Hereditary Disorders (hereditary + disorders)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


The human orthologue of murine Mpzl3 with predicted adhesive and immune functions is a potential candidate gene for immune-related hereditary hair loss

EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
Peter Racz
Abstract:, We have recently reported a mutation within the conserved immunoglobulin V-type domain of the predicted adhesion protein Mpzl3 (MIM 611707) in rough coat (rc) mice with severe skin abnormalities and progressive cyclic hair loss. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the human orthologue MPZL3 on chromosome 11q23.3 is a candidate for similar symptoms in humans. The predicted conserved MPZL3 protein has two transmembrane motifs flanking an extracellular Ig-like domain. The R100Q rc mutation is within the Ig-domain recognition loop that has roles in T-cell receptors and cell adhesion. Results of the rc mouse study, 3D structure predictions, homology with Myelin Protein Zero and EVA1, comprehensive database analyses of polymorphisms and mutations within the human MPZL3 gene and its cell, tissue expression and immunostaining pattern indicate that homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations of MPZL3 might be involved in immune-mediated human hereditary disorders with hair loss. [source]


Characterization of mutations in ATP8B1 associated with hereditary cholestasis

HEPATOLOGY, Issue 1 2004
Leo W. J. Klomp
Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC) and benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis (BRIC) are clinically distinct hereditary disorders. PFIC patients suffer from chronic cholestasis and develop liver fibrosis. BRIC patients experience intermittent attacks of cholestasis that resolve spontaneously. Mutations in ATP8B1 (previously FIC1) may result in PFIC or BRIC. We report the genomic organization of ATP8B1 and mutation analyses of 180 families with PFIC or BRIC that identified 54 distinct disease mutations, including 10 mutations predicted to disrupt splicing, 6 nonsense mutations, 11 small insertion or deletion mutations predicted to induce frameshifts, 1 large genomic deletion, 2 small inframe deletions, and 24 missense mutations. Most mutations are rare, occurring in 1,3 families, or are limited to specific populations. Many patients are compound heterozygous for 2 mutations. Mutation type or location correlates overall with clinical severity: missense mutations are more common in BRIC (58% vs. 38% in PFIC), while nonsense, frameshifting, and large deletion mutations are more common in PFIC (41% vs. 16% in BRIC). Some mutations, however, lead to a wide range of phenotypes, from PFIC to BRIC or even no clinical disease. ATP8B1 mutations were detected in 30% and 41%, respectively, of the PFIC and BRIC patients screened. Supplementary material for this article can be found on the HEPATOLOGY website (http://interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0270-9139/suppmat/index.html) and at www.atp8b1-primers.nl (HEPATOLOGY 2004;40:27,38.) [source]


Hereditary Degenerative Retinopathies: Optimism for Somatic Gene Therapy

IUBMB LIFE, Issue 6 2000
Barkur S. Shastry
Abstract Retinitis pigmentosa comprises a large and exceptionally heterogeneous group of hereditary disorders of the retina. As a result of an extensive investigation around the world, primary genetic lesions have been described in many genes. Some of these genes encode enzymes that are involved in the signal transduction pathway. On the basis of in vitro functional assays and standard transgenic and knock-out experiments, it has been proposed that normal cell functions are disrupted because of an abnormal protein-folding and metabolic errors or structural defects in the membrane. This ultimately leads to a gene-mediated cell death known as apoptosis. Various gene transfer approaches using mouse models further suggest that the degeneration can be rescued to some extent. Although many questions remain to be answered, investigations during the last 10 years have enormously increased our understanding of this exceptionally heterogeneous disorder and give hope for an effective gene therapy and a possible cure. [source]


Microsatellite instability and its relevance to cutaneous tumorigenesis

JOURNAL OF CUTANEOUS PATHOLOGY, Issue 5 2002
Mahmoud R. Hussein
Increasing evidence suggests that human tumors sequentially accumulate multiple mutations that cannot be explained by the low rates of spontaneous mutations in normal cells (2,3 mutations/cell). The mathematical models estimate that for the solid tumors to develop, as many as 6,12 mutations are required in each tumor cell. Therefore, to account for such high mutation rates, it is proposed that tumor cells are genetically unstable, i.e. they have genome-wide mutations at short repetitive DNA sequences called microsatellites. Microsatellite repeats are scattered throughout the human genome, primarily in the non-coding regions, and can give rise to variants with increased or reduced lengths, i.e. microsatellite instability (MSI). This instability has been reported in an increasing number of cutaneous tumors including: melanocytic tumors, basal cell carcinomas and primary cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. Moreover, MSI has been observed in skin tumors arising in the context of some hereditary disorders such as Muir,Torre syndrome, Von Recklinghausen's disease and disseminated superficial porokeratosis. While MSI in some of these disorders reflects underlying DNA replication errors, the mechanism of instability in others is still unknown. Thus far, MSI is considered to be a distinct tumorigenic pathway that reveals surprising versatility. The ramifications for cutaneous neoplasms warrant further investigation. [source]


Clinical study of hereditary disorders of connective tissues in a Chilean population

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 2 2006
Joint hypermobility syndrome, vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Objective To demonstrate the high frequency and lack of diagnosis of joint hypermobility syndrome (JHS) and the seriousness of vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (VEDS). Methods Two hundred forty-nine Chilean patients with hereditary disorders of the connective tissues (CTDs) and 64 control subjects were evaluated for the diagnoses of JHS and VEDS using the validated Brighton criteria, as compared with the traditional Beighton score. In addition, the presence of blue sclera was determined, with the degree of intensity graded as mild, moderate, or marked. Results The frequency of hereditary CTDs was 35%, with diagnoses of JHS in 92.4% of subjects, VEDS in 7.2%, and osteogenesis imperfecta in 0.4%. The Beighton score proved to be insufficient for the diagnosis of JHS (35% of subjects had a negative score), whereas the Brighton criteria yielded positive findings (a diagnosis of JHS) in 39% of control subjects. Blue sclera was frequent, being identified in 97% of JHS patients and 94% of VEDS patients. Moderate osteopenia/osteoporosis was observed in 50% of patients with VEDS and 26% of those with JHS. Dysautonomia, dyslipidemia, and scoliosis were more frequent in VEDS patients than in JHS patients. The typical JHS facial appearance and the "hand holding the head sign" were identified. Raynaud's phenomenon was extremely rare in JHS patients (2%). Ruptured uterus and cerebral aneurysm occurred in 12% and 6% of VEDS patients, respectively. Spontaneous pneumothorax was more frequent in VEDS patients (11%) than in JHS patients (0.9%). Conclusion JHS is very frequent but usually undiagnosed. The Beighton score is an insufficient method for JHS diagnosis. We recommend that physicians learn to recognize the typical facial features of JHS and be able to identify blue sclera. We also propose that validated hypermobility criteria be routinely used. Further research is needed to determine why the prevalence of JHS is so high in Chile. [source]


Erythrocyte membranes from a patient with congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia type I (CDA-I) show identical, although less pronounced, glycoconjugate abnormalities to those from patients with CDA-II (HEMPAS)

BRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2000
Ewa Zdebska
Congenital dyserythropoietic anaemias (CDAs) are rare hereditary disorders characterized by ineffective erythropoiesis and multinuclearity of erythroblasts. Three main types of the disease have been described. Glycoconjugate abnormalities in erythrocyte membrane glycoconjugates, consisting of hypoglycosylation of band 3 and accumulation of certain glycosphingolipids including lactotriaosylceramide, neolactotriaosylceramide and polyglycosylceramides, have been described only in patients with CDA type II (CDA-II). We report on identical, although less pronounced, abnormalities in erythrocyte glycoconjugates from a patient with CDA-I. A low degree of hypoglycosylation of band 3 in our patient with CDA-I suggests that hypoglycosylation is not a cause, but, most probably, a consequence of dyserythropoiesis. [source]


2161: Development of a next-generation sequencing platform for retinal dystrophies, with LCA and RP as proof of concept

ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 2010
F COPPIETERS
Purpose Retinal dystrophies represent an emerging group of hereditary disorders that lead to degeneration of the photoreceptors and/or the retinal pigment epithelium, resulting in irreversible blindness. They are genetically complex, with over 200 disease loci identified so far. Current genetic screening consists of microarray analysis (Asper Ophthalmics) for the most recurrent mutations, and subsequent Sanger sequencing. However, the high cost and low throughput of the latter technology limits testing to only the most recurrent genes. This project aims to develop a high throughput and cost-effective platform for screening of all known disease genes for Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP), using the next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. Methods A NGS panel will be developed for all 16 and 47 known LCA and RP genes, respectively, including coding and untranslated regions, regulatory regions and microRNA binding sites. The protocol will consist of the following steps: 1) high throughput primerdesign and qPCR, 2) ligation, 3) shearing and 4) sequencing on the Illumina Genome Analyser IIx (GAIIx). This innovative protocol overcomes the need for short amplicons in order to render short-read sequences by the GAIIx. This sequencing instrument was chosen because of its high capacity, low cost per base and the absence of interpretation problems at homopolymeric regions. Analysis of the variants will be performed using in-house developed and commercial software, which ranks all variants according to their pathogenic potential. Conclusion Using the proposed protocol, comprehensive screening for all known disease genes for LCA and RP will be available for the first time. [source]