Models of long-term artificial selection in finite population with recurrent mutation.
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In this study we examined two unrelated patients affected with the lethal variant of junctional epidermolysis bullosa with pyloric atresia (PA-JEB) who were found to carry mutations in the integrin beta4 subunit gene (ITGB4). Although in both patients Northern blot analysis showed only a 50% reduction in the level of ITGB4 transcript, a complete lack (patient 1) or a strong reduction (patient 2) of beta4 immunoreactivity was observed in the skin. Using immunoprecipitation analysis, integrin beta4 could not be visualized in patient 1 cells while a markedly reduced amount (approximately 20%) of normal sized beta4 chains was detected in patient 2. These data suggested the presence of ITGB4 mutations that interfere with both mRNA and protein stability. Using molecular analysis, patient 1 was shown to be a compound heterozygous for a single amino acid deletion (deltaN318) and a not yet identified mutation that induces a very rapid decay of the encoded mRNA transcript. Patient 2 was, instead, a compound heterozygous for a novel 4-bp tandem duplication (4298-4299ins4) and a previously described missense mutation (R252C). Our data support the notion that PA-JEB lethal phenotypes associated with a markedly decreased/absent alpha6beta4 expression can be due not only to the presence of null alleles, but also to specific mutations leading to protein instability and/or altered function.
Haemophilia A is a common disorder of blood coagulation caused by a deficiency of factor VIII. It is inherited as an X-linked recessive trait, and one-third of all cases are thought to result from de novo mutations. The clinical severity of haemophilia A varies markedly among different families and a subset of the patients with severe disease develop antibodies against factor VIII, called inhibitors. Because of this heterogeneity, it is likely that many different molecular lesions result in haemophilia A. Indeed, of the nine mutations described to date, all appear to be unique changes. However in this study of 83 patients with haemophilia A we have identified two different point mutations, one in exon 18 and one in exon 22, that have recurred independently in unrelated families. Each mutation produces a nonsense codon by a change of CG to TG, and each occurred de novo on the X-chromosome donated by the maternal grandfather. These observations strongly support the view that CpG dinucleotides are mutation hotspots.
Hypochondroplasia (MIM 146000) is an autosomal dominant skeletal dysplasia with skeletal features similar to but milder than those seen in achondroplasia. Within the past year, the achondroplasia locus has been mapped to 4p 16.3 (refs 5-7) and mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) gene have been identified in patients with the disorder. More than 95% of 242 cases reported so far are accounted for by a single Gly380Arg mutation. McKusick et al. proposed that achondroplasia and hypochondroplasia are allelic based on the similarities in phenotype between the two disorders and the identification of a severely dwarfed individual whose father had achondroplasia and whose mother had hypochondroplasia. There is also genetic linkage evidence that hypochondroplasia and achondroplasia map to the same locus. We therefore began a systematic screening of FGFR3 to detect mutations in patients with hypochondroplasia. We now report a single FGFR3 mutation found in 8 out of 14 unrelated patients with hypochondroplasia. This mutation causes a C to A transversion at nucleotide 1620, resulting in an Asn540Lys substitution in the proximal tyrosine kinase domain.
Many human Y-chromosomal deletions are thought to severely impair reproductive fitness, which precludes their transmission to the next generation and thus ensures their rarity in the population. Here we report a 1.6-Mb deletion that persists over generations and is sufficiently common to be considered a polymorphism. We hypothesized that this deletion might affect spermatogenesis because it removes almost half of the Y chromosome's AZFc region, a gene-rich segment that is critical for sperm production. An association study established that this deletion, called gr/gr, is a significant risk factor for spermatogenic failure. The gr/gr deletion has far lower penetrance with respect to spermatogenic failure than previously characterized Y-chromosomal deletions; it is often transmitted from father to son. By studying the distribution of gr/gr-deleted chromosomes across the branches of the Y chromosome's genealogical tree, we determined that this deletion arose independently at least 14 times in human history. We suggest that the existence of this deletion as a polymorphism reflects a balance between haploid selection, which culls gr/gr-deleted Y chromosomes from the population, and homologous recombination, which continues to generate new gr/gr deletions.
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder of skeletal malformations and progressive extraskeletal ossification. We mapped FOP to chromosome 2q23-24 by linkage analysis and identified an identical heterozygous mutation (617G --> A; R206H) in the glycine-serine (GS) activation domain of ACVR1, a BMP type I receptor, in all affected individuals examined. Protein modeling predicts destabilization of the GS domain, consistent with constitutive activation of ACVR1 as the underlying cause of the ectopic chondrogenesis, osteogenesis and joint fusions seen in FOP.
Pachyonychia congenita is characterized by hypertrophic nail dystrophy and associated ectodermal features. PC-1 subtype is associated with mutations in keratins 6a or 16, whereas PC-2 subtype is linked to mutations in keratins 6b or 17. The correlation between the mutated gene and the type of PC has generally been consistent. In this report, we describe a case with overlapping clinical features of PC-1 and PC-2 in which a mutation in K6a was identified.
Brooke-Spiegler syndrome is an autosomal dominantly inherited disease with predisposition to neoplasms of the skin appendages. The disease has been mapped to 16q, and mutations in the CYLD gene have been identified in families with this disorder. We describe an individual with BSS exhibiting clinical heterogeneity in which a heterozygous frameshift mutation in CYLD, 2172delA, has been identified. These findings extend the body of evidence that mutations in CYLD are involved in Brooke-Spiegler syndrome and provide additional information for phenotype-genotype correlation.
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In order to investigate the origin(s) of the mutation(s) leading to the beta S-globin gene in North American populations of African ancestry, we analyzed DNA polymorphisms in the beta-globin gene cluster in a large number of both beta A- and beta S-globin gene-bearing chromosomes in U.S. and Jamaican Blacks. We found 16 different haplotypes of polymorphic sites associated with 170 beta S-globin gene-bearing chromosomes. The three most common beta S haplotypes, which account for 151/170 of the beta S-globin gene-bearing chromosomes, are only rarely seen in the chromosomes bearing the beta A-globin gene in these populations (6/47). Two observations suggest multiple origins or interallelic gene conversion, or both, of the beta S mutation. First, the mutation is present in all three beta-globin gene frameworks. Second, the beta S haplotypes can be divided into four groups, each of which cannot be derived from any other by less than two crossing-over events. In summary, our observation of the beta S mutation on 16 different haplotypes in African populations can be best explained by (i) a number of simple recombination events 5' to the beta-globin gene and (ii) up to four independent mutations and/or interallelic gene conversions.
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Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a highly prevalent cause of irreversible blindness which associates cupping of the optic disc and alteration of the visual field, elevation of intraocular pressure being a major risk factor. Provided diagnosis is made at an early stage, treatments are available to prevent visual impairment. A locus, GLC1A, has been mapped on chromosome 1q23-q25 in several families affected with juvenile-onset POAG (JOAG) and also in some families affected with juvenile and middle-age onset POAG. Recently, three mutations of the TIGR (Trabecular meshwork-Induced Glucocorticoid Response) gene were shown to be responsible for the disease in several American families and in unrelated POAG patients. We now describe five new mutations in eight French families. All mutations known to date appear to concentrate in the evolutionarily conserved C-terminal domain of TIGR which bears homology to frog olfactomedin, an extracellular matrix glycoprotein of the olfactory epithelium, to rat and human neuronal olfactomedin-related proteins and to F11C3.2, a protein from Caenorhabditis elegans . Moreover, this conserved domain of TIGR is encoded by a single exon to which mutation screening could be limited. Surprisingly, the TIGR message, which is abundantly transcribed in the trabecular meshwork and also in the ciliary body and the sclera, is not expressed in the optic nerve whose degeneration is, however, the primary lesion of POAG.
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The molecular basis of hereditary type I and type II protein C deficiency was studied in a panel of 14 unrelated Austrian families. By direct sequencing of the nine exons and their splice junctions sequence alterations were found in one of the protein C alleles in all but one subject. In twelve subjects a single alteration was found whereas in one subject one of the protein C alleles carried two sequence abnormalities. Whenever DNA from family members was available (11 of the 14 cases) cosegregation of the protein C deficiency with the mutation was observed. In contrast to what has been found previously in a panel of Dutch patients with hereditary protein C deficiency, none of the 14 mutations occurred in more than one family. Only two of the genetic defects (157Arg-->Stop and 178Arg-->Gln) have been found previously in other geographic locations. These data confirm the large genetic heterogeneity of protein C deficiency.
Identification of mutations in the hairless (HR) gene in patients with atrichia with papular lesions (APL) has proven of critical importance, as it provides a basis for the differentiation between APL and alopecia universalis. The establishment of the diagnostic criteria for APL has triggered the identification of a large number of APL patients among those suspected to suffer from alopecia universalis. This advancement has resulted in the discovery of an increasing number of hairless mutations in both consanguineous and nonconsanguineous APL families. Here, we report the identification of a homozygous mutation, 3434delC, in an APL patient of Arab-Palestinian descent. The proband is a 23-year-old female with generalized scalp and body alopecia. To confirm the diagnosis of APL and to identify the specific mutation, we sequenced the hairless gene. Sequencing of all exons of the hairless gene revealed a homozygous frameshift mutation, 3434delC, in exon 18. Interestingly, the same mutation was previously identified in an Arab-Israeli family. Our data suggest that the 3434delC mutation most likely represents a founder mutation in this geographical region.
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