A familial extra small marker autosome in persons with normal phenotype

The propositus was referred because of sterility and oligospermia. His karyotype was 45, XY, t(13q14q). His father was dead; his mother and the only brother, who was fertile, both had 47 chromosomes, but a normal phenotype and normal intelligence. The additional chromosome was three quarters the size of a G chromosome and had satellites on the short and long arms.     

Tetrasomy 9p mosaicism associated with a normal phenotype in two cases

Tetrasomy 9p is a rare chromosomal syndrome and about 30% of known cases exhibit mosaicism. Approximately 50 of the reported cases with tetrasomy 9p mosaicism show a characteristic facial appearance, growth failure, and developmental delay. However, 3 patients with mosaicism for isochromosome 9p and a normal phenotype have also been reported. We report 2 additional cases of clinically normal young females with tetrasomy 9p mosaicism, one of whom also exhibited X chromosome aneuploidy mosaicism leading to an overall of 6 different cell lines. STR analysis performed on this complex mosaic case indicated that the extra isochromosome was of maternal origin while the X chromosome aneuploidy was of paternal origin, indicating a postzygotic event.     

Chromosomal position shift of a regulatory gene alters the bacterial phenotype

Recent studies strongly suggest that in bacterial cells the order of genes along the chromosomal origin-to-terminus axis is determinative for regulation of the growth phase-dependent gene expression. The prediction from this observation is that positional displacement of pleiotropic genes will affect the genetic regulation and hence, the cellular phenotype. To test this prediction we inserted the origin-proximal dusB-fis operon encoding the global regulator FIS in the vicinity of replication terminus on both arms of the Escherichia coli chromosome. We found that the lower fis gene dosage in the strains with terminus-proximal dusB-fis operons was compensated by increased fis expression such that the intracellular concentration of FIS was homeostatically adjusted. Nevertheless, despite unchanged FIS levels the positional displacement of dusB-fis impaired the competitive growth fitness of cells and altered the state of the overarching network regulating DNA topology, as well as the cellular response to environmental stress, hazardous substances and antibiotics. Our finding that the chromosomal repositioning of a regulatory gene can determine the cellular phenotype unveils an important yet unexplored facet of the genetic control mechanisms and paves the way for novel approaches to manipulate bacterial physiology.     

Multiple variants in subtelomeric regions of normal karyotypes

We describe a human genomic cosmid clone, 56.1.1, that contains subtelomeric sequences present on multiple human chromosomes. In particular, using fluorescence in situ hybridization, we have identified 16 sites of hybridization on 12 chromosomes. In a sample of 8 unrelated individuals, 10 of these sites showed interindividual variation. Co-hybridization with other polymorphic probes allowed us to demonstrate cytologically heterozygosity at three sites in six individuals. The chromosomal distribution of hybridization sites in a family strongly suggests that these variants are inherited in a Mendelian fashion. These data show that subtelomeric repeats are a rich source of genetic variability. Possible mechanisms of generation of such variants are discussed.     

Prospective variants screening of connexin genes in children with hearing impairment: genotype/phenotype correlation

The crucial role of gap junctions, which are composed of connexin (CX) protein, in auditory functions has been confirmed by numerous studies. In this study, we investigate the prevalence and phenotype/genotype correlation of connexin (CX) gene family variants in a cohort of children with nonsyndromic hearing loss (HL). A total of 253 unrelated children with nonsyndromic HL were screened for the presence of variants in 6 genes of the CX gene family. The prevalence of CX gene variants in 253 patients was 19.7% (50/253). We found the frequency of a sloping audiometric configuration was significantly higher for children with GJB2 and GJB3 variants than for those with GJB4 and GJC3 variants (Adjusted OR = 4.89, p < 0.001). Conversely, the frequency of a flat audiometric configuration was significantly higher for children with GJB4 and GJC3 variants than for those with GJB2 and GJB3 variants (adjusted OR = 7.76, p < 0.001). The relative frequencies of multiplex families was significantly higher for children with GJB3 variants than for those with GJB2, GJB4, and GJC3 variants (Adjusted OR = 11.33, p = 0.003). Our results suggest the variants of GJC3, GJB4, and GJB3 may be the common genetic risk factor, after variants of GJB2, for the development of nonsyndromic HL in Taiwan. These data can be effectively applied to direct the clinical evaluation of children with CX gene variants.     

Retention of vital dyes correlates inversely with the multidrug-resistant phenotype of adriamycin-selected murine fibrosarcoma variants

Retention of the vital dyes rhodamine 123 (R-123) and hydroethidine (HET) correlates inversely with the multidrug resistant phenotypes of the adriamycin (ADM)-selected variants of a uv-induced murine fibrosarcoma cell line (UV-2237M). The differential affinity of these dyes for specific cellular organelles makes them unique compounds for studies of cellular transport. HET enters viable cells freely, is dehydrogenated to ethidium bromide (EtBr), and is subsequently accumulated in the nucleus. Viable cells are impermeable to extracellular EtBr, facilitating kinetic analysis of the efflux of intracellular EtBr. We found that the metabolite EtBr was rapidly cleared by ADM-resistant but not by ADM-sensitive cells. R-123 has a high affinity to mitochondria. Our results show that ADM-sensitive cells retain R-123 whereas the ADM-resistant cells do not. The clearance of both R-123 and EtBr from these cells was inhibited by verapamil. Therefore, R-123 and HET may be considered MDR-associated compounds useful in studying the MDR phenotype of cancer cells. Previously we reported a direct correlation between the level of activity of the calcium- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinases C) and ADM resistance in UV-2237M variant lines. In this report, we demonstrate a direct correlation between cellular calcium and MDR in these cells. Although chelation of extracellular calcium by EDTA did not alter the fluorescence profile of R-123 of the various cell lines, treating the ADM-resistant variants with verapamil restored cellular calcium to the same level as that of the parental cells and, at the same time, retarded the facilitated efflux of R-123 and EtBr and partially reversed cancer cell resistance to ADM.     

Chromosomal heterogeneity and instability characterize pediatric medulloblastoma cell lines and affect neoplastic phenotype

Chromosomal heterogeneity is a hallmark of most tumors and it can drive critical events as growth advantages, survival advantages, progression and karyotypic evolution. Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant central nervous system tumor in children. This work attempted to investigate chromosomal heterogeneity and instability profiles of two MB pediatric cell lines and their relationship with cell phenotype. We performed GTG-banding and cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome assays, as well as morphological characterization, cell population doubling time, colony-forming efficiency, and chemo-sensitivity assays in two pediatric MB cell lines (UW402 and UW473). Both MB cells showed a high chromosomal heterogeneity. UW473 cells showed ~2 fold higher both clonal- and non-clonal chromosomal alterations than UW402 cells. Besides, UW473 showed two clonal-groups well-differentiated by ploidy level (<2n> and <4n>) and also presented a significantly higher number of chromosomal instability biomarkers. These results were associated with high morphological heterogeneity and survival advantages for UW473 and proliferation advantages for UW402 cells. Moreover, UW473 was significantly more sensitive to methotrexate, temozolomide and cisplatin while UW402 cells were more sensitive to doxorubicin. These data suggest that distinct different degrees of karyotypic heterogeneity and instability may affect neoplasic phenotype of MB cells. These findings bring new insights into cell and tumor biology.     

Mosaic normal/15q11-q13 duplication associated with developmental delay but normal phenotype.

We report a proximal duplication in the long arm of chromosome 15 (15q11-15q13) in mosaic with a normal cell line in a 4-year-old boy presenting developmental delay and history of seizures, but normal phenotype.     

SecY variants that interfere with Escherichia coli protein export in the presence of normal secY

As an approach for studying how SecY, an integral membrane protein translocation factor of Escherichia coli, interacts with other protein molecules, we isolated a dominant negative mutation, secY-d1, of the gene carried on a plasmid. The mutant plasmid severely inhibited export of maltose-binding protein and less severely of OmpA, when introduced into sec+ cells. It inhibited growth of secY and secE mutant cells, but not of secA and secD mutant cells or wild-type cells. The mutation deletes three amino acids that should be located at the interface of cytoplasmic domain 5 and transmembrane segment 9. We also found that some SecY-PhoA fusion proteins that lacked carboxy-terminal portions of SecY but retain a region from periplasmic domain 3 to transmembrane segment 7 were inhibitory to protein export. We suggest that these SecY variants are severely defective in catalytic function of SecY, which requires cytoplasmic domain 5 and its carboxy-terminal side, but retain the ability to associate with other molecules of the protein export machinery, which requires the central portion of SecY; they probably exert the 'dominant negative' effects by competing with normal SecY for the formation of active Sec complex. These observations should provide a basis for further genetic analysis of the Sec protein complex in the membrane.     

Common variants on chromosome 9p21 are associated with normal tension glaucoma

Although intraocular pressure (IOP) is the most definitive cause of glaucoma, a subtype of open angle glaucoma (OAG) termed normal tension glaucoma (NTG), which occurs in spite of normal IOP, accounts for a large part of glaucoma cases, especially in Japan. To find common genetic variants contributing to NTG in Japanese patients, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS). We performed the first screening for 531,009 autosomal SNPs with a discovery cohort of 286 cases and 557 controls, and then a second screening for the top 30 suggestive loci in an independent cohort of 183 cases and 514 controls. Our findings identified a significantly associated SNP; rs523096 [combined p-value = 7.40× 10⁻⁸, odds ratio (OR)  = 2.00 with 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.55–2.58] located 10 kbp upstream of CDKN2B on chromosome 9p21. Moreover, analysis of another independent case-control set successfully replicated the results of the screening studies (combined values of all 3 stages p = 4.96 × 10⁻¹¹, OR  = 2.13 with 95% CI 1.69–2.68). The SNPs near rs523096 were recently reported to be associated with OAG associated with elevated IOP in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), the predominant subtype of glaucoma in Caucasian populations. Our results revealed that the 9p21 locus is also associated with NTG in Japanese. In addition, we identified SNPs more strongly associated with NTG.