Expression of apoptosis inhibitor protein Mcl1 linked to neuroprotection in CNS neurons.

Mcl1 is a Bcl2-related antiapoptotic protein originally isolated from human myeloid leukemia cells. Unlike Bcl2, expression has not been reported in CNS neurons. We isolated Mcl1 in a direct screen for candidate modifier genes of neuronal vulnerability by differential display of mRNAs upregulated following prolonged seizures in two mouse strains with contrasting levels of hippocampal cell death. Mcl1 is widely expressed in neurons, and transcription is rapidly induced in both strains. In resistant C57Bl/6J mice, Mcl1 protein levels remain persistently elevated in hippocampal pyramidal neurons after seizures, but fall rapidly in C3H/HeJ hippocampus, coinciding with extensive neuronal apoptosis. DNA damage and caspase-mediated cell death were strikingly increased in Mcl1-deficient mice when compared to +/+ littermates after similar seizures. We identify Mcl1 as a neuronal gene responsive to excitotoxic insult in the brain, and link relative levels of Mcl1 expression to inherited differences in neuronal thresholds for apoptosis.

Loss of the potassium channel beta-subunit gene, KCNAB2, is associated with epilepsy in patients with 1p36 deletion syndrome.

PURPOSE: Clinical features associated with chromosome 1p36 deletion include characteristic craniofacial abnormalities, mental retardation, and epilepsy. The presence and severity of specific phenotypic features are likely to be correlated with loss of a distinct complement of genes in each patient. We hypothesize that hemizygous deletion of one, or a few, critical gene(s) controlling neuronal excitability is associated with the epilepsy phenotype. Because ion channels are important determinants of seizure susceptibility and the voltage-gated K(+) channel beta-subunit gene, KCNAB2, has been localized to 1p36, we propose that deletion of this gene may be associated with the epilepsy phenotype. METHODS: Twenty-four patients were evaluated by fluorescence in situ hybridization with a probe containing KCNAB2. Clinical details were obtained by neurologic examination and EEG. RESULTS: Nine patients are deleted for the KCNAB2 locus, and eight (89%) of these have epilepsy or epileptiform activity on EEG. The majority of patients have a severe seizure phenotype, including infantile spasms. In contrast, of those not deleted for KCNAB2, only 27% have chronic seizures, and none had infantile spasms. CONCLUSIONS: Lack of the beta subunit would be predicted to reduce K(+) channel-mediated membrane repolarization and increase neuronal excitability, suggesting a possible relation between loss of this gene and the development of seizures. Because some patients with seizures were not deleted for KCNAB2, there may be additional genes within 1p36 that contribute to epilepsy in this syndrome. Hemizygosity of this gene in a majority of monosomy 1p36 syndrome patients with epilepsy suggests that haploinsufficiency for KCNAB2 is a significant risk factor for epilepsy.

Listen carefully: positional cloning of an audiogenic seizure mutation may yield Frings benefits.

Neurologists have long sought to understand what precipitates individual seizures in epileptic patients. Studies of reflex epilepsies seem well suited to this task. In this issue of Neuron, Skradski et al. describe a mutation in a novel gene underlying audiogenic seizures in the Frings mouse, providing a valuable resource for elucidating the pathophysiological mechanisms of this inherited form of reflex epilepsy.

A cluster of three novel Ca2+ channel gamma subunit genes on chromosome 19q13.4: evolution and expression profile of the gamma subunit gene family.

The CACNG1 gene on chromosome 17q24 encodes an integral membrane protein that was originally isolated as the regulatory gamma subunit of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels from skeletal muscle. The existence of an extended family of gamma subunits was subsequently demonstrated upon identification of CACNG2 (22q13), CACNG3 (16p12-p13), and CACNG4 and CACNG5 (17q24). In this study, we describe a cluster of three novel gamma subunit genes, CACNG6, CACNG7, and CACNG8, located in a tandem array on 19q13.4. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that this array is paralogous to the cluster containing CACNG1, CACNG5, and CACNG4, respectively, on chromosome 17q24. We developed sensitive RT-PCR assays and examined the expression profile of each member of the gamma subunit gene family, CACNG1-CACNG8. Analysis of 24 human tissues plus 3 dissected brain regions revealed that CACNG1 through CACNG8 are all coexpressed in fetal and adult brain and differentially transcribed among a wide variety of other tissues. The expression of distinct complements of gamma subunit isoforms in different cell types may be an important mechanism for regulating Ca2+ channel function.

Large expansion of the ATTCT pentanucleotide repeat in spinocerebellar ataxia type 10.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 10 (SCA10; MIM 603516; refs 1,2) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by cerebellar ataxia and seizures. The gene SCA10 maps to a 3.8-cM interval on human chromosome 22q13-qter (refs 1,2). Because several other SCA subtypes show trinucleotide repeat expansions, we examined microsatellites in this region. We found an expansion of a pentanucleotide (ATTCT) repeat in intron 9 of SCA10 in all patients in five Mexican SCA10 families. There was an inverse correlation between the expansion size, up to 22.5 kb larger than the normal allele, and the age of onset (r2=0.34, P=0.018). Analysis of 562 chromosomes from unaffected individuals of various ethnic origins (including 242 chromosomes from Mexican persons) showed a range of 10 to 22 ATTCT repeats with no evidence of expansions. Our data indicate that the new SCA10 intronic ATTCT pentanucleotide repeat in SCA10 patients is unstable and represents the largest microsatellite expansion found so far in the human genome.

Genetic localization of the Ca2+ channel gene CACNG2 near SCA10 on chromosome 22q13.

PURPOSE: Voltage-dependent calcium channel mutations have been associated with spinocerebellar ataxia in humans (SCA6) and with ataxia, progressive cerebellar degeneration, and epilepsy in mice (tottering, lethargic, and stargazer). A novel autosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxia syndrome with epilepsy (SCA10) was recently mapped to chromosome 22q13. The human ortholog of the mouse stargazer locus, the calcium channel gamma subunit gene CACNG2, also is located in this region. Because the phenotypes of stargazer mice and SCA10 patients were similar, consisting of both cerebellar ataxia and seizures, we hypothesized that CACNG2 was a likely candidate for the SCA10 locus. METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based assays were developed for two polymorphic microsatellite markers near CACNG2. The location of CACNG2 was determined by linkage and haplotype analysis of the genotypes of 22 individuals from a human pedigree segregating SCA10. RESULTS: SCA10 was previously localized distal to marker D22S1177 on chromosome 22q13. We determined that CACNG2 was linked to D22S283 and D22S1177 with the marker order: centromere-D22S283-bcmDLB1 (CACNG2)-D22S1177-D22S423-telomere. Thus CACNG2 is located proximal to the SCA10 recombinant interval. CONCLUSIONS: Here we report the first genetic linkage of CACNG2 on chromosome 22q13 and exclude it as a candidate for SCA10. In addition, our data clarify the relation between the physical and genetic linkage maps of this region and will facilitate isolation of the SCA10 gene.

Identification of three novel Ca(2+) channel gamma subunit genes reveals molecular diversification by tandem and chromosome duplication.

Gene duplication is believed to be an important evolutionary mechanism for generating functional diversity within genomes. The accumulated products of ancient duplication events can be readily observed among the genes encoding voltage-dependent Ca(2+) ion channels. Ten paralogous genes have been identified that encode isoforms of the alpha(1) subunit, four that encode beta subunits, and three that encode alpha(2)delta subunits. Until recently, only a single gene encoding a muscle-specific isoform of the Ca(2+) channel gamma subunit (CACNG1) was known. Expression of a distantly related gene in the brain was subsequently demonstrated upon isolation of the Cacng2 gene, which is mutated in the mouse neurological mutant stargazer (stg). In this study, we sought to identify additional genes that encoded gamma subunits. Because gene duplication often generates paralogs that remain in close syntenic proximity (tandem duplication) or are copied onto related daughter chromosomes (chromosome or whole-genome duplication), we hypothesized that the known positions of CACNG1 and CACNG2 could be used to predict the likely locations of additional gamma subunit genes. Low-stringency genomic sequence analysis of targeted regions led to the identification of three novel Ca(2+) channel gamma subunit genes, CACNG3, CACNG4, and CACNG5, on chromosomes 16 and 17. These results demonstrate the value of genome evolution models for the identification of distantly related members of gene families.

Single gene defects in mice: the role of voltage-dependent calcium channels in absence models.

Nineteen genes encoding alpha1, beta, gamma, or alpha2delta voltage-dependent calcium channel subunits have been identified to date. Recent studies have found that three of these genes are mutated in mice with generalised cortical spike-wave discharges (models of human absence epilepsy), emphasising the importance of calcium channels in regulating the expression of this inherited seizure phenotype. The tottering (tg) locus encodes the calcium channel alpha1 subunit gene Cacna1a, lethargic (lh) encodes the beta subunit gene Cacnb4, and stargazer (stg) encodes the gamma subunit gene Cacng2. These calcium channel mutants should provide important insights into the basic mechanisms of neuronal synchronisation, and the genes may be considered candidates for involvement in similar human disorders. The mutant models offer an important opportunity to elucidate the molecular, developmental, and physiological mechanisms underlying one subtype of absence epilepsy. Since calcium channels are involved in numerous cellular functions, including proliferation and differentiation, membrane excitability, neurite outgrowth and synaptogenesis, signal transduction, and gene expression, their role in generating the absence epilepsy phenotype may be complex. A comparative analysis of channel function and neural excitability patterns in tottering, lethargic, and stargazer brain should be useful in identifying the common elements of calcium channel involvement in these absence models.

Voltage-dependent calcium channel mutations in neurological disease.

Calcium ion channel mutations disrupt channel function and create recognizable disease phenotypes in the nervous system. The broad array of underlying cellular alterations is commensurate with the expanding genetic diversity of the voltage-gated calcium ion channel complex and its critical role in regulating cell function. Currently, 16 calcium channel genes are known, and mutations in 7 of these are associated with distinct inherited neurological disorders. These mutations provide new insight into the structure and function of the channels, and link specific subunits to cellular disease processes, including altered excitability, synaptic signaling, and cell death. Studies of mutant channel behavior, subunit interactions, and the differentiation of neural networks demonstrate unique patterns of downstream rearrangement. Developmental analysis of molecular plasticity in these mutants is a critical step to define the intervening mechanisms that translate aberrant ion channel behavior into the diverse clinical phenotypes observed.

beta subunit reshuffling modifies N- and P/Q-type Ca2+ channel subunit compositions in lethargic mouse brain.

Neuronal voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels are heteromultimers of alpha1, beta, and alpha2delta subunits, and any one of five alpha1 subunits (alpha1A-E) may associate with one of four beta subunits (beta1-4). The specific alpha1-beta combination assembled determines single-channel properties, while variation in the proportion of each combination contributes to the functional diversity of neurons. The mouse mutant lethargic (lh) exhibits severe neurological defects due to a mutation that deletes the alpha1 subunit interaction domain of the beta4 subunit. Since beta subunits regulate critical alpha1 subunit properties in heterologous expression systems, loss of beta4 in lethargic could dramatically alter channel localization and behavior unless beta1-3 subunits can be used as substitutes in vivo. Here we demonstrate increased steady-state associations of alpha1A and alpha1B with the remaining beta1-3 subunits, without significant changes in beta1-3 mRNA abundance. The immunolocalization of alpha1A and alpha1B protein in lethargic brain is indistinguishable from wild-type by light microscopy. Furthermore, the measurement of large-amplitude P-type currents in dissociated lethargic Purkinje neurons indicates that these alpha1A-containing channels retain regulation by beta subunits. We conclude that several properties of alpha1A and alpha1B proteins are not uniquely regulated by beta4 in vivo and may be rescued by beta1-3 subunit reshuffling. The complex neurological manifestation of the lethargic mutation therefore emerges from loss of beta4 coupled with the widespread pairing of surrogate beta subunits with multiple Ca2+ channel subtypes. The existence of beta subunit reshuffling demonstrates that molecular plasticity of Ca2+ channel assembly, a normal feature of early brain development, is retained in the mature brain.

Exon organization, coding sequence, physical mapping, and polymorphic intragenic markers for the human neuronal sodium channel gene SCN8A.

The voltage-gated sodium channel SCN8A is associated with inherited neurological disorders in the mouse that include ataxia, dystonia, severe muscle weakness, and paralysis. We report the complete coding sequence and exon organization of the human SCN8A gene. The predicted 1980 amino acid residues are distributed among 28 exons, including two pairs of alternatively spliced exons. The SCN8A protein is evolutionarily conserved, with 98.5% amino acid sequence identity between human and mouse. Consensus sites for phosphorylation of serine/threonine and tyrosine residues are present in cyoplasmic loop domains. The polymorphic (CA)n microsatellite marker D12S2211, with PIC = 0.68, was isolated from intron 10C of SCN8A. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in intron 19 and exon 22 were also identified. We localized SCN8A to chromosome band 12q13.1 by physical mapping on a YAC contig. The cDNA clone CSC-1 was reported by others to be a cardiac-specific sodium channel, but sequence comparison demonstrates that it is derived from exon 24 of human SCN8A. The genetic information described here will be useful in evaluating SCN8A as a candidate gene for human neurological disease.

Mutation of the Ca2+ channel beta subunit gene Cchb4 is associated with ataxia and seizures in the lethargic (lh) mouse.

Ca2+ channel beta subunits regulate voltage-dependent calcium currents through direct interaction with alpha 1 subunits. The beta- and alpha 1-binding motifs are conserved, and all beta subunits can stimulate current amplitude, voltage dependence, and kinetics when coexpressed with various alpha 1 subunits. We used a positional candidate approach to determine that the ataxia and seizures in the lethargic (lh) mouse arise from mutation of the beta-subunit gene Cchb4 on mouse chromosome 2. A four-nucleotide insertion into a splice donor site results in exon skipping, translational frameshift, and protein truncation with loss of the alpha 1-binding site. The lethargic phenotype is the first example of a mammalian neurological disease caused by an inherited defect in a non-pore-forming subunit of a voltage-gated ion channel.

Localization of the homolog of a mouse craniofacial mutant to human chromosome 18q11 and evaluation of linkage to human CLP and CPO.

The transgene-induced mutation 9257 and the spontaneous mutation twirler cause craniofacial and inner ear malformations and are located on mouse chromosome 18 near the ataxia locus ax. To map the human homolog of 9257, a probe from the transgene insertion site was used to screen a human genomic library. Analysis of a cross-hybridizing human clone identified a 3-kb conserved sequence block that does not appear to contain protein coding sequence. Analysis of somatic cell hybrid panels assigned the human locus to 18q11. The polymorphic microsatellite markers D18S1001 and D18S1002 were isolated from the human locus and mapped by linkage analysis using the CEPH pedigrees. The 9257 locus maps close to the centromeres of human chromosome 18q and mouse chromosome 18 at the proximal end of a conserved linkage group. To evaluate the role of this locus in human craniofacial disorders, linkage to D18S1002 was tested in 11 families with autosomal dominant nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate and 3 families with autosomal dominant cleft palate only. Obligatory recombinants were observed in 8 of the families, and negative lod scores from the other families indicated that these disorders are not linked to the chromosome 18 loci.

Location of the 9257 and ataxia mutations on mouse chromosome 18.

The location of three mutations on proximal Chromosome (Chr) 18 was determined by analysis of the offspring of several backcrosses. The results demonstrate that ataxia and the insertional mutation TgN9257Mm are separated by less than 1 cM and are located approximately 3 cM from the centromere, while the balding locus is 7 cM more distal. Previous data demonstrated that the twirler locus also maps within 1 cM of ataxia. The corrected locations will contribute to identification of appropriate candidate genes for these mutations. Two polymorphic microsatellite markers for proximal Chr 18 are described, D18Umi1 and D18Umi2. The Lama3 locus encoding the alpha 3 subunit of nicein was mapped distal to ataxia and did not recombine with Tg9257.

Mutation of a new sodium channel gene, Scn8a, in the mouse mutant 'motor endplate disease'.

The mouse neurological mutant 'motor endplate disease' (med) is characterized by early onset progressive paralysis of the hind limbs, severe muscle atrophy, degeneration of Purkinje cells and juvenile lethality. We have isolated a voltage-gated sodium channel gene, Scn8a, from the flanking region of a transgene-induced allele of med. Scn8a is expressed in brain and spinal cord but not in skeletal muscle or heart, and encodes a predicted protein of 1,732 amino acids. An intragenic deletion at the transgene insertion site results in loss of expression. Scn8a is closely related to other sodium channel alpha subunits, with greatest similarity to a brain transcript from the pufferfish Fugu rubripes. The human homologue, SCN8A, maps to chromosome 12q13 and is a candidate gene for inherited neurodegenerative disease.

Insertional mutation of the motor endplate disease (med) locus on mouse chromosome 15.

Homozygous transgenic mice from line A4 have an early-onset progressive neuromuscular disorder characterized by paralysis of the rear limbs, muscle atrophy, and lethality by 4 weeks of age. The transgene insertion site was mapped to distal chromosome 15 close to the locus motor endplate disease (med). The sequence of mouse DNA flanking the insertion site junctions was determined. A small (< 20 kb) deletion was detected at the insertion site, with no evidence of additional rearrangement of the chromosomal DNA. Noncomplementation of the transgene-induced mutation and med was demonstrated in a cross with medJ/+mice. The new allele is designated medTgNA4Bs (medtg). The homologous human locus MED was assigned to chromosome 12. Synaptotagmin 1 and contactin 1 were eliminated as candidate genes for the med mutation. The transgene-induced allele provides molecular access to the med gene, whose function is required for synaptic transmission at the neuromuscular junction and long-term survival of cerebellar Purkinje cells.

Insertional mutation on mouse chromosome 18 with vestibular and craniofacial abnormalities.

A dominant mutation was generated in transgenic mice as a consequence of insertional mutation. Heterozygous mice from transgenic line 9257 (Tg9257) are hyperactive with bidirectional circling behavior and have a distinctive facial appearance due to hypoplasia of the nasal bone. Morphological analysis of the inner ear revealed asymmetric abnormalities of the horizontal canal and flattening or invagination of the crista ampullaris, which can account for the circling behavior. The sensory epithelium appeared to be normal. The transgene insertion site was localized by in situ hybridization to the B1 band of mouse chromosome 18. Genetic mapping in an interspecific backcross demonstrated the gene order centromere--Tg9257--8.8 +/- 3.4--Grl-1, Egr-1, Fgf-1, Apc--14.7 +/- 4.3--Pdgfr. The phenotype and the mapping data suggest that the transgene may be inserted at the Twirler locus. Homozygosity for the transgene results in prenatal lethality, but compound heterozygotes carrying the Tw allele and the transgene are viable. The function of the closely linked ataxia locus is not disrupted by the transgene insertion. This insertional mutant will provide molecular access to genes located in the Twirler region of mouse chromosome 18.

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP): characterization of the human PCK1 gene and localization distal to MODY on chromosome 20.

The human PCK1 gene encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP) (PEPCK) was isolated and sequenced. There is 91% amino acid sequence identity (567/622 residues) between the human and the rat proteins, with conservation of intron/exon borders. A polymorphic dinucleotide microsatellite with the structure (CA)16(TA)5(CA) was identified in the 3' untranslated region of the cloned human PCK1 gene. This highly informative genetic marker has an estimated PIC value of 0.79 and heterozygosity of 0.81. Analysis of the RW pedigree demonstrated recombination between PCK1 and the MODY gene on chromosome 20. Multipoint linkage analysis of the reference pedigrees of the Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain localized PCK1 on the genetic map of chromosome 20 at a position distal to markers that are closely linked to MODY. PCK1 is part of a conserved linkage group on mouse Chromosome 2 with identical gene order but expanded length in the human genome.