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Biomedical subjects

B Dallapiccola

Publications and source records attributed to B Dallapiccola.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Human homologue sequences to the Drosophila dishevelled segment-polarity gene are deleted in the DiGeorge syndrome.

DiGeorge syndrome (DGS) is a developmental defect of some of the neural crest derivatives. Most DGS patients show haploinsufficiency due to interstitial deletions of the proximal long arm of chromosome 22. Deletions of 22q11 have also been reported with patients with the velocardio-facial syndrome and familial conotruncal heart defects. It has been suggested that the wide phenotype spectrum associated with 22q11 monosomy is a consequence of contiguous-gene deletions. We report the isolation of human cDNAs homologous to the Drosophila dishevelled (dsh) segment-polarity gene. Sequences homologous to the 3' UTR of these transcripts (DVL-22) were positioned within the DGS critical region and were found to be deleted in DGS patients. Human DVL mRNAs are expressed in several fetal and adult tissues, including the thymus and, at high levels, the heart. Two transcripts, 3.2 and 5kb, were detected, in northern blot analysis, with different expression patterns in the surveyed tissues when different cDNAs were used. The isolated cDNAs exhibit high amino acid homology with the mouse and Xenopus Dvl-1 gene, the only other vertebrate dsh homologues so far isolated. The pivotal role of dsh in fly development suggests an analogous key function in vertebrate embryogenesis of its homologue genes. Since DGS may be due to perturbation of differentiation mechanisms at decisive embryological stages, a Dsh-like gene in the small-region overlap (SRO) might be a candidate for the pathogenesis of this disorder.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗
PubMed1996

Osteoporosis-pseudoglioma syndrome, a disorder affecting skeletal strength and vision, is assigned to chromosome region 11q12-13.

Osteoporosis-pseudoglioma syndrome (OPS) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by severe juvenile-onset osteoporosis and congenital or juvenile-onset blindness. The pathogenic mechanism is not known. Clinical, biochemical, and microscopic analyses suggest that OPS may be a disorder of matrix homeostasis rather than a disorder of matrix structure. Consequently, identification of the OPS gene and its protein product could provide insights regarding common osteoporotic conditions, such as postmenopausal and senile osteoporosis. As a first step toward determining the cause of OPS, we utilized a combination of traditional linkage analysis and homozygosity mapping to assign the OPS locus to chromosome region 11q12-13. Mapping was accomplished by analyzing 16 DNA samples (seven affected individuals) from three different consanguineous kindreds. Studies in 10 additional families narrowed the candidate region, supported locus homogeneity, and did not detect founder effects. The OPS locus maps to a 13-cM interval between D11S1298 and D11S971 and most likely lies in a 3-cM region between GSTP1 and D11S1296. At present, no strong candidate genes colocalize with OPS.

Alleles↗
PubMed1996

[Genetic aspects of deafness].

Congenital sensorineural hearing impairment affects approximately 1 in 1000-2000 children and is of genetic origin in at least one half of these cases. Over 70% of congenital sensorineural hearing impairment is non-syndromic while, about 30% is associated with other defects. Over 75% of congenital non-syndromic hearing sensorineural hearing impairment is autosomal recessive and to date at lest ten loci have been implicated. The remaining forms are transmitted in an autosomal dominant, or X-linked (2%) manner. Some congenital types of hearing impairment are also due to chromosomal aneuploides or mitochondrial DNA mutations. Although different loci associated with hearing impairment have been mapped to specific chromosomic regions, the cloning and the functional characterization of these genes is not immediate.

Aneuploidy↗
PubMed1996

Myoclonic epilepsy, neuroblast migration disorders, and maternally derived partial duplication 14q/deletion 15q.

A large maternally inherited duplication of 14q and deletion of proximal 15q was observed in a child with myoclonic epilepsy, mental retardation and neuroblast migration disorders (NMDs) detected by MRI. Genetic syndromes associated with NMDs have previously been described. In additional our observations support the connection between major chromosomal imbalances, developmental brain disorders and epilepsy. Thus, in patients with these combinations of symptoms, careful chromosome investigations are recommended.

Cell Movement↗
PubMed1995

Different expression of the myotonin protein kinase gene in discrete areas of human brain.

We have examined the myotonin protein kinase (MT-PK) gene expression in different human brain areas. Four different spliced forms, comprising exons 13 and 14, were identified and characterized. One form (MYOT-A), lacking the entire exon 13, had not been detected in other studies and it is likely to be a brain-specific transcript. Different brain areas show a specific transcription pattern. These results suggest that MT-PK may have specialized functions in different areas of central nervous system. Alterations of this complex expression pattern could be responsible for the mental status impairment observed in myotonic dystrophy patients.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed1995

Survival motor neuron gene transcript analysis in muscles from spinal muscular atrophy patients.

We have identified and characterized four different mRNA isoforms of the survival motor neuron (SMN) gene from skeletal muscle of 9 SMA patients and 15 unaffected controls. These isoforms appear to be generated by combinatorial splicing of both exons 5 and 7 of the SMN telomeric and centromeric gene copies. The full-size and the truncated SMN-1b isoforms of the telomeric SMN copy are significantly reduced in muscle of SMA patients, irrespective of the disease types. Our results suggest that multiple RNA splicing is operative in the two SMN-related genes and that SMN-related polypeptides may be active in the muscle.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed1995

Two pedigrees of autosomal dominant atrioventricular canal defect (AVCD): exclusion from the critical region on 8p.

Atrioventricular canal defects (AVCD) constitute the predominant congenital heart defect in Down syndrome. For this reason, a candidate gene involved in atrioventricular canal development was previously searched and excluded in dominant pedigrees of AVCD, using linkage analysis of polymorphisms from chromosome 21. Because of the striking association between 8p deletion and AVCD, a search for an AVCD gene was carried out in two pedigrees of individuals with autosomal dominant AVCD using a set of DNA markers of the 8pter-->q12 region. These two families include affected individuals and subjects who have transmitted the defect but are not clinically affected. Two-point lod scores were significantly negative for all markers at penetrance levels of 90% and 50%. Multipoint analysis excluded the region covered by the markers LPL-D8S262 and 30 cM to either side of this area. This result corroborates heterogeneity of this heart defect and indicates that the genetic basis of familial AVCD is different from AVCD associated to either trisomy 21 or 8p deletion.

Child↗
PubMed1995

Fetal translocation between chromosomes 2, 18, and 21 resolved by fish.

An apparently balanced t(2q;21q) translocation was discovered in fetal blood and amniocytes of a 22-week fetus, monitored because of ultrasonographic evidence of a heart disease. FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) analysis disclosed a complex translocation between chromosomes 2q, 18q, and 21q, which was inherited from the healthy mother. This observation corroborates the usefulness of molecular cytogenetic techniques in raising the quality of prenatal diagnosis and detecting subtle rearrangements not resolved by standard cytogenetics.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Analysis of the elastin gene in 60 patients with clinical diagnosis of Williams syndrome.

Williams syndrome (WS) is caused by deletion of the elastin (ELN) gene. We have analyzed an intragenic restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and the gene dosage of ELN using a new probe (FP4) in a series of 60 sporadic patients with a clinical diagnosis of WS. Deletion of the ELN gene was shown in 54 cases, while clinical revaluation of the 6 patients without the deletion did not confirm the diagnosis of WS. These results support the genetic homogeneity of WS, and the high accuracy of ELN molecular analysis, which can be confidenty used for providing genetic counselling to WS families.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

22q11 deletions in isolated and syndromic patients with tetralogy of Fallot.

Tetralogy of Fallot (TF) is a congenital conotruncal heart defect commonly found in DiGeorge (DGS) and velo-cardio-facial (VCFS) syndromes. The deletion of chromosome 22q11 (del22q11) is a well established cause of DGS and VCFS, and it has been demonstrated also in sporadic or familial cases of TF. In order to investigate the prevalence of del22q11 in patients with TF, we analyzed the DNA of 137 consecutive patients with syndromic and isolated TF, using the HD7k probe, which detects hemizygosity for the D22S134 locus. Del22q11 has been detected in 11/26 (42%) syndromic patients. Evidence for hemizygosity was obtained in all patients with DGS and in 8/15 patients with VCFS. None of the 107 patients with isolated TF had del22q11. Our experience suggests that children with TF and del22q11 always present major or minor extracardiac anomalies. These features, including subtle facial dysmorphisms, should be checked routinely in patients with TF and other conotruncal heart defects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Noonan syndrome: structural abnormalities of the mitral valve causing subaortic obstruction.

UNLABELLED: Among 41 consecutive children with classic Noonan syndrome, 27 patients (66%) presented cardiac anomalies. Eight patients (19.5%) had a congenital anomaly of the mitral valve consisting of 5 with partial atrioventricular canal defect and 3 with anomalous insertion of the mitral valve on the ventricular septum. Five patients (12%) presented with a significant left ventricular outflow tract obstruction caused by the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve: two cases with atrioventricular canal and three cases with isolated anomalous insertion of the mitral valve. Echocardiography is the best tool for the diagnosis. Cardiac defects of patients with Noonan syndrome may be explained on the basis of anomalies of the extracellular matrix involving cardiac valves including the mitral valve. CONCLUSION: In children with Noonan syndrome and left ventricular hypertrophy a careful echocardiographic assessment of the mitral valve should reveal those in whom the left ventricular outflow tract obstruction is anatomical in nature.

Adolescent↗