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M Fardeau

Publications and source records attributed to M Fardeau.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Using the full power of linkage analysis in 11 French Canadian families to fine map the oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy gene.

Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a late onset autosomal dominant muscular dystrophy with a high prevalence in the French Canadian population. We report linkage analysis with 7 chromosome 14q polymorphic markers in 11 large French Canadian families. An observed recombination in one family establishes D14S283 as the new centromeric flanking marker, therefore reducing the previously reported candidate interval from 5cM to 2cM. The highest two-point LOD score was 26.05 at theta = 0.01 for MYH7.1. Multipoint analysis suggested that the OPMD genes lies within a 1.5cM region around D14S990. This study of large French Canadian families underlines the great power of this population to fine map disease genes.

Adult↗

Dysphagia in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy: a series of 22 French cases.

Twenty-two patients (mean age = 67.9 years) with oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) were referred for dysphagia from 1987 to January 1995. Six patients had suffered aspiration pneumonia, and three had significantly lost weight, while 19 complained of discomfort during swallowing but without weight loss. Swallowing was assessed by fiberscopy during swallowing (last eight patients), videofluoroscopy (12 cases) and manometry (19 cases). Twelve patients underwent a cricopharyngeal (CP) myotomy: 10 showed improvement, one had a partial improvement, and the procedure failed in one (mean follow-up = 29.6 months). In the other cases, CP myotomy was postponed, refused or contraindicated. Of the 22 patients, three died from OPMD consequences. Factors associated with favorable outcome were adequate residual pharyngeal propulsion and no weight loss. In a majority of cases, CP myotomy constitutes an effective treatment of dysphagia with adequate residual propulsion but does not modify the final prognosis and is contraindicated in cases with pharyngeal aperistalsis.

Adult↗

Genetics of laminin alpha 2 chain (or merosin) deficient congenital muscular dystrophy: from identification of mutations to prenatal diagnosis.

Congenital muscular dystrophies (CMD) are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of muscle disorders, with autosomal recessive inheritance. Absence of the laminin alpha 2 chain in the skeletal muscle of patients with classical CMD has permitted the identification of a subgroup, referred to as 'merosin-deficient CMD or laminin alpha 2 chain deficient CMD'. We first identified a nonsense and a splice site mutation in laminin alpha 2 gene (LAMA2) (Glu1241 stop, 4573-2A-->T). We report here new mutations: nonsense mutations (Glu210stop, Trp2316stop) and 1- and 2-bp deletions (2418 delta C, 6968 delta TA), which result in truncation of the protein either in the short arm domains or in the C terminal globular domain and complete merosin deficiency. Another subgroup, referred to as 'partially-deficient in laminin alpha 2 chain' has been identified recently, and a LAMA2 missense mutation (Cys996Arg) has been shown to cause this partial deficiency. The laminin alpha 2 chain, together with the beta 1 or beta 2 and gamma 1 chains forms either laminin-2 (alpha 2-beta 1-gamma 1) or laminin-4 (alpha 2-beta 2-gamma 1). The LAMA2 mutations induce the formation of abnormal laminins which probably dramatically disturb the assembly and stability of the laminin network, one of the major components of the extracellular matrix in skeletal muscle. We report also the first prenatal diagnosis performed by direct mutation analysis.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Mutations in the MTM1 gene implicated in X-linked myotubular myopathy. ENMC International Consortium on Myotubular Myopathy. European Neuro-Muscular Center.

X-linked recessive myotubular myopathy (XLMTM) is characterized by severe hypotonia and generalized muscle weakness, with impaired maturation of muscle fibres. The gene responsible, MTM1, was identified recently by positional cloning, and encodes a protein (myotubularin) with a tyrosine phosphatase domain (PTP). Myotubularin is highly conserved through evolution and defines a new family of putative tyrosine phosphatases in man. We report the identification of MTM1 mutations in 55 of 85 independent patients screened by single-strand conformation polymorphism for all the coding sequence. Large deletions were observed in only three patients. Five point mutations were found in multiple unrelated patients, accounting for 27% of the observed mutations. The possibility of detecting mutations and determining carrier status in a disease with a high proportion of sporadic cases is of importance for genetic counselling. More than half of XLMTM mutations are expected to inactivate the putative enzymatic activity of myotubularin, either by truncation or by missense mutations affecting the predicted PTP domain. Additional mutations are missenses clustered in two regions of the protein. Most of these affect amino acids conserved in the homologous yeast and Caenorhabditis elegans proteins, thus indicating the presence of other functional domains.

Alternative Splicing↗

Mutational diversity and hot spots in the alpha-sarcoglycan gene in autosomal recessive muscular dystrophy (LGMD2D).

Sarcoglycanopathies are a genetically heterogeneous group of autosomal recessive muscular dystrophies in which the primary defect may reside in any of the genes coding for the different partners of the sarcolemmal sarcoglycan (SG) complex: the alpha-SG (LGMD2D at 17q21.2), the beta-SG (LGMD2E at 4q12), the gamma-SG (LGMD2C at 13q12), and the delta-SG (LGMD2F at 5q33). We report a series of 20 new unrelated families with 14 different mutations in the alpha-SG gene. Along with the mutations that we previously reported this brings our cohort of patients with alpha-sarcoglycanopathy to a total of 31 unrelated patients, carrying 25 different mutations. The missense mutations reside in the extracellular domain of the protein. Five of 15 missense mutations, carried by unrelated subjects on different haplotype backgrounds and of widespread geographical origins, account for 58% of the mutated chromosomes, with a striking prevalence of the R77C substitution (32%). The severity of the disease varies strikingly and correlates at least in part with the amount of residual protein and the type of mutation. The recurrent R284C substitution is associated with a benign disease course.

Base Sequence↗

Primary adhalinopathy (alpha-sarcoglycanopathy): clinical, pathologic, and genetic correlation in 20 patients with autosomal recessive muscular dystrophy.

Primary adhalin (or alpha-sarcoglycan) deficiency due to a defect of the adhalin gene localized on chromosome 17q21 causes an autosomal recessive myopathy. We evaluated 20 patients from 15 families (12 from Europe and three from North Africa) with a primary adhalin deficiency with two objectives: characterization of the clinical phenotype and analysis of the correlation with the level of adhalin expression and the type of gene mutation. Age at onset and severity of the myopathy were heterogeneous: six patients were wheel-chair bound before 15 years of age, whereas five other patients had mild disease with preserved ambulation in adulthood. The clinical pattern was similar in all the patients with symmetric characteristic involvement of trunk and limb muscles, calf hypertrophy, and absence of cardiac dysfunction. Immunofluorescence and immunoblot studies of muscle biopsy specimens showed a large variation in the expression of adhalin. The degree of adhalin deficiency was fairly correlated with the clinical severity. There were 15 different mutations (10 missense, five null). Double null mutations (three patients) were associated with severe myopathy, but in the other cases (null/missense and double missense) there was a large variation in the severity of the disease.

Adolescent↗

[Cost-effectiveness study of 2 long-term home oxygen therapy management systems].

In France, home oxygen therapy for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is carried out by nonprofit associations (NP) or profit-making health organisations (PM). In a retrospective pragmatic approach we analysed the costs and the effectiveness of these 2 types of structures delivering oxygen at home. Between July 1985 and March 1994, 234 patients were involved in the survival study (chosen as an effectiveness indicator), 24% in PM and 76% in NP. The economic appraisal was performed, from the insurer's point of view, on a representative sample of 61 patients and analysed in detail all the ambulatory costs for respiratory care. Patient survival was similar in both types of structures (Cox model). Oxygen therapy represented the largest share of the total ambulatory cost (81.6% in PM and 72.1% in NP). The NP structures were less costly for reasons linked to their preference for concentrator (p = 0.004 in a Wilcoxon test), all the other direct costs being non-statistically different. NP structures had a significant influence on a low level of ambulatory costs (adjusted OR = 10.98, p = 0.0004) in logistic regression. As oxygen treatment plays an important role in the variation of costs, further pragmatic studies should help to better understand what are the real motivations to choose one mode of oxygen administration more than an other and should determine factors that may sometimes lead physicians not to comply with clinical guidelines (actually a quarter of the patients did not have a PaO2 < 60 mmHg).

Aged↗

[Juvenile GM2 gangliosidosis with progressive spinal muscular atrophy onset].

GM2 gangliosidosis are caused by a beta-hexosaminidase A enzyme deficiency. Mutations in the gene leaving residual enzyme activity give rise to juvenile and adult forms of the disease which have a great clinical heterogeneity. We report three cases which have been considered for some time as Kugelberg-Welander disease. beta-hexosaminidase A was determined with the sulfated synthetic substrate, 4-méthylumbelliferyl-N-acetylglucosamine 6-sulfate (4-MUGS), which allowed the diagnosis. Two of these cases from one family had normal values of hexosaminidase A in serum as found in the B1 variant. Compound mutations were detected. The B1 variants had a classical B1 mutation (G533-->A) and a new mutation located on exon 11. The patient of the second family had the classical mutation of adult GM2 gangliosidosis (Gly269-->Ser) and a new mutation on exon 1, at the initiation codon.

Adult↗

[Progressive external ophthalmoplegia of mitochondrial origin: contribution of morphological and molecular studies].

We performed a comparative analysis of the clinical, morphological and molecular characteristics of 62 patients affected with progressive external ophthalmoplegia with ragged-red fibres in muscle. Twenty-seven patients had only muscular disease, and 35 had a multisystemic disease with neurological, cardiac, sensory, or endocrine symptoms. Quantitation of mitochondrial accumulation and numbering of cytochrome c oxidase deficient muscle fibres were done in 43 patients. Muscle mitochondrial DNA deletions were detected, quantitated and localised by Southern Blot analysis. Point mutations were screened in five mitochondrial DNA transfer RNA genes by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis technique. This study further emphasized the relationships between progressive external ophthalmoplegia and mitochondrial DNA mutations that were present in 46/62 patients (40 deletions, 4 h point mutations in the tRNA leucine gene and 2 further families with maternal inheritance but no mutation identified to-date). Family history was positive in 12 patients: 4 with a maternally inherited disease (2 of whom had an identified mitochondrial DNA mutation), and 4 with an autosomal dominant inherited disease, none of which was associated with multiple mitochondrial DNA deletions. Interestingly, 2 of our patients with an identified mitochondrial DNA mutation appeared as sporadic cases. No morphological or molecular parameters was correlated with the tissular extension of the disease. However, mitochondrial DNA deletions were significantly associated with ocular symptoms which had an earlier onset and were more severe. Clinical features of the patients with a multisystemic disease and a mitochondrial DNA deletion were essentially related to Kearns-Sayre syndrome. In particular, a cardiac conduction defect was present in 12 patients out of 18 with a multisystemic disease associated with a mitochondrial DNA deletion; it was never encountered in 17 patients with a multisystemic disease but no mitochondrial DNA deletion.

Adolescent↗

Blunted coronary reserve in myotonic dystrophy. An early and gene-related phenomenon.

BACKGROUND: In myotonic dystrophy (DM), striated muscle is involved in relation to the size of the DNA mutation. Smooth muscle may be similarly impaired at the level of the urinary and digestive apparatus and possibly at the level of small vessels, since microangiopathy has been described in the iris and digital capillaries. Our purpose was to study the function of the myocardial microvasculature in relation to the size of the mutation in DM patients without clinical cardiac involvement and with normal left ventricular dimensions and function and normal large coronary arteries. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 6 control subjects and 10 DM patients, we investigated the coronary blood flow reserve using positron emission tomography with 15O-labeled water. Global and regional flow reserves were obtained from myocardial regions of interest manually drawn on a static FDG image encompassing, respectively, the whole left ventricle and the anterior, septal, and lateral walls. The DNA mutation size was determined on circulating lymphocytes in each DM patient. Compared with control subjects, DM patients had decreased global (2.39 +/- 0.39 versus 4.00 +/- 0.67, P = .00003) and regional (anterior, 2.39 +/- 0.64 versus 3.87 +/- 0.92, P = .002; septal, 2.60 +/- 0.48 versus 4.00 +/- 0.70, P = .0003; lateral, 2.26 +/- 0.58 versus 4.16 +/- 1.11, P = .0005) coronary reserves. In DM patients, the coronary reserve correlated strongly and inversely with the DNA mutation size (r = -.77, P = .009). CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrated that global and regional coronary reserves are impaired, in relation to the DNA mutation size, in symptom-free DM patients with normal ventricular dimensions and function and normal large coronary vessels. We suggest that a gene-related blunted coronary reserve resulting from an impairment of vascular smooth muscle is an early component of DM cardiomyopathy.

Adult↗

Absence of gamma-sarcoglycan (35 DAG) in autosomal recessive muscular dystrophy linked to chromosome 13q12.

We have partially sequenced rabbit skeletal muscle gamma-sarcoglycan, an integral component of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex. Specific antibodies were produced against a gamma-sarcoglycan peptide and used to examine the expression of gamma-sarcoglycan in skeletal muscle of patients with severe childhood autosomal muscular dystrophy linked to chromosome 13q12 (SCARMD). We show by immunofluorescence and Western blotting that in skeletal muscle from these patients gamma-sarcoglycan is completely absent and alpha- and beta-sarcoglycan are greatly reduced in abundance, whereas other components of the DGC are preserved. In addition, we show that in normal muscle alpha-, beta-, and gamma-sarcoglycan constitute a tightly associated sarcolemma complex which cannot be disrupted by SDS treatment.

Animals↗

Elevated levels of complement components C5 and C9 and decreased antitrypsin activity in the serum of patients with X-linked vacuolated myopathy.

We have recently reported a French family presenting with an X-linked vacuolated myopathy. Here we show that levels of complement components C5 and C9 are elevated in the serum of these patients. Moreover, antitrypsin activity is decreased in the serum of the patients. Taken with the deposition of membrane attack complex encountered in muscle tissue, these results emphasize the role of complement in the pathogenesis of this rare muscular disorder.

Complement C5↗

Morphological studies of skeletal muscle in lactic acidosis.

This paper underscores the contribution of routine morphological examination of skeletal muscle in patients with lactic acidosis. Mitochondrial disorders are by far the most common causes of primary lactic acidosis, in which muscle biopsy analysis helps in diagnosis and in the search for the molecular anomalies. Thus, we focus our attention on one particular point: the contribution of the morphological study of muscle biopsy in primary lactic acidosis due to mitochondrial disorders, especially mitochondrial respiratory-chain diseases.

Acidosis, Lactic↗

Human desmin gene: cDNA sequence, regional localization and exclusion of the locus in a familial desmin-related myopathy.

Desmin is a muscle-specific intermediate filament that is encoded by a gene assigned to human chromosome 2q35. Desmin-related myopathies are inherited disorders characterized by an intrasarcoplasmic accumulation of desmin. Recently, the knockout of the desmin gene was shown to generate a myopathic syndrome in transgenic mice, suggesting that functional abnormality of desmin may generate similar clinical symptoms in mouse and human. To determine the potential role of the desmin gene in a well-defined desmin-related myopathy (autosomal dominant form of Fardeau), human desmin cDNAs obtained from affected and unaffected individuals were cloned, sequenced and compared. No obvious mutation was detected. A BssHII restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was identified in exon 6 of the desmin gene. This RFLP was associated with a previously identified EcoRV RFLP in exon 4 to generate a tetra-allelic system, which was tested for linkage to the desmin-related myopathy in three families. The human desmin gene was localized within an 11-cM interval on chromosome 2q using a panel of radiation hybrids. This 11-cM region was clearly excluded by linkage analysis in the three desmin-related myopathy families using a set of highly polymorphic microsatellite markers. These results suggest that the desmin gene is not primarily involved in this disease.

Alternative Splicing↗

Paramyotonia congenita: genotype to phenotype correlations in two families and report of a new mutation in the sodium channel gene.

Sodium channel disorders include hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (hyperPP), paramyotonia congenita (PC) and potassium-aggravated myotonia (PAM). PC is a myotonic syndrome characterized by cold-induced muscle stiffness and weakness. In this paper, we report two families. The first is affected by PC with cold-induced stiffness and no weakness, in addition to hyperPP. This family displays the Arg1448Cys mutation in the sodium channel gene originally described in pure PC families. The fact that families with the same mutation present distinct phenotypes indicates that other factors, genetic or environmental, may modulate the expression of the disease in sodium channel disorders. The second family was unusual because patients presented cold-induced weakness without stiffness. A mutation was found in the sodium channel gene that changed an isoleucine into a threonine at position 693. These two families demonstrate that sodium channel mutations may cause either cold-induced stiffness or weakness.

Adult↗

Chromosome 15-linked limb-girdle muscular dystrophy: clinical phenotypes in Reunion Island and French metropolitan communities.

Erb's type limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) was identified and clinically studied in detail in a small community living in the Reunion Island (RI). It was linked to chromosome 15q and related to mutations in the muscle specific calpain 3 gene. A series of cases were afterwards clinically and genetically identified in the French metropolitan community. The phenotype was identical to the RI type in the great majority of cases, although clinical differences were noticed in a few cases. Six different mutations were identified in the RI families, whereas a series of 39 mutations were detected in the French metropolitan families, all different from those present in the RI patients. Phenotype-genotype correlations were attempted in both communities.

Adolescent↗