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Jonathan L Haines

Publications and source records attributed to Jonathan L Haines.

81 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Design of the Genetics of Early Onset Cardiovascular Disease (GENECARD) study.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the developed world. Early onset (premature) coronary artery disease (EOCAD) is known to have a particularly strong genetic component. However, the actual genes leading to this increased risk of CAD remain obscure. METHODS: The primary goal of the Genetics of Early Onset Cardiovascular Disease (GENECARD) study is to perform a genetic linkage study in 920 families with at least 1 sibling pair having EOCAD. The study sites include a US network of 15 cardiology practices and 5 additional sites located in Europe and the United States. We propose to identify chromosomal regions associated with increased susceptibility to EOCAD in this large sample of affected sibling pairs and nuclear families, where EOCAD is defined on the basis of having acute coronary syndrome (unstable angina or myocardial infarction), a revascularization procedure, or a positive functional imaging study at or before the age of 50 years in men or 55 years in women. To identify which genomic regions and genes are associated with increased susceptibility to EOCAD, we will use a comprehensive strategy comprising genomic screening, fine mapping, candidate gene analysis, and family-based association studies. RESULTS: Herein we describe the clinical characteristics, family history, and risk factor profiles of the 1168 members from 438 nuclear families included in the first, exploratory analysis. Analysis of the study population revealed a strong concordance of known cardiac risk factors among affected sibling pairs. There was significant concordance (P <. 01) among siblings with EOCAD for presence of diabetes (78% concordance), dyslipoproteinemia (67%), obesity (63%), and hypertension (56%). This level of concordance of risk factors among siblings might be expected, given the significant genetic components demonstrated for these metabolic susceptibility traits. However, there was also substantial sibling pair concordance (P <.01) for smoking history (74%), regular alcohol consumption (81%), and sedentary lifestyle (63%), environmental traits without known inherited predisposition. CONCLUSIONS: Analyses such as these will have implications for stratifying populations for the statistical analysis of the genome scan and on the choice of covariates for the follow-up studies of the initial genome screen analysis.

Adult↗

Exploratory subsetting of autism families based on savant skills improves evidence of genetic linkage to 15q11-q13.

OBJECTIVE: Autism displays a remarkably high heritability but a complex genetic etiology. One approach to identifying susceptibility loci under these conditions is to define more homogeneous subsets of families on the basis of genetically relevant phenotypic or biological characteristics that vary from case to case. METHOD: The authors performed a principal components analysis, using items from the Autism Diagnostic Interview, which resulted in six clusters of variables, five of which showed significant sib-sib correlation. The utility of these phenotypic subsets was tested in an exploratory genetic analysis of the autism candidate region on chromosome 15q11-q13. RESULTS: When the Collaborative Linkage Study of Autism sample was divided, on the basis of mean proband score for the "savant skills" cluster, the heterogeneity logarithm of the odds under a recessive model at D15S511, within the GABRB3 gene, increased from 0.6 to 2.6 in the subset of families in which probands had greater savant skills. CONCLUSIONS: These data are consistent with the genetic contribution of a 15q locus to autism susceptibility in a subset of affected individuals exhibiting savant skills. Similar types of skills have been noted in individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome, which results from deletions of this chromosomal region.

Autistic Disorder↗

Detailed analysis of allelic variation in the ABCA4 gene in age-related maculopathy.

PURPOSE: Age-related maculopathy (ARM) is one of the most common causes of blindness in older adults worldwide. Sequence variants in a gene coding for a retina-specific ATP-binding cassette (ABCA4) transporter protein, which is responsible for a phenotypically similar Mendelian form of retinal disease, were proposed to increase the risk of ARM. To examine the potential relationship of ABCA4 sequence variation and ARM risk in an independent data set, a clinically well-characterized population of 165 multiplex patients with ARM from 70 families, 33 unaffected relatives, and 59 unrelated control subjects with confirmed absence of ARM was screened for variants in any of the 50 exons and exon-intron boundaries of this gene. METHODS: A combination of denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) and bidirectional sequencing was used to detect ABCA4 sequence variants. The data set was analyzed with both case-control and family-based association analysis methods. RESULTS: No evidence was found of significantly different allele frequencies of ABCA4 sequence variants in patients compared with control subjects, and no evidence for association or cosegregation with disease in family-based analyses. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the very high degree of ABCA4 sequence polymorphism in the general population, which makes the detection of potential disease-associated alleles particularly challenging. While this study does not definitively exclude ABCA4 from contributing to a small or moderate fraction of ARM, it adds to the body of evidence suggesting that ABCA4 is not a major susceptibility gene for this disorder.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

Multiple susceptibility loci for multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common and frequently disabling autoimmune disorder mediated by autoaggressive T cells and autoantibodies that target central nervous system myelin. While numerous studies have demonstrated a strong genetic component to MS, it has been difficult to identify the specific genes involved. Several genomic screens have been undertaken to locate such genes, but have not provided consistent gene localization, except for the MHC on chromosome 6p21 and a locus on chromosome 19q13. To determine which of the original genomic locations presented in the US genome screen could be replicated, a more detailed analysis of additional families was performed. The results, derived from a population of 266 affected individuals belonging to 98 multiplex families, continue to support linkage to chromosomes 6p21, 6q27, and 19q13 with LOD scores>3.0, and suggest that regions on chromosomes 12q23-24 and 16p13 may also harbor susceptibility loci for MS. Analysis taking into account the known HLA-DR2 association identified two additional potential linkage regions on chromosomes 7q21-22 and 13q33-34. These regions can now be targeted for detailed study to identify the underlying MS susceptibility genes.

Chromosomes, Human, Pair 13↗

Age at onset in two common neurodegenerative diseases is genetically controlled.

To identify genes influencing age at onset (AAO) in two common neurodegenerative diseases, a genomic screen was performed for AAO in families with Alzheimer disease (AD; n=449) and Parkinson disease (PD; n=174). Heritabilities between 40%--60% were found in both the AD and PD data sets. For PD, significant evidence for linkage to AAO was found on chromosome 1p (LOD = 3.41). For AD, the AAO effect of APOE (LOD = 3.28) was confirmed. In addition, evidence for AAO linkage on chromosomes 6 and 10 was identified independently in both the AD and PD data sets. Subsequent unified analyses of these regions identified a single peak on chromosome 10q between D10S1239 and D10S1237, with a maximum LOD score of 2.62. These data suggest that a common gene affects AAO in these two common complex neurodegenerative diseases.

Age of Onset↗

Association of polymorphisms in the apolipoprotein E region with susceptibility to and progression of multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system, with a complex etiology that includes a strong genetic component. The contribution of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has been established in numerous genetic linkage and association studies. In addition to the MHC, the chromosome 19q13 region surrounding the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene has shown consistent evidence of involvement in MS when family-based analyses were conducted. Furthermore, several clinical reports have suggested that the APOE-4 allele may be associated with more-severe disease and faster progression of disability. To thoroughly examine the role of APOE in MS, we genotyped its functional alleles, as well as seven single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located primarily within 13 kb of APOE, in a data set of 398 families. Using family-based association analysis, we found statistically significant evidence that an SNP haplotype near APOE is associated with MS susceptibility (P=.005). An analysis of disease progression in 614 patients with MS from 379 families indicated that APOE-4 carriers are more likely to be affected with severe disease (P=.03), whereas a higher proportion of APOE-2 carriers exhibit a mild disease course (P=.02).

Adolescent↗

Association between apolipoprotein E genotype and Alzheimer disease in African American subjects.

BACKGROUND: The association between Alzheimer disease (AD) and genotypes at the apolipoprotein E (APOE) locus has been confirmed in numerous populations worldwide, but appears to be inconsistent in African American subjects. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between APOE genotypes and AD in elderly African American subjects. DESIGN: Clinic-based, multicenter case-control study and a family study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 338 African American probands meeting criteria for probable or definite AD, 301 cognitively healthy, elderly unrelated control subjects (spouses and community volunteers), and 108 siblings of 88 AD probands. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Odds of AD according to APOE genotype. RESULTS: Compared with individuals with the APOEepsilon3/epsilon3, the odds of having AD were significantly increased among those with 1 or more copies of the epsilon4 allele; the odds ratio (OR) for the epsilon3/epsilon4 genotype was 2.6 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8-3.7), and the OR for the epsilon4/epsilon4 genotype was 10.5 (95% CI, 5.1-21.8). These risks decreased substantially after 68 years of age. The risk for AD was lower among individuals with the epsilon2/epsilon3 genotype (OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.22-0.79). The patterns of association were similar in men and women. These results obtained from comparisons of unrelated AD patients and controls were bolstered by results of analysis of family data that showed preferential transmission of the epsilon4 allele to demented siblings (P<<.001) and of the epsilon2 allele to nondemented siblings (P=.005). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of 1 or 2 epsilon4 alleles is a determinant of AD risk in African American subjects. The age-related risk for decline associated with the epsilon4 allele and the apparent protective effect of the epsilon2 allele are similar to patterns observed in white subjects.

Black or African American↗

Mutations in a novel CLN6-encoded transmembrane protein cause variant neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis in man and mouse.

The CLN6 gene that causes variant late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (vLINCL), a recessively inherited neurodegenerative disease that features blindness, seizures, and cognitive decline, maps to 15q21-23. We have used multiallele markers spanning this approximately 4-Mb candidate interval to reveal a core haplotype, shared in Costa Rican families with vLINCL but not in a Venezuelan kindred, that highlighted a region likely to contain the CLN6 defect. Systematic comparison of genes from the minimal region uncovered a novel candidate, FLJ20561, that exhibited DNA sequence changes specific to the different disease chromosomes: a G-->T transversion in exon 3, introducing a stop codon on the Costa Rican haplotype, and a codon deletion in exon 5, eliminating a conserved tyrosine residue on the Venezuelan chromosome. Furthermore, sequencing of the murine homologue in the nclf mouse, which manifests recessive NCL-like disease, disclosed a third lesion-an extra base pair in exon 4, producing a frameshift truncation on the nclf chromosome. Thus, the novel approximately 36-kD CLN6-gene product augments an intriguing set of unrelated membrane-spanning proteins, whose deficiency causes NCL in mouse and man.

Amino Acid Sequence↗