Osteogenesis imperfecta due to recurrent point mutations at CpG dinucleotides in the COL1A1 gene of type I collagen

Summary Most individuals with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) are heterozygous for dominant mutations in one of the genes that encode the chains of type I collagen. Each of the more than 30 mutations characterized to date has been unique to the affected member (s) of the family. We have determined that two individuals with a progressive deforming variety of OI, OI type III, have the same new dominant mutation [1(I)gly154 to arg] and that two unrelated infants with perinatal lethal OI, OI type II, share a second new dominant muation [1(I)gly1003 to ser]. These mutations occurred at CpG dinucleotides, in a manner consistent with deamination of a methylated cytosine residue, and raise the possibility that CpG dinucleotides are common sites of recurrent mutations in collagen genes. Further, these findings confirm that the OI type-III phenotype, previously thought to be inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, can result from new dominant mutations in the COL1A1 gene of type-I collagen.     

Osteogenesis imperfecta murine: interaction between type I collagen homotrimers

Types I, II, and III collagens are believed to have evolved from the same homotrimer ancestor and they have substantial sequence homology, but type I molecules are alpha1(I)(2)alpha2(I) heterotrimers, unlike homotrimeric types II and III. It is believed that the alpha2(I) chain first appeared in lower vertebrates and that it plays a particularly important role in bone formation. For instance, spontaneous mutations resulting in non- functional alpha2 chains and formation of type I homotrimers cause severe bone pathology (osteogenesis imperfecta) in humans and in animals. However, the exact role of the alpha2 chain is not known. Here, we report measurements of intermolecular forces between collagen helices in native and reconstituted fibers composed of type I homotrimers, heterotrimers and their mix. For comparison, we report forces between type II homotrimers in reconstituted fibers. In agreement with previous studies, we find that the absence of the alpha2 chain reduces temperature-favored attraction between collagen helices, either because of the difference in amino acid sequence of the alpha1 and alpha2 chains or because of more extensive post-translational modification of homotrimers. We find that forces between helices in fibers from type I (as well as type II) homotrimers are not sensitive to pH between pH 6 and 7.5, in contrast to type I heterotrimers. Apparently, the effect of pH is related to extra histidine residues present on alpha2 chains but not on alpha1 chains. Finally, our measurements indicate that the alpha2 chain is responsible for binding some soluble compound(s), possibly glycosaminoglycans, whose displacement results, e.g., in the loss of tendon crystallinity. The ability of the alpha2 chain to bind non-collagen matrix components may be particularly important for bone matrix formation and mineralization.     

Consistent linkage of dominantly inherited osteogenesis imperfecta to the type I collagen loci: COL1A1 and COL1A2

The segregation of COL1A1 and COL1A2, the two genes which encode the chains of type I collagen, was analyzed in 38 dominant osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) pedigrees by using polymorphic markers within or close to the genes. This was done in order to estimate the consistency of linkage of OI genes to these two loci. None of the 38 pedigrees showed evidence of recombination between the OI gene and both collagen loci, suggesting that the frequency of unlinked loci in the population must be low. From these results, approximate 95% confidence limits for the proportion of families linked to the type I collagen genes can be set between .91 and 1.00. This is high enough to base prenatal diagnosis of dominantly inherited OI on linkage to these genes even in families which are too small for the linkage to be independently confirmed to high levels of significance. When phenotypic features were compared with the concordant collagen locus, all eight pedigrees with Sillence OI type IV segregated with COL1A2. On the other hand, Sillence OI type I segregated with both COL1A1 (17 pedigrees) and COL1A2 (7 pedigrees). The concordant locus was uncertain in the remaining six OI type I pedigrees. Of several other features, the presence or absence of presenile hearing loss was the best predictor of the mutant locus in OI type I families, with 13 of the 17 COL1A1 segregants and none of the 7 COL1A2 segregants showing this feature.     

Osteogenesis imperfecta type IV: evidence of abnormal triple helical structure of type I collagen

Summary Skin fibroblasts from a patient with mild osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) type IV synthesize two populations of type I procollagen molecules. One population contains pro1(I) and pro2(I) chains that migrate normally in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and a second population contains only slower migrating pro1(I) and pro2(I) chains. The total amount of type I procollagen made by OI cells and the ratio of pro1(I): pro2(I) is normal. When labeled under conditions that inhibit post-translational modification of pro chains, the OI cells produce only single populations of pro1(I) and pro2(I) chains indicating that the apparent increased molecular weight of some OI pro chains is due to excessive post-translational modification rather than peptidyl insertions. Peptide maps indicate that excessive post-translational modification occurs along the entire triple helical segment of some 1(I) and 2(I) chains produced by OI cells. The effect of the mutation is to lower the melting temperature of the molecules containing slow migrating 1(I) and 2(I) chains to 39.5°C (compared to 41.5°C for control), and to delay secretion of the overmodified type I procollagen from OI cells. These data are consistent with a mutation near the carboxyl-terminal end of the triple helical domain which delays triple helical formation and renders all chains available for further post-translational modification amino-terminal to the mutation. Such alterations in triple helical structure, thermal stability, and secretion previously associated only with the lethal OI type II phenotype are thus also seen in the mild OI type IV phenotype.     

Studies of type I collagen (COL1A1) alpha1 chain in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta

Nucleotide sequences of exon 51, adjacent intron areas, and regulatory region of the alpha1 chain of type I collagen (COL1A1) gene were analyzed in 41 patients with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) from 33 families and their 68 relatives residing at Bashkortostan Republic (BR). Six mutations (four nonsense mutations c.967G > T (p.Gly323X), c.1081C > T (p.Arg361X), c.1243C > T (p.Arg415X), and c.2869C > T (p.Gln957X)) in patients of the Russian origin and two mutations with open reading frame shift c.579delT (p.Gly194ValfsX71), and c.2444delG (p.Gly815AlafsX293)) in patients with OI of Tatar ethnicity as well as 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the COL1A1 gene were revealed. Mutations c.967G > T (p.Gly323X) and three alterations in the nucleotide sequence c.544-24C > T, c.643-36delT, and c.957 + 10insA were described for the first time.     

Osteogenesis imperfecta type IV. Detection of a point mutation in one alpha 1(I) collagen allele (COL1A1) by RNA/RNA hybrid analysis

We have identified a point mutation in one alpha 1(I) collagen allele (COL1A1) of a child with the type IV osteogenesis imperfecta phenotype. When compared to parental and control samples, skin fibroblasts of the proband synthesized two populations of type I collagen molecules. One population was normal; the other was delayed in secretion and electrophoretic migration due to post-translational overmodification. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of the CNBr peptides demonstrated a gradient of overmodification beginning near the carboxyl-terminal CB peptides. This predicts that the mutation delaying helix formation is near the carboxyl-terminal end of one of the component chains of type I collagen. The mRNA of the patient was probed with overlapping antisense riboprobes to type I collagen cDNA. Cleavage of a mismatch in RNA/RNA hybrids of RNase A allowed the location of the mutation to a 225-base pair region of alpha 1(I) cDNA. The mismatch was not present in RNA/RNA hybrids from either parent. This region of both alpha 1(I) alleles of the patient was isolated by screening a lambda ZAP cDNA library. Sequence determination of both alleles demonstrated a single nucleotide change, G----A, resulting in the substitution of a serine for a glycine at amino acid residue 832. This point mutation occurs in the coding region for alpha 1(I) CB6 and is concordant with the protein data. The finding of a glycine substitution in an alpha 1(I) chain of a patient with the milder type IV osteogenesis imperfecta phenotype requires modification of current molecular models for types II and IV osteogenesis imperfecta.     

Structural heterogeneity of type I collagen triple helix and its role in osteogenesis imperfecta

We investigated regions of different helical stability within human type I collagen and discussed their role in intermolecular interactions and osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). By differential scanning calorimetry and circular dichroism, we measured and mapped changes in the collagen melting temperature (DeltaTm) for 41 different Gly substitutions from 47 OI patients. In contrast to peptides, we found no correlations of DeltaTm with the identity of the substituting residue. Instead, we observed regular variations in DeltaTm with the substitution location in different triple helix regions. To relate the DeltaTm map to peptide-based stability predictions, we extracted the activation energy of local helix unfolding (DeltaG) from the reported peptide data. We constructed the DeltaG map and tested it by measuring the H-D exchange rate for glycine NH residues involved in interchain hydrogen bonds. Based on the DeltaTm and DeltaG maps, we delineated regional variations in the collagen triple helix stability. Two large, flexible regions deduced from the DeltaTm map aligned with the regions important for collagen fibril assembly and ligand binding. One of these regions also aligned with a lethal region for Gly substitutions in the alpha1(I) chain.     

Recurrence of lethal osteogenesis imperfecta due to parental mosaicism for a dominant mutation in a human type I collagen gene (COL1A1).

We have determined that two infants with perinatal lethal osteogenesis imperfecta in one family had the same new dominant point mutation. Although not detected in his dermal fibroblast DNA, the mutation was detected in somatic DNA from the father's hair root bulbs and lymphocytes. The mutation was also detected in the father's sperm, demonstrating that mosaicism in the father's germ line explains recurrence. The presence of both germ-line and somatic mosaicism indicates that the mutation occurred prior to segregation of the germ-line and somatic cell progenitors. About one in eight sperm carry the mutation, which implies that at least four progenitor cells populate the germ line in human males. The observation that the mosaic individual is clinically normal suggests that genetic diseases can have both qualitative and quantitative components.     

Characterization of point mutations in the collagen COL1A1 and COL1A2 genes causing lethal perinatal osteogenesis imperfecta

Type I collagen mutations in a group of patients with lethal perinatal osteogenesis imperfecta were identified in fibroblast RNA by a new method which can detect, by chemical modification and cleavage, single mismatched bases in heteroduplexes formed between mRNA and normal cDNA probes. Control cDNA probes spanning the area of the pro-alpha 1(I) and pro-alpha 2(I) chains likely to contain the mutations were radioactively labeled and used to form heteroduplexes with total patient RNA. Treatment of these heteroduplexes with hydroxylamine followed by cleavage of the cDNA strand at reactive bases by piperidine identified mismatches in the pro-alpha 1(I) cDNA in four patients. In the fifth patient a mismatch was detected in the pro-alpha 2(I) cDNA. To characterize these mutations the regions containing the mismatches were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction, cloned, and sequenced. All were heterozygous single base mutations which led to the substitution of glycine residues in the helical region of the pro-alpha-chains. The substitutions were pro-alpha 1(I) Gly973 and Gly1006 to Val, Gly928 to Ala, Gly976 to Arg, and pro-alpha 2(I) Gly865 to Ser. These mutations emphasize the importance of the Gly-X-Y repeating amino acid sequence for normal collagen helix formation and function in the extracellular matrix.     

A novel splicing mutation in COL1A1 gene caused type I osteogenesis imperfecta in a Chinese family

Osteogenesis imperfect (OI) is a heritable connective tissue disorder with bone fragility as a cardinal manifestation, accompanied by short stature, dentinogenesis imperfecta, hyperlaxity of ligaments and skin, blue sclerae and hearing loss. Dominant form of OI is caused by mutations in the type I procollagen genes, COL1A1/A2. Here we identified a novel splicing mutation c.3207+1G>A (GenBank ID: JQ236861) in the COL1A1 gene that caused type I OI in a Chinese family. RNA splicing analysis proved that this mutation created a new splicing site at c.3200, and then led to frameshift. This result further enriched the mutation spectrum of type I procollagen genes.     

Reduced type I collagen utilization: a pathogenic mechanism in COL5A1 haplo-insufficient Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

To examine mechanisms by which reduced type V collagen causes weakened connective tissues in the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), we examined matrix deposition and collagen fibril morphology in long-term dermal fibroblast cultures. EDS cells with COL5A1 haplo-insufficiency deposited less than one-half of hydroxyproline as collagen compared to control fibroblasts, though total collagen synthesis rates are near-normal because type V collagen represents a small fraction of collagen synthesized. Cells from patients with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) and haplo-insufficiency for proalpha1(I) chains of type I collagen also incorporated about one-half the collagen as controls, but this amount was proportional to their reduced rates of total collagen synthesis. Collagen fibril diameter was inversely proportional to type V/type I collagen ratios (EDS > control > OI). However, a reduction of type V collagen, in the EDS derived cells, was associated with the assembly of significantly fewer fibrils compared to control and OI cells. These data indicate that in cell culture, the quantity of collagen fibrils deposited in matrix is highly sensitive to reduction in type V collagen, far out of proportion to type V collagen's contribution to collagen mass.