A Novel Imprinted Gene, HYMAI, Is Located within an Imprinted Domain on Human Chromosome 6 Containing ZAC

Transient neonatal diabetes mellitus (TNDM) is a rare disease characterized by intrauterine growth retardation, dehydration, and failure to thrive due to a lack of normal insulin secretion. This disease is associated with paternal uniparental disomy or paternal duplication of chromosome 6, suggesting that the causative gene(s) for TNDM is imprinted. Recently, Gardner et al. (1999, J. Med. Genet. 36: 192–196) proposed that a candidate gene for TNDM lies within chromosome 6q24.1–q24.3. To find human imprinted genes, we performed a database search for EST sequences that mapped to this region, followed by RT-PCR analysis using monochromosomal hybrid cells with a human chromosome 6 of defined parental origin. Here we report the identification of a novel imprinted gene, HYMAI. This gene exhibits differential DNA methylation between the two parental alleles at an adjacent CpG island and is expressed only from the paternal chromosome. A previously characterized imprinted gene, ZAC/LOT1, is located 70 kb downstream of HYMAI and is also expressed only from the paternal allele. In the pancreas, both genes are moderately expressed. HYMAI and ZAC/LOT1 are therefore candidate genes involved in TNDM. Furthermore, the human chromosome 6q24 region is syntenic to mouse chromosome 10 and represents a novel imprinted domain.     

Transient neonatal diabetes mellitus gene Zac1 impairs insulin secretion in mice through Rasgrf1

The biallelic expression of the imprinted gene ZAC1/PLAGL1 underlies ≈ 60% of all cases of transient neonatal diabetes mellitus (TNDM) that present with low perinatal insulin secretion. Molecular targets of ZAC1 misexpression in pancreatic β cells are unknown. Here, we identified the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Rasgrf1 as a direct Zac1/Plagl1 target gene in murine β cells. Doubling Zac1 expression reduced Rasgrf1 expression, the stimulus-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathways, and, ultimately, insulin secretion. Normalizing Rasgrf1 expression reversed this phenotype. Moreover, the transplantation of Zac1-overexpressing β cells failed to reinstate euglycemia in experimental diabetic mice. In contrast, Zac1 expression did not interfere with the signaling of the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R), and the GLP-1 analog liraglutide improved hyperglycemia in transplanted experimental diabetic mice. This study unravels a mechanism contributing to insufficient perinatal insulin secretion in TNDM and raises new prospects for therapy.     

Zac1 (Lot1), a potential tumor suppressor gene, and the gene for epsilon-sarcoglycan are maternally imprinted genes: identification by a subtractive screen of novel uniparental fibroblast lines

Imprinted genes are expressed from one allele according to their parent of origin, and many are essential to mammalian embryogenesis. Here we show that the epsilon-sarcoglycan gene (Sgce) and Zac1 (Lot1) are both paternally expressed imprinted genes. They were identified in a subtractive screen for imprinted genes using a cDNA library made from novel parthenogenetic and wild-type fibroblast lines. Sgce is a component of the dystrophin-sarcoglycan complex, Zac1 is a nuclear protein inducing growth arrest and/or apoptosis, and Zac1 is a potential tumor suppressor gene. Sgce and Zac1 are expressed predominantly from their paternal alleles in all adult mouse tissues, except that Zac1 is biallelic in the liver and Sgce is weakly expressed from the maternal allele in the brain. Sgce and Zac1 are broadly expressed in embryos, with Zac1 being highly expressed in the liver primordium, the umbilical region, and the neural tube. Sgce, however, is strongly expressed in the allantoic region on day 9.5 but becomes more widely expressed throughout the embryo by day 11.5. Sgce is located at the proximal end of mouse chromosome 6 and is a candidate gene for embryonic lethality associated with uniparental maternal inheritance of this region. Zac1 maps to the proximal region of chromosome 10, identifying a new imprinted locus in the mouse, homologous with human chromosome 6q24-q25. In humans, unipaternal disomy for this region is associated with fetal growth retardation and transient neonatal diabetes mellitus. In addition, loss of expression of ZAC has been described for a number of breast and ovarian carcinomas, suggesting that ZAC is a potential tumor suppressor gene.     

A novel imprinted gene, HYMAI, is located within an imprinted domain on human chromosome 6 containing ZAC

Transient neonatal diabetes mellitus (TNDM) is a rare disease characterized by intrauterine growth retardation, dehydration, and failure to thrive due to a lack of normal insulin secretion. This disease is associated with paternal uniparental disomy or paternal duplication of chromosome 6, suggesting that the causative gene(s) for TNDM is imprinted. Recently, Gardner et al. (1999, J. Med. Genet. 36: 192-196) proposed that a candidate gene for TNDM lies within chromosome 6q24.1-q24.3. To find human imprinted genes, we performed a database search for EST sequences that mapped to this region, followed by RT-PCR analysis using monochromosomal hybrid cells with a human chromosome 6 of defined parental origin. Here we report the identification of a novel imprinted gene, HYMAI. This gene exhibits differential DNA methylation between the two parental alleles at an adjacent CpG island and is expressed only from the paternal chromosome. A previously characterized imprinted gene, ZAC/LOT1, is located 70 kb downstream of HYMAI and is also expressed only from the paternal allele. In the pancreas, both genes are moderately expressed. HYMAI and ZAC/LOT1 are therefore candidate genes involved in TNDM. Furthermore, the human chromosome 6q24 region is syntenic to mouse chromosome 10 and represents a novel imprinted domain.     

Developmental methylation program and concerted expression of Stx11 in mouse tissues

The human 6q24 region is involved in growth and development, transient neonatal diabetes (TND), cancer, and metabolic dysfunction. To further characterize this region, the developmental status of DNA methylation and expression of Zac1 and Stx11 genes located within the mouse 10A1 region ortholog of human 6q24 were determined. In mice, imprinted Zac1 and Stx11 were highly expressed at the end of fetal development but downregulated at 4 and 11 weeks in brain, pancreas, and heart. Postnatal Zac1 downregulation was independent from promoter methylation of the expressed allele, suggesting the mediation of age-dependent chromatin remodeling. Stx11 nonpromoter CpG island was methylated de novo from E18 to 1 year with tissue-specific kinetics. The high conservation in vertebrates of Stx11 CpG2 is suggestive of an important regulatory function in age-related regional epigenetic state and/or chromatin configuration. Stx11 alleles were unequally expressed in F1 mice tissues, reflecting the influence of cis-regulatory factors on its expression. These data suggest the presence of a methylation domain and a coordinated gene expression pattern in multiple tissues. Methylation variation and allelic regulation of expression may underlie genetic diversity and contribute to disease susceptibility at the 6q24 locus in humans. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Promiscuous and specific phospholipid binding by domains in ZAC,a membrane-associated Arabidopsis protein with an ARF GAP zinc finger and a C2 domain

Arabidopsis proteins were predicted which share an 80 residue zinc finger domain known from ADP-ribosylation factor GTPase-activating proteins (ARF GAPs). One of these is a 37 kDa protein, designated ZAC, which has a novel domain structure in which the N-terminal ARF GAP domain and a C-terminal C2 domain are separated by a region without homology to other known proteins. Zac promoter/-glucuronidase reporter assays revealed highest expression levels in flowering tissue, rosettes and roots. ZAC protein was immuno-detected mainly in association with membranes and fractionated with Golgi and plasma membrane marker proteins. ZAC membrane association was confirmed in assays by a fusion between ZAC and the green fluorescence protein and prompted an analysis of the in vitro phospholipid-binding ability of ZAC. Phospholipid dot-blot and liposome-binding assays indicated that fusion proteins containing the ZAC-C2 domain bind anionic phospholipids non-specifically, with some variance in Ca²⁺ and salt dependence. Similar assays demonstrated specific affinity of the ZAC N-terminal region (residues 1–174) for phosphatidylinositol 3-monophosphate (PI-3-P). Binding was dependent in part on an intact zinc finger motif, but proteins containing only the zinc finger domain (residues 1–105) did not bind PI-3-P. Recombinant ZAC possessed GTPase-activating activity on Arabidopsis ARF proteins. These data identify a novel PI-3-P-binding protein region and thereby provide evidence that this phosphoinositide is recognized as a signal in plants. A role for ZAC in the regulation of ARF-mediated vesicular transport in plants is discussed.     

Relaxation of imprinted expression of ZAC and HYMAI in a patient with transient neonatal diabetes mellitus

Transient neonatal diabetes mellitus (TNDM) is a rare disease believed to result from overexpression of a paternally expressed gene controlled by a differentially methylated CpG island on chromosome 6q24. Two genes partially overlap the island: the cell-cycle-control gene ZAC and the untranslated gene HYMAI, the function of which is currently unknown. Proof that either gene is involved in TNDM would require demonstration that imprinted expression is relaxed in TNDM patients; this has hitherto been lacking because of the rarity of the disease and the lack of imprinted expression in the lymphoblastoid cells that are generally the only resource available for study. Here, we show, for the first time, the aberrant expression of imprinted genes in a TNDM patient. In TNDM fibroblasts, the monoallelic expression of both ZAC and HYMAI is relaxed, providing strong supportive evidence that the presence of two unmethylated alleles of this locus is indeed associated with the inappropriate gene expression of neighbouring genes.     

Transienter neonataler Diabetes und Hypomethylierungssyndrome

Transient neonatal diabetes (TNDM) is manifested before the age of 6 weeks and typically resolves within 18 months. Main clinical features include intrauterine growth retardation, hyperglycemia and dehydration with absent ketoacidosis. Causes of TNDM are heterogeneous but 70% are due to a chromosomal aberration in the region 6q24 which contains the imprinted genes PLAGL1/ZAC and HYMAI. Paternal uniparental disomy 6 (upd(6)pat) or paternal duplications of the imprinted region as well as imprinting defects of the maternal allele all result in an overexpression of the paternally expressed gene PLAGL1. Imprinting defects in 6q24 can occur as isolated events or can affect more than one locus (hypomethylation syndrome). Hypomethylation at multiple loci has so far been observed in patients with TNDM, Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS).The risk of recurrence depends on the underlying cause of TNDM. Chromosomal aberrations in the parents affecting chromosome 6 increase the risk for UPD or duplication of the imprinted locus in 6q24. Nevertheless, UPD and duplication 6q24 are mostly de novo occurrences.     

The human FK506-binding proteins: characterization of human FKBP19

Analysis of the human repertoire of the FK506-binding protein (FKBP) family of peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerases has identified an expansion of genes that code for human FKBPs in the secretory pathway. There are distinct differences in tissue distribution and expression levels of each variant. In this article we describe the characterization of human FKBP19 (Entrez Gene ID: FKBP11), an FK506-binding protein predominantly expressed in vertebrate secretory tissues. The FKBP19 sequence comprises a cleavable N-terminal signal sequence followed by a putative peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase domain with homology to FKBP12. This domain binds FK506 weakly in vitro. FKBP19 mRNA is abundant in human pancreas and other secretory tissues and high levels of FKBP19 protein are detected in the acinar cells of mouse pancreas.     

SEL1L deficiency impairs growth and differentiation of pancreatic epithelial cells

Background  

The vertebrate pancreas contains islet, acinar and ductal cells. These cells derive from a transient pool of multipotent pancreatic progenitors during embryonic development. Insight into the genetic determinants regulating pancreatic organogenesis will help the development of cell-based therapies for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Suppressor enhancer lin12/Notch 1 like (Sel1l) encodes a cytoplasmic protein that is highly expressed in the developing mouse pancreas. However, the morphological and molecular events regulated by Sel1l remain elusive.     

Complex <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-glycans or core 1-derived <Emphasis Type="Italic">O</Emphasis>-glycans are not required for the expression of stage-specific antigens SSEA-1, SSEA-3, SSEA-4, or Le<Superscript>Y</Superscript> in the preimplantation mouse embryo

The glycan epitopes termed stage-specific embryonic antigens (SSEA) occur on glycoproteins and glycolipids in mammals. However, it is not known whether these epitopes are attached to N- or O-glycans on glycoproteins and/or on glycolipids in the developing mouse embryo. In this paper the expression of the antigens SSEA-1, SSEA-3, SSEA-4 and Le^Y was examined on ovulated eggs, early embryos and blastocysts lacking either complex and hybrid N-glycans or core-1 derived O-glycans. In all cases, antigen expression determined by fluorescence microscopy of bound monoclonal antibodies to embryos at the stage of development of maximal expression was similar in mutant and control embryos. Thus, none of these developmental antigens are expressed solely on either complex N- or core 1-derived O-glycans attached to glycoproteins in the preimplantation mouse embryo. Furthermore, neither of these classes of glycan is essential for the expression of SSEA-1, SSEA-3, SSEA-4 or Le^Y on mouse embryos.