A Novel RUNX2 Mutation in Cleidocranial Dysplasia Patients

Cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) is an autosomal-dominant heritable skeletal disease caused by heterozygous mutations in the RUNX2 gene. Here, the RUNX2 gene was analyzed within a CCD family from China, and a novel missense mutation (c. 475G --> C [p.G159R]) was identified. Normal and mutant RUNX2 expression vectors were then constructed and expressed transiently in NIH3T3 cells. Immunofluorescent staining and Western blotting showed that wild-type RUNX2 protein was localized exclusively in the nucleus; however, the mutant protein was found in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm, which demonstrated that transport of the RUNX2 mutant into the nucleus was disturbed by the G159R mutation. Therefore, we suggest that G159 is very important to promote RUNX2 nuclear localization. According to clinical analysis, the patient displays severe dysplasia of bones and relatively low-grade craniofacial abnormality, and we infer that G159 may be vital for normal skeletal development, other than control of tooth number. These findings confirm that mutations in the RUNX2 gene are associated with the pathogenesis of CCD across different ethnic backgrounds.     

A Novel Autosomal Recessive GJA1 Missense Mutation Linked to Craniometaphyseal Dysplasia

Craniometaphyseal dysplasia (CMD) is a rare sclerosing skeletal disorder with progressive hyperostosis of craniofacial bones. CMD can be inherited in an autosomal dominant (AD) trait or occur after de novo mutations in the pyrophosphate transporter ANKH. Although the autosomal recessive (AR) form of CMD had been mapped to 6q21-22 the mutation has been elusive. In this study, we performed whole-exome sequencing for one subject with AR CMD and identified a novel missense mutation (c.716G>A, p.Arg239Gln) in the C-terminus of the gap junction protein alpha-1 (GJA1) coding for connexin 43 (Cx43). We confirmed this mutation in 6 individuals from 3 additional families. The homozygous mutation cosegregated only with affected family members. Connexin 43 is a major component of gap junctions in osteoblasts, osteocytes, osteoclasts and chondrocytes. Gap junctions are responsible for the diffusion of low molecular weight molecules between cells. Mutations in Cx43 cause several dominant and recessive disorders involving developmental abnormalities of bone such as dominant and recessive oculodentodigital dysplasia (ODDD; MIM #164200, 257850) and isolated syndactyly type III (MIM #186100), the characteristic digital anomaly in ODDD. However, characteristic ocular and dental features of ODDD as well as syndactyly are absent in patients with the recessive Arg239Gln Cx43 mutation. Bone remodeling mechanisms disrupted by this novel Cx43 mutation remain to be elucidated.     

甲型H1N1流感病毒HA蛋白抗原表位及受体结合位点突变特性的对比研究

人群中流行的H1N1病毒按其来源可分为两类:人感染的猪H1N1病毒与人类季节性H1N1流感病毒。这两类病毒在流行频率、易感性和致病性等方面存在明显差异。文章收集了1918～2009年间17株人感染的猪甲型H1N1毒株以及21株季节性H1N1毒株,通过序列比对、氨基酸残基保守性分析及3D结构对比等生物信息学方法,揭示造成这两类病毒流行病学和感染性差异的机制。研究发现这两类病毒HA蛋白的进化路径并不相同,且两者具有不同的突变特征,人感染的猪H1N1病毒中,Ca1、Ca2、Sa和Sb四个位点均较为保守,仅Cb位点的突变较快;季节性H1N1病毒仅有Ca1位点较为保守,其他四个抗原性位点均具有较快的突变速率,且较多的突变为新类型的氨基酸。另外,对受体结合位点的研究也显示,这两类病毒的该区域存在5个氨基酸水平的差异(ALA138SER、GLN192LYS、GLN196HIS、ALA198GLU和ALA227GLU),这些位点的差异使得人感染的猪H1N1流感病毒比人类季节性H1N1病毒的易感性更强。这些研究结果可为阐明两类H1N1流感病毒感染性及致病性差异提供更多的信息,并有助于进一步认识H1N1流感病毒的进化机制。     

A Sonic Hedgehog Missense Mutation Associated with Holoprosencephaly Causes Defective Binding to GAS1

Holoprosencephaly (HPE) is a common birth defect predominantly affecting the forebrain and face and has been linked to mutations in the sonic hedgehog (SHH) gene. HPE is genetically heterogeneous, and clinical presentation represents a spectrum of phenotypes. We have previously shown that Gas1 encodes a cell-autonomous Hedgehog signaling enhancer. Combining cell surface binding, in vitro activity, and explant culture assays, we provide evidence that SHH contains a previously unknown unique binding surface for its interaction with GAS1 and that this surface is also important for maximal signaling activity. Within this surface, the Asn-115 residue of human SHH has been documented to associate with HPE when mutated to lysine (N115K). We provide evidence that HPE associated with this mutation can be mechanistically explained by a severely reduced binding of SHH to GAS1, and we predict a similar result if a mutation were to occur at Tyr-80. Our data should encourage future searches for mutations in GAS1 as possible modifiers contributing to the wide spectrum of HPE.Holoprosencephaly (HPE)² is a developmental defect of the brain and face estimated to affect 1 in 250 conceptuses (1). Clinical presentation represents a spectrum of phenotypes, ranging from the most severe (alobar), where embryos have cyclopia and the prosencephalon fails to divide into hemispheres, to relatively mild defects (microform HPE) such as maxillary central incisor fusion, midfacial hypoplasia and clefting, and the presence of a single nostril (2). The use of mice as a model has proven invaluable for investigating the molecular and genetic causes of HPE. We have previously reported that microform HPE develops in growth arrest-specific gene 1 (Gas1) mutant mice (3, 4). Additionally, we determined that the 37-kDa, cell surface-presented, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored GAS1 protein binds to the secreted cell-cell signaling protein Sonic hedgehog (SHH) and that it functions as a cell-autonomous enhancer of SHH signaling activity (3, 5, 6). Consistently, the Gas1 mutant phenotype is more severe when an allele of Shh is removed, supporting a genetic interaction between the two genes (3, 4). Given the strong evidence that mutations in Shh can cause HPE in mice and humans (7–11), we investigated the hypothesis that some of these mutations cause defective SHH signaling due to a failed interaction with GAS1.Here we identify specific residues on SHH that are required for maximal binding to GAS1 and show, in both cell culture and explant culture assays, that these mutant SHH proteins have decreased signaling activity due to their defective interaction with GAS1. Significantly, one of these mutations has been associated with autosomal dominant HPE in a human family (9). These results lead us to propose that human embryos carrying this mutation may develop HPE due to a failed GAS1-SHH protein interaction.     

Identification of a Novel Mutation in the COL2A1 Gene in a Chinese Family with Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenita

Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SEDC) is an autosomal dominant chondrodysplasia characterized by disproportionate short-trunk dwarfism, skeletal and vertebral deformities. Exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were performed in a Chinese Han family with typical SEDC, and a novel mutation, c.620G>A (p.Gly207Glu), in the collagen type II alpha-1 gene (COL2A1) was identified. The mutation may impair protein stability, and lead to dysfunction of type II collagen. Family-based study suggested that the mutation is a de novo mutation. Our study extends the mutation spectrum of SEDC and confirms genotype-phenotype relationship between mutations at glycine in the triple helix of the alpha-1(II) chains of the COL2A1 and clinical findings of SEDC, which may be helpful in the genetic counseling of patients with SEDC.     

端粒、端粒酶结合因子hPinxl基因启动子的克隆及活性分析

目的：克隆端粒、端粒酶结合因子hPinx1基因的启动子,分析并鉴定其活性调控元件。方法：采用PCR技术从人肝癌细胞系HepG2基因组中扩增出hPinx1启动子,构建到萤光素酶报告基因载体pGL3-basic中,确定所扩增的DNA序列,在HepG2细胞中检测其活性。结果：克隆了hPinx1基因转录起始位点上游4661bp且序列正确;活性分析表明hPinx1启动子含有多个调控元件,其中核心序列位于530bp内,在1329-2174bp间存在正调控序列,在2174-4661 bp间存在负调控序列。结论：构建的hPinx1启动子具有活性,为hPinx1的功能研究提供了重要基础。     

mtATPase6基因变异与弱精子症的相关分析

为了分析mtATPase6基因突变与弱精子症的相关性,按wHO标准收集了27例弱精子症精液标本和28例精子活力正常精液标本,PCR扩增mtATPase6基因,纯化测序,分析mtATPase6基因突变,比较两组突变频率的差异.结合生物信息学工具分析错义突变位点的氨基酸进化保守性及其蛋白质部分三级结构.结果显示:发现了6个未曾报道过的突变位点;弱精子症组mtATPase6基因平均突变率显著高于对照组,可能与弱精子症有一定的相关性.G8584A、A8701G和G9053A三个错义突变可能是多态性位点,其余8个错义突变中的6个具有进化保守性的位点累计突变频率显著高于对照组,这些位点突变可能与弱精子症有关.     

Mutations in PCYT1A Cause Spondylometaphyseal Dysplasia with Cone-Rod Dystrophy

Spondylometaphyseal dysplasia with cone-rod dystrophy is a rare autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by severe short stature, progressive lower-limb bowing, flattened vertebral bodies, metaphyseal involvement, and visual impairment caused by cone-rod dystrophy. Whole-exome sequencing of four individuals affected by this disorder from two Brazilian families identified two previously unreported homozygous mutations in PCYT1A. This gene encodes the alpha isoform of the phosphate cytidylyltransferase 1 choline enzyme, which is responsible for converting phosphocholine into cytidine diphosphate-choline, a key intermediate step in the phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis pathway. A different enzymatic defect in this pathway has been previously associated with a muscular dystrophy with mitochondrial structural abnormalities that does not have cartilage and/or bone or retinal involvement. Thus, the deregulation of the phosphatidylcholine pathway may play a role in multiple genetic diseases in humans, and further studies are necessary to uncover its precise pathogenic mechanisms and the entirety of its phenotypic spectrum.     

Insulin-Like Growth Factor I Receptor Binding in Brains of Alzheimer's and Alcoholic Patients

Patients with chronic alcoholism and/or Alzheimer's disease show degenerative changes in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. To investigate possible changes in insulin-like growth factor I receptor binding sites in brain tissue of patients with these pathological conditions, the number of 125I-insulin-like growth factor I binding sites was determined in tissues obtained from control patients and those with Alzheimer's and/or with a history of alcoholism. The four experimental groups examined consisted of patients from similar age groups. Postmortem histology and a clinical history were used for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and alcoholism, respectively. Careful clinical records were kept concerning other variables such as immediate cause of death and medications administered before death. Specific binding of 125I-insulin-like growth factor I to homogenates prepared from cerebral cortex of Alzheimer's, alcoholic, alcoholic Alzheimer's, and age-matched control patients was similar, although Alzheimer's patients tended to have slightly higher binding values. No significant differences in insulin-like growth factor I binding in cerebral cortex were found with regard to age of patients, the interval between death and autopsy, and CNS-active medications. No statistical differences in 125I-insulin-like growth factor I binding were noted in hippocampal tissue from the four patient groups. Thus, human insulin-like growth factor I binding sites in cerebral cortex and hippocampus appear unaffected by several variables.