Faculty Bibliography
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69
Transcriptome sequencing identifies a noncoding, deep intronic variant in CLCN7 causing autosomal recessive osteopetrosis
BACKGROUND:Over half of children with rare genetic diseases remain undiagnosed despite maximal clinical evaluation and DNA-based genetic testing. As part of an Undiagnosed Diseases Program applying transcriptome (RNA) sequencing to identify the causes of these unsolved cases, we studied a child with severe infantile osteopetrosis leading to cranial nerve palsies, bone deformities, and bone marrow failure, for whom whole-genome sequencing was nondiagnostic. METHODS:We performed transcriptome (RNA) sequencing of whole blood followed by analysis of aberrant transcript isoforms and osteoclast functional studies. RESULTS:We identified a pathogenic deep intronic variant in CLCN7 creating an unexpected, frameshifting pseudoexon causing complete loss of function. Functional studies, including osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption assays, confirmed normal osteoclast differentiation but loss of osteoclast function. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:This is the first report of a pathogenic deep intronic variant in CLCN7, and our approach provides a model for systematic identification of noncoding variants causing osteopetrosis-a disease for which molecular-genetic diagnosis can be pivotal for potentially curative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Our work illustrates that cryptic splice variants may elude DNA-only sequencing and supports broad first-line use of transcriptome sequencing for children with undiagnosed diseases.
PMID: 32691986
ISSN: 2324-9269
CID: 4532112
Clinical spectrum of individuals with pathogenic NF1 missense variants affecting p.Met1149, p.Arg1276 and p.Lys1423: genotype-phenotype study in neurofibromatosis type 1
We report 281 individuals carrying a pathogenic recurrent NF1 missense variants at p.Met1149, p.Arg1276 or p.Lys1423, representing three non-truncating NF1 hotspots in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) cohort, together identified in 1.8% of unrelated NF1 individuals. About 25% (95% CI, 20.5%-31.2%) of individuals heterozygous for a pathogenic NF1 p.Met1149, p.Arg1276 or p.Lys1423 missense variant had a Noonan-like phenotype, which is significantly more compared to the "classic" NF1-affected cohorts (all P<0.0001). Furthermore, p.Arg1276 and p.Lys1423 pathogenic missense variants were associated with a high prevalence of cardiovascular abnormalities, including pulmonic stenosis (all P<0.0001), while p.Arg1276 variants had a high prevalence of symptomatic spinal neurofibromas (P<0.0001) compared with "classic" NF1-affected cohorts. However, p.Met1149-positive individuals had a mild phenotype, characterized mainly by pigmentary manifestations without externally visible plexiform neurofibromas, symptomatic spinal neurofibromas or symptomatic optic pathway gliomas. As up to 0.4% of unrelated individuals in the UAB cohort carries a p.Met1149 missense variant, this finding will contribute to more accurate stratification of a significant number of NF1 individuals. Although clinically relevant genotype-phenotype correlations are rare in NF1, each affecting only a small percentage of individuals, together they impact counseling and management of a significant number of the NF1 population. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
PMID: 31595648
ISSN: 1098-1004
CID: 4129722
Recessive Mutations in AP1B1 Cause Ichthyosis, Deafness, and Photophobia
We describe unrelated individuals with ichthyosis, failure to thrive, thrombocytopenia, photophobia, and progressive hearing loss. Each have bi-allelic mutations in AP1B1, the gene encoding the β subunit of heterotetrameric adaptor protein 1 (AP-1) complexes, which mediate endomembrane polarization, sorting, and transport. In affected keratinocytes the AP-1 β subunit is lost, and the γ subunit is greatly reduced, demonstrating destabilization of the AP-1 complex. Affected cells and tissue contain an abundance of abnormal vesicles and show hyperproliferation, abnormal epidermal differentiation, and derangement of intercellular junction proteins. Transduction of affected cells with wild-type AP1B1 rescues the vesicular phenotype, conclusively establishing that loss of AP1B1 function causes this disorder.
PMID: 31630788
ISSN: 1537-6605
CID: 4167052
Study of carrier frequency of Warsaw breakage syndrome in the Ashkenazi Jewish population and presentation of two cases [Case Report]
Warsaw breakage syndrome (WABS), caused by bi-allelic variants in the DDX11 gene, is a rare cohesinopathy characterized by pre- and postnatal growth retardation, microcephaly, intellectual disability, facial dysmorphia, and sensorineural hearing loss due to cochlear hypoplasia. The DDX11 gene codes for an iron-sulfur DNA helicase in the Superfamily 2 helicases and plays an important role in genomic stability and maintenance. Fourteen individuals with WABS have been previously reported in the medical literature. Affected individuals have been of various ethnic backgrounds with different pathogenic variants. We report two unrelated individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent affected with WABS, who are homozygous for the c.1763-1G>C variant in the DDX11 gene. Their phenotype is consistent with previously reported individuals. RNA studies showed that this variant causes an alternative splice acceptor site leading to a frameshift in the open reading frame. Carrier screening of the c.1763-1G>C variant in the Jewish population revealed a high carrier frequency of 1 in 68 in the Ashkenazi Jewish population. Due to the high carrier frequency and the low number of affected individuals, we hypothesize a high rate of miscarriage of homozygous fetuses and/or subfertility for carrier couples. If the carrier frequency is reproducible in additional Ashkenazi Jewish populations, we suggest including DDX11 to Ashkenazi Jewish carrier screening panels.
PMID: 31287223
ISSN: 1552-4833
CID: 3976522
HIST1H1E heterozygous protein-truncating variants cause a recognizable syndrome with intellectual disability and distinctive facial gestalt: A study to clarify the HIST1H1E syndrome phenotype in 30 individuals
Histone Gene Cluster 1 Member E, HIST1H1E, encodes Histone H1.4, is one of a family of epigenetic regulator genes, acts as a linker histone protein, and is responsible for higher order chromatin structure. HIST1H1E syndrome (also known as Rahman syndrome, OMIM #617537) is a recently described intellectual disability (ID) syndrome. Since the initial description of five unrelated individuals with three different heterozygous protein-truncating variants (PTVs) in the HIST1H1E gene in 2017, we have recruited 30 patients, all with HIST1H1E PTVs that result in the same shift in frame and that cluster to a 94-base pair region in the HIST1H1E carboxy terminal domain. The identification of 30 patients with HIST1H1E variants has allowed the clarification of the HIST1H1E syndrome phenotype. Major findings include an ID and a recognizable facial appearance. ID was reported in all patients and is most frequently of moderate severity. The facial gestalt consists of a high frontal hairline and full lower cheeks in early childhood and, in later childhood and adulthood, affected individuals have a strikingly high frontal hairline, frontal bossing, and deep-set eyes. Other associated clinical features include hypothyroidism, abnormal dentition, behavioral issues, cryptorchidism, skeletal anomalies, and cardiac anomalies. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is frequently abnormal with a slender corpus callosum a frequent finding.
PMID: 31400068
ISSN: 1552-4833
CID: 4100872
In vivo epigenetic editing of Sema6a promoter reverses transcallosal dysconnectivity caused by C11orf46/Arl14ep risk gene
Many neuropsychiatric risk genes contribute to epigenetic regulation but little is known about specific chromatin-associated mechanisms governing the formation of neuronal connectivity. Here we show that transcallosal connectivity is critically dependent on C11orf46, a nuclear protein encoded in the chromosome 11p13 WAGR risk locus. C11orf46 haploinsufficiency was associated with hypoplasia of the corpus callosum. C11orf46 knockdown disrupted transcallosal projections and was rescued by wild type C11orf46 but not the C11orf46R236H mutant associated with intellectual disability. Multiple genes encoding key regulators of axonal development, including Sema6a, were hyperexpressed in C11orf46-knockdown neurons. RNA-guided epigenetic editing of Sema6a gene promoters via a dCas9-SunTag system with C11orf46 binding normalized SEMA6A expression and rescued transcallosal dysconnectivity via repressive chromatin remodeling by the SETDB1 repressor complex. Our study demonstrates that interhemispheric communication is sensitive to locus-specific remodeling of neuronal chromatin, revealing the therapeutic potential for shaping the brain's connectome via gene-targeted designer activators and repressor proteins.
PMID: 31511512
ISSN: 2041-1723
CID: 4076752
Variants in TCF20 in neurodevelopmental disability: description of 27 new patients and review of literature
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:To define the clinical characteristics of patients with variants in TCF20, we describe 27 patients, 26 of whom were identified via exome sequencing. We compare detailed clinical data with 17 previously reported patients. METHODS:Patients were ascertained through molecular testing laboratories performing exome sequencing (and other testing) with orthogonal confirmation; collaborating referring clinicians provided detailed clinical information. RESULTS:The cohort of 27 patients all had novel variants, and ranged in age from 2 to 68 years. All had developmental delay/intellectual disability. Autism spectrum disorders/autistic features were reported in 69%, attention disorders or hyperactivity in 67%, craniofacial features (no recognizable facial gestalt) in 67%, structural brain anomalies in 24%, and seizures in 12%. Additional features affecting various organ systems were described in 93%. In a majority of patients, we did not observe previously reported findings of postnatal overgrowth or craniosynostosis, in comparison with earlier reports. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:We provide valuable data regarding the prognosis and clinical manifestations of patients with variants in TCF20.
PMID: 30739909
ISSN: 1530-0366
CID: 3655992
Hyponatremic Seizures and Adrenal Hypoplasia Congenita in a Neonate with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia [Case Report]
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) in neonates may occur as an isolated finding, in association with other anomalies, or as part of a genetic syndrome. We report the first case of an infant with CDH who presented with hyponatremic seizures due to adrenal hypoplasia congenita (AHC). The patient underwent repair of CDH defect. After an uncomplicated postoperative course while on discharge planning, he developed a seizure episode associated with severe hyponatremia and hyperkalemia. Extensive diagnostic workup revealed an NR0B1 gene variant confirming the diagnosis of X-linked AHC. The patient was eventually discharged home on hydrocortisone, fludrocortisone, and salt supplements. There are a few case reports of adrenal insufficiency in neonates with CDH, manifesting with symptoms before and immediately after reparative surgery. Clinical presentation of our patient was unique in manifesting as neonatal seizure secondary to severe hyponatremia after a stable postoperative phase. The patient's electrolytes and hemodynamic status remained stable before, during, and after surgery for CDH. This case underlines the importance of taking detailed family history and continued vigilance for signs and symptoms of adrenal insufficiency in infants with repaired CDH by pediatricians and intensivists.
PMCID:6556792
PMID: 31263616
ISSN: 2090-6803
CID: 3968002
Intellectual disability due to monoallelic variant in GATAD2B and mosaicism in unaffected parent [Case Report]
The GATA zing finger domain-containing protein 2B (GATAD2B) gene encodes the p66beta protein, a subunit of the MeCP1-Mi2/ nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase complex, which is involved in transcription regulation and chromatin remodeling. Pathogenic variants in the GATAD2B gene have recently been associated with a recognizable neurodevelopmental syndrome, characterized by intellectual disability, limited speech, childhood hypotonia, and dysmorphic features. The majority of reported patients resulted from de novo loss of function (LOF) variants. We report a patient identified through whole exome sequencing analysis where a healthy mother was found to be low level mosaic for the pathogenic LOF variant found in her child, who is affected with GATAD2B-associated neurodevelopmental disorder (GAND). This variant was only found with the use of next generation sequencing technology in the mother and confirmed by digital droplet PCR. We summarize additional patients with GATAD2B LOF variants from a literature review and with our patient we contribute to delineate the phenotypic spectrum of GAND. We highlight the importance of detailed genetic testing, testing method, and counseling for cases of somatic mosaicism in an unaffected parent of children with GAND. This inheritance may be underreported and has a direct impact on reproductive planning and prenatal diagnosis.
PMID: 30346093
ISSN: 1552-4833
CID: 3386022
Genotype-phenotype correlations in individuals with pathogenic RERE variants
Heterozygous variants in the arginine-glutamic acid dipeptide repeats gene (RERE) have been shown to cause neurodevelopmental disorder with or without anomalies of the brain, eye, or heart (NEDBEH). Here we report nine individuals with NEDBEH who carry partial deletions or deleterious sequence variants in RERE. These variants were found to be de novo in all cases in which parental samples were available. An analysis of data from individuals with NEDBEH suggests that point mutations affecting the Atrophin-1 domain of RERE are associated with an increased risk of structural eye defects, congenital heart defects, renal anomalies and sensorineural hearing loss when compared to loss-of-function variants that are likely to lead to haploinsufficiency. A high percentage of RERE pathogenic variants affect a histidine-rich region in the Atrophin-1 domain. We have also identified a recurrent two-amino-acid duplication in this region that is associated with the development of a CHARGE syndrome-like phenotype. We conclude that mutations affecting RERE result in a spectrum of clinical phenotypes. Genotype-phenotype correlations exist and can be used to guide medical decision making. Consideration should also be given to screening for RERE variants in individuals who fulfill diagnostic criteria for CHARGE syndrome but do not carry pathogenic variants in CHD7.
PMCID:5903952
PMID: 29330883
ISSN: 1098-1004
CID: 2906272
