease gene.

Differential expression of the zinc finger gene Zfp105 during spermatogenesis.

We report the isolation of Zfp105, the mouse homolog of the human ZNF35 zinc finger gene. Zfp105 and ZNF35 are highly conserved at the protein and nucleotide level, and Zfp105 maps to a region of mouse Chromosome (Chr) 9 that is homologous to the human region containing ZNF35. Zpf105 is highly expressed in the testis, especially in pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids. The possible role of this gene product in maintaining an ordered germ cell differentiation process is discussed.

Embryonic phenotype of Unc5h3 mutant mice suggests chemorepulsion during the formation of the rostral cerebellar boundary.

Mutation of the Unc5h3 (formally known as rcm) gene has important consequences on neuronal migration during cerebellar development. Unc5h3 transcripts are expressed early (embryonic day 8.5) in the hindbrain region and later in the cerebellar primordia. In Unc5h3 mutant embryos, both the development and initial migration of Purkinje cell progenitors occur as in wild-type controls. The rhombic lip, from which granule cell precursors arise, also appears to form normally in mutants. However, at E13.5, an abnormal subpopulation of granule cell and Purkinje cell precursors becomes detectable in rostral areas of the Unc5h3 mutant brain stem. These ectopic cerebellar cells increase in number and continue moving in a rostral direction throughout the remainder of embryogenesis and early stages of postnatal development invading the lateral regions of the pontine area and eventually the inferior colliculus. Cell proliferation markers demonstrate the mitotic nature of these subpial ectopic granule neurons indicating the displacement of the rostral external germinal layer in mutant animals. Our data suggest that establishment of the rostral cerebellar boundary may rely on chemorepulsive signaling events that require UNC5H3 expressed by cerebellar neurons and extracellular ligands that are functionally related to the UNC5H3-binding, guidance molecule netrin1. Although the phenotype resulting from the Unc5h3 mutation is apparently limited to the formation of the cerebellum, additional sites of Unc5h3 expression are also found during development suggesting the compensatory function of other genes.

New member of the Snf1/AMPK kinase family, Melk, is expressed in the mouse egg and preimplantation embryo.

The initial phase of mammalian preimplantation development is directed by stored maternal mRNAs and their encoded proteins, yet most of the molecules controlling this process have not been described. We have used differential display analysis of cDNA libraries prepared from unfertilized eggs and preimplantation embryos to isolate three maternal cDNAs that represent novel genes exhibiting different patterns of expression during this developmental period. One of these, Melk, encodes a protein with a kinase catalytic domain and a leucine zipper motif, a new member of the Snf1/AMPK family of kinases. This gene product may play a role in the signal transduction events in the egg and early embryo.

Vertebrate homologues of C. elegans UNC-5 are candidate netrin receptors.

In the developing nervous system, migrating cells and axons are guided to their targets by cues in the extracellular environment. The netrins are a family of phylogenetically conserved guidance cues that can function as diffusible attractants and repellents for different classes of cells and axons. In vertebrates, insects and nematodes, members of the DCC subfamily of the immunoglobulin superfamily have been implicated as receptors that are involved in migration towards netrin sources. The mechanisms that direct migration away from netrin sources (presumed repulsions) are less well understood. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the transmembrane protein UNC-5 (ref. 14) has been implicated in these responses, as loss of unc-5 function causes migration defects and ectopic expression of unc-5 in some neurons can redirect their axons away from a netrin source. Whether UNC-5 is a netrin receptor or simply an accessory to such a receptor has not, however, been defined. We now report the identification of two vertebrate homologues of UNC-5 which, with UNC-5 and the product of the mouse rostral cerebellar malformation gene (rcm), define a new subfamily of the immunoglobulin superfamily, and whose messenger RNAs show prominent expression in various classes of differentiating neurons. We provide evidence that these two UNC-5 homologues, as well as the rcm gene product, are netrin-binding proteins, supporting the hypothesis that UNC-5 and its relatives are netrin receptors.

The mouse rostral cerebellar malformation gene encodes an UNC-5-like protein.

Migration of neurons from proliferative zones to their functional sites is fundamental to the normal development of the central nervous system. Mice homozygous for the spontaneous rostral cerebellar malformation mutation (rcm(s)) or a newly identified transgenic insertion allele (rcm(tg)) exhibit cerebellar and midbrain defects, apparently as a result of abnormal neuronal migration. Laminar structure abnormalities in lateral regions of the rostral cerebellar cortex have been described in homozygous rcm(s) mice. We now demonstrate that the cerebellum of both rcm(s) and rcm(tg) homozygotes is smaller and has fewer folia than in the wild-type, ectopic cerebellar cells are present in midbrain regions by three days after birth, and there are abnormalities in postnatal cerebellar neuronal migration. We have cloned the rcm complementary DNA, which encodes a transmembrane receptor of the immunoglobulin superfamily. The sequence of the rcm protein (Rcm) is highly similar to that of UNC-5, a Caenorhabditis elegans protein that is essential for dorsal guidance of pioneer axons and for the movement of cells away from the netrin ligand, which is encoded by the unc-6 gene. As Rcm is a member of a newly described family of vertebrate homologues of UNC-5 which are netrin-binding proteins, our results indicate that UNC-5-like proteins may have a conserved function in mediating netrin-guided migration.

Genetic mapping and embryonic expression of a novel, maternally transcribed gene Mem3.

To study the molecular function of genes expressed during preimplantation development, we isolated a novel maternal transcript SSEC (Stage Specific Embryonic cDNA)-26 from a partial subtraction library of mouse unfertilized eggs and preimplantation embryos. The SSEC-26 transcript is abundant in the unfertilized egg and also actively transcribed from the newly formed zygotic genome. On the basis of its expression in eggs and embryos, this new mouse gene is named Mem (maternal-embryonic) 3. The genomic locus of Mem3 has been mapped to Chromosome (Chr) 8 near the D8Mit78 marker and the glutaryl CoA dehydrogenase (Gcdh) locus. The deduced amino acid sequence of MEM3 resembles that of the yeast VPS (Vacuolar Protein Sorting) 35 in two separate domains. A cDNA sequence of the potential human homolog of Mem3 has been assembled with partial clones from the EST database and assigned to human Chr 16.

Gene regulation during neuronal and non-neuronal differentiation of NTERA2 human teratocarcinoma-derived stem cells.

We constructed cDNA libraries from a clonal human teratocarcinoma-derived cell line and two retinoic acid-induced derivatives: a homogeneous population of neurons and a FACS-isolated, non-neuronal population. These libraries are large and representative of the cells from which they were derived, as determined by colony hybridization. PCR analysis indicates that the transcripts encoding P- and E-cadherin are down-regulated whereas the the prion protein (PrP) transcript is up-regulated in neurons. These cells offer a promising system for investigations of human prion infection and the cDNA libraries provide a source of neuron-specific genes.