A stop codon mutation in the CBFA 1 gene causes cleidocranial dysplasia.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
SEARCH · Search PubMed
Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Amorphic mutations in the NF- kappa B essential modulator (NEMO) cause X-dominant incontinentia pigmenti, which is lethal in males in utero, whereas hypomorphic mutations cause X-recessive anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia with immunodeficiency, a complex developmental disorder and life-threatening primary immunodeficiency. We characterized the NEMO mutation 110_111insC, which creates the most-upstream premature translation termination codon (at codon position 49) of any known NEMO mutation. Surprisingly, this mutation is associated with a pure immunodeficiency. We solve this paradox by showing that a Kozakian methionine codon located immediately downstream from the insertion allows the reinitiation of translation. The residual production of an NH(2)-truncated NEMO protein was sufficient for normal fetal development and for the subsequent normal development of skin appendages but was insufficient for the development of protective immune responses.
All mitochondrial tRNAs in kinetoplastid protists are encoded in the nucleus and imported into the organelle. The tRNA(Trp)(CCA) can decode the standard UGG tryptophan codon but can not decode the mitochondrial UGA tryptophan codon. We show that the mitochondrial tRNA(Trp) undergoes a specific C to U nucleotide modification in the first position of the anticodon, which allows decoding of mitochondrial UGA codons as tryptophan. Functional evidence for the absence of a UGA suppressor tRNA in the cytosol, using a reporter gene, was also obtained, which is consistent with a mitochondrial localization of this editing event. Leishmania cells have dealt with the problem of a lack of expression within the organelle of this non-universal tRNA by compartmentalizing an editing activity that modifies the anticodon of the imported tRNA.
GGTenul, a recently described genetic murine model of gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) deficiency, was induced by the point mutagen N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea and is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. The phenotype of systemic GGT deficiency suggested a mutation site within the cDNA coding region which is common in all GGT transcripts. To identify this site, total lung and kidney RNA was isolated from normal and mutant mice, amplified by RT-PCR using GGT-specific primers, cloned as two overlapping approximately 1 kb GGT cDNA fragments, sequenced and compared with that in the literature. A single base pair substitution was identified in the coding region at position 237, where thymidine became adenine, and this mutation replaced a leucine codon, TTG, with a termination codon, TAG. This mutation site was confirmed in mutant genomic DNA by PCR using primers that flanked the predicted site and spanned the intron between the common GGT non-coding exon and the first GGT coding exon. This PCR product was sequenced directly with the secondary 3' PCR primer, the mutation site identified and the protocol then utilized to genotype animals. In addition to this mutation, the steady-state level of GGT mRNA in mutant kidney is reduced 3-fold compared with the control. Heterodimeric GGT protein is not detectable by western blot in either whole kidney homogenate or a microsomal membrane fraction. The steady-state mRNA level of gamma-glutatmyl cysteinyl synthetase was unchanged in mutant mice compared with normal, but that of heme oxygenase-1 and Cu,Zn-SOD was induced 4- and 3-fold, respectively. Hence, the GGTenul mouse model of GGT deficiency results from a single point mutation in the first coding exon of GGT mRNA and the resulting impairment in glutathione turnover induces oxidative stress in the kidney.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) constitute the most common type of genetic variation in humans. SNPs introducing premature termination codons (PTCs), herein called X-SNPs, can alter the stability and function of transcripts and proteins and thus are considered to be biologically important. Initial studies suggested a strong selection against such variations/mutations. In this study, we undertook a genome-wide systematic screening to identify human X-SNPs using the dbSNP database. Our results demonstrated the presence of 28 X-SNPs from 28 genes with known minor allele frequencies. Eight X-SNPs (28.6 per cent) were predicted to cause transcript degradation by nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. Seventeen X-SNPs (60.7 per cent) resulted in moderate to severe truncation at the C-terminus of the proteins (deletion of >50 per cent of the amino acids). The majority of the X-SNPs (78.6 per cent) represent commonly occurring SNPs, by contrast with the rarely occurring disease-causing PTC mutations. Interestingly, X-SNPs displayed a non-uniform distribution across human populations: eight X-SNPs were reported to be prevalent across three different human populations, whereas six X-SNPs were found exclusively in one or two population(s). In conclusion, we have systematically investigated human SNPs introducing PTCs with respect to their possible biological consequences, distributions across different human populations and evolutionary aspects. We believe that the SNPs reported here are likely to affect gene/protein function, although their biological and evolutionary roles need to be further investigated.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
To investigate the role that translation plays in the stabilization of the IL-2 mRNA, we inhibited protein synthesis in both cis and trans. To block translation in trans, we utilized the inhibitors puromycin (PUR) and cycloheximide (CHX), which differentially effect polysome structure. We found that CHX enhances the stability of IL-2 mRNA in cells stimulated with anti-TCR Ab alone, but it inhibits CD28-induced message stabilization in costimulated cells. In contrast, PUR had a minimal effect on IL-2 mRNA stability in either the presence or absence of costimulation. The differential effects of these two inhibitors suggest that: 1) CHX is unlikely to stabilize the IL-2 mRNA by inhibiting the expression of a labile RNase; 2) CD28-mediated IL-2 mRNA stabilization does not require translation; and 3) IL-2 mRNA decay is not coupled to translation. To block translation in cis, we generated sequence-tagged IL-2 genomic reporters that contain a premature termination codon (PTC). In both the presence and absence of costimulation, these PTC-containing mRNAs exhibit drastically diminished stability. Interestingly, the addition of CHX but not PUR completely restored CD28-mediated stabilization, suggesting that CHX can block the enhanced decay induced by a PTC. Finally, CHX was able to superinduce IL-2 mRNA levels in anti-TCR Ab-stimulated cells but not in CD28-costimulated cells, suggesting that CHX may also act by other mechanisms.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.