AIM： To describe a Chinese family affected by a severe form of Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome （ARS） and characterize the molecular defect in PITX2 in the family. METHODS： Patients presented with typical ARS from a Chin...AIM： To describe a Chinese family affected by a severe form of Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome （ARS） and characterize the molecular defect in PITX2 in the family. METHODS： Patients presented with typical ARS from a Chinese family were investigated. We performed genome- wide linkage scan and exome sequencing to identify the pathogenic mutations, Candidate mutations were verified for co-segregation in the whole pedigree using Sanger sequencing, Real-time polymerase chain reaction （RT- PCR） and Western blotting were performed to verify the expression of the pathogenic gene. RESULTS： Genome-wide linkage and exome sequencing analyses showed PITX2 as the disease candidate gene. A〉G substitution at position -11 of 3＇ss of exon 5 （IVS5- 11A〉G） that co-segregated with the disease phenotype was discovered in the family. The PITX2 messenger ribonucleic acid and protein levels were about 50% lower in patients with ARS than in unaffected family members in the family, CONCLUSION： Our findings implicate the first intronic mutation of the PITX2 gene in the pathogenesis of a severe form of ARS in a Chinese family. This study highlights the importance of a systematic search for intronic mutation in ARS cases for which no mutations in the exons of PITX2 have been found.展开更多
Harlequin ichthyosis (HI) is a severe genetic skin disorder and caused by mutation in the ATP-binding cassette A12 (ABCA12) gene. The retinoid administration has dramatically improved long-term survival of HI, but imp...Harlequin ichthyosis (HI) is a severe genetic skin disorder and caused by mutation in the ATP-binding cassette A12 (ABCA12) gene. The retinoid administration has dramatically improved long-term survival of HI, but improvements are still needed. However, the ABCA12 null mice failed to respond to retinoid treatment, which impedes the development of novel cure strategies for HI. Here we generated an ethylnitrosourea mutagenic HI pig model (named Z9), which carries a novel deep intronic mutation IVS49-727 A>G in the ABCA12 gene, resulting in abnormal mRNA splicing and truncated protein production. Z9 pigs exhibit significant clinical symptom as human patients with HI. Most importantly, systemic retinoid treatment significantly prolonged the life span of the mutant pigs via improving epidermal maturation, decreasing epidermal apoptosis, and triggering the expression of ABCA6. Taken together, this pig model perfectly resembles the clinical symptom and molecular pathology of patients with HI and will be useful for understanding mechanistic insight and developing therapeutic strategies.展开更多
基金Supported by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Funded Project(No.2017M612211)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81300742+2 种基金No.81600721)the Shandong Province Medical and Health Technology Development Project(No.2016WS0265)the Science and Technology Plan of Qingdao(No.15-9-1-35-jch)
文摘AIM： To describe a Chinese family affected by a severe form of Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome （ARS） and characterize the molecular defect in PITX2 in the family. METHODS： Patients presented with typical ARS from a Chinese family were investigated. We performed genome- wide linkage scan and exome sequencing to identify the pathogenic mutations, Candidate mutations were verified for co-segregation in the whole pedigree using Sanger sequencing, Real-time polymerase chain reaction （RT- PCR） and Western blotting were performed to verify the expression of the pathogenic gene. RESULTS： Genome-wide linkage and exome sequencing analyses showed PITX2 as the disease candidate gene. A〉G substitution at position -11 of 3＇ss of exon 5 （IVS5- 11A〉G） that co-segregated with the disease phenotype was discovered in the family. The PITX2 messenger ribonucleic acid and protein levels were about 50% lower in patients with ARS than in unaffected family members in the family, CONCLUSION： Our findings implicate the first intronic mutation of the PITX2 gene in the pathogenesis of a severe form of ARS in a Chinese family. This study highlights the importance of a systematic search for intronic mutation in ARS cases for which no mutations in the exons of PITX2 have been found.
基金the Strategic Priority Research Programs of CAS(XDA16030300)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81671274,31272440,and 31801031)+1 种基金the National Transgenic Project of China(2016ZX08009003-006-007)the Elite Youth Program of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences(ASTIP-IAS05).
文摘Harlequin ichthyosis (HI) is a severe genetic skin disorder and caused by mutation in the ATP-binding cassette A12 (ABCA12) gene. The retinoid administration has dramatically improved long-term survival of HI, but improvements are still needed. However, the ABCA12 null mice failed to respond to retinoid treatment, which impedes the development of novel cure strategies for HI. Here we generated an ethylnitrosourea mutagenic HI pig model (named Z9), which carries a novel deep intronic mutation IVS49-727 A>G in the ABCA12 gene, resulting in abnormal mRNA splicing and truncated protein production. Z9 pigs exhibit significant clinical symptom as human patients with HI. Most importantly, systemic retinoid treatment significantly prolonged the life span of the mutant pigs via improving epidermal maturation, decreasing epidermal apoptosis, and triggering the expression of ABCA6. Taken together, this pig model perfectly resembles the clinical symptom and molecular pathology of patients with HI and will be useful for understanding mechanistic insight and developing therapeutic strategies.
