NDE1-related disorders: A recurrent NDE1 pathogenic variant causing Lissencephaly 4 can also be associated with microhydranencephaly

NudE Neurodevelopment Protein 1 (NDE1) gene encodes a protein required for microtubule organization, mitosis, and neuronal migration. Biallelic pathogenic variants of NDE1 gene are associated with structural central nervous system abnormalities, specifically microlissencephaly and microhydranencephaly. The root of these different phenotypes remains unclear. Here, we report a 20-year-old male patient referred to our clinics due to severe microcephaly, developmental delay, spastic quadriplegia, and dysmorphic features. The cranial computed tomography revealed abnormal brain structure and excess of cerebrospinal fluid, consistent with microhydranencephaly. A homozygous c.684_685del, p.(Pro229TrpfsTer85) change in NDE1 gene was found by clinical exome analysis. The variant has previously been reported in individuals with microlissencephaly, therefore we propose that the same variant within the gene may cause either microlissencephaly or microhydranencephaly phenotypes. There are only a few papers about NDE1-related disorders in the literature and the patient we described is important to clarify the phenotypic spectrum of the disease.     

Elucidating the relationship between DISC1, NDEL1 and NDE1 and the risk for schizophrenia: evidence of epistasis and competitive binding

DISC1 influences susceptibility to psychiatric disease and related phenotypes. Intact functions of DISC1 and its binding partners, NDEL1 and NDE1, are critical to neurodevelopmental processes aberrant in schizophrenia (SZ). Despite evidence of an NDEL1-DISC1 protein interaction, there have been no investigations of the NDEL1 gene or the relationship between NDEL1 and DISC1 in SZ. We genotyped six NDEL1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 275 Caucasian SZ patients and 200 controls and tested for association and interaction between the functional SNP Ser704Cys in DISC1 and NDEL1. We also evaluated the relationship between NDE1 and DISC1 genotype and SZ. Finally, in a series of in vitro assays, we determined the binding profiles of NDEL1 and NDE1, in relation to DISC1 Ser704Cys. We observed a single haplotype block within NDEL1; the majority of variation was captured by NDEL1 rs1391768. We observed a significant interaction between rs1391768 and DISC1 Ser704Cys, with the effect of NDEL1 on SZ evident only against the background of DISC1 Ser704 homozygosity. Secondary analyses revealed no direct relationship between NDE1 genotype and SZ; however, there was an opposite pattern of risk for NDE1 genotype when conditioned on DISC1 Ser704Cys, with NDE1 rs3784859 imparting a significant effect but only in the context of a Cys-carrying background. In addition, we report opposing binding patterns of NDEL1 and NDE1 to Ser704 versus Cys704, at the same DISC1 binding domain. These data suggest that NDEL1 significantly influences risk for SZ via an interaction with DISC1. We propose a model where NDEL1 and NDE1 compete for binding with DISC1.     

DISC1 duplication in two brothers with autism and mild mental retardation

Crepel A, Breckpot J, Fryns J‐P, De la Marche W, Steyaert J, Devriendt K, Peeters H. DISC1 duplication in two brothers with autism and mild mental retardation. We describe the identification and delineation of an inherited 2.07 Mb microduplication in 1q42.2 in two brothers with autism and mild mental retardation. Since this duplication was not present in 1577 Belgian persons, we consider this as an extremely rare variant which has the potential to provide further insight into the genetics of autism. The duplication contains seven genes including the DISC1 gene, an interesting candidate gene that has been associated to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism and Asperger syndrome. In this report we describe additional analyses undertaken to investigate the causal relationship of the duplication to the autism phenotype. We conclude that the 1q42.2 microduplication probably confers susceptibility to autism in the current family. This study is a typical illustration of the difficult interpretation of causality of a very rare variant in neuropsychiatric disease and the challenge of genetic counselling in a particular family.     

DISC1 is associated with prefrontal cortical gray matter and positive symptoms in schizophrenia

Background

DISC1 is considered a susceptibility gene for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, but little is known regarding the potential mechanisms through which it may confer increased risk. Given that DISC1 plays a role in cerebral cortex development, polymorphisms in this gene may have relevance for neurobiological models of schizophrenia that have implicated cortical deficits in its pathophysiology.

Methods

We investigated whether the DISC1 leu607phe polymorphism was associated with prefrontal gray matter volumes using magnetic resonance imaging in a cohort of patients with schizophrenia (N = 19) and healthy volunteers (N = 25) and positive and negative symptoms in 200 patients with schizophrenia.

Results

Among patients and healthy volunteers, phe carriers (N = 11) had significantly less gray matter in the superior frontal gyrus and anterior cingulate gyrus compared to leu/leu homozygotes (N = 33). Further, among patients left superior frontal gyrus gray matter volume was significantly negatively correlated with severity of hallucinations. In addition, patients who were phe carriers (N = 144) had significantly greater severity of positive symptoms (hallucinations) compared to patients who were leu/leu homozygotes (N = 56).

Discussion

These findings implicate DISC1 in variation of prefrontal cortical volume and positive symptoms, thus providing a potential mechanism through which DISC1 may confer increased risk for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.     

DISC1 exon 11 rare variants found more commonly in schizoaffective spectrum cases than controls

We previously performed a linkage study using families identified through probands meeting criteria for DSM‐IV schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type (SABP) and observed a genome‐wide significant signal (LOD = 3.54) at chromosome 1q42 close to DISC1. An initial sequencing study of DISC1 using 14 unrelated DSM‐IV SABP samples from the linkage study identified 2 non‐synonymous coding SNPs in exon 11 in 2 separate individuals. Here we provide evidence of additional rare coding SNPs within exon 11. In sequencing exon 11 in 506 cases and 1,211 controls for variants that occurred only once, 4 additional rare variants were found in cases (P‐value = 0.008, Fisher's exact trend test). © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Genetic and functional analyses identify DISC1 as a novel callosal agenesis candidate gene

Agenesis of the corpus callosum (AgCC) is a congenital brain malformation that occurs in approximately 1:1,000-1:6,000 births. Several syndromes associated with AgCC have been traced to single gene mutations; however, the majority of AgCC causes remain unidentified. We investigated a mother and two children who all shared complete AgCC and a chromosomal deletion at 1q42. We fine mapped this deletion and show that it includes Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1), a gene implicated in schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, we report a de novo chromosomal deletion at 1q42.13 to q44, which includes DISC1, in another individual with AgCC. We resequenced DISC1 in a cohort of 144 well-characterized AgCC individuals and identified 20 sequence changes, of which 4 are rare potentially pathogenic variants. Two of these variants were undetected in 768 control chromosomes. One of these is a splice site mutation at the 5' boundary of exon 11 that dramatically reduces full-length mRNA expression of DISC1, but not of shorter forms. We investigated the developmental expression of mouse DISC1 and find that it is highly expressed in the embryonic corpus callosum at a critical time for callosal formation. Taken together our results suggest a significant role for DISC1 in corpus callosum development.     

Association analysis of the DISC1 gene with schizophrenia in the Japanese population and DISC1 immunoreactivity in the postmortem brain

The Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) gene plays a role in the regulation of neural development. Previous evidence from genetic association and biological studies implicates the DISC1 gene as having a role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. In the present study, we explored the association between DISC1 missense mutation rs821616 (Ser704Cys) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and four other SNPs (rs1772702, rs1754603, rs821621, rs821624) in the related haplotype block and schizophrenia in the Japanese population. We could not find a significant association of selected SNPs with schizophrenia after correction for multiple testing. We performed a meta-analysis of the Ser704Cys variant in schizophrenia using data from the present study and five previous Japanese population studies, and found no association with schizophrenia. We also examined DISC1 immunoreactivity in postmortem prefrontal cortex specimens of schizophrenia patients compared to control samples. The immunoreactivity revealed a significant decrease of DISC1 protein expression in the schizophrenia samples after ruling out potential confounding factors. However, the Ser704Cys variant did not show effects on DISC1 immunoreactivity. These results provide evidence that this functional genetic variation of DISC1 do not underlie the pathophysiology of schizophrenia in the Japanese population.     

Association study of polymorphisms between DISC1 and schizophrenia in a Korean population

To further clarify schizophrenia (SCZ), disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) is a promising candidate gene expressed predominantly within the hippocampus. Several lines of evidence suggest that DISC1 may be involved in susceptibility to SCZ. In this study, we investigated whether genetic polymorphisms in the coding region of DISC1 were associated with several SCZ clinical phenotypes in a Korean population. To examine any association between DISC1 and SCZ, we genotyped three clinical single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs3738401, R264Q; rs3738402, L465L; rs821616, S704C) in the coding region of the DISC1 gene using the Illumina Sentrix Array Matrix chip and direct sequencing in 303 patients with SCZ and 300 healthy controls. Our case-control analysis showed that none of these SNPs was associated with SCZ. In further endophenotype stratification, however, we found a significant association between rs821616 and the poor concentration subgroup of SCZ, determined using the Operational Criteria Checklist (codominant model, p=0.015). Our results suggest that DISC1 may be a susceptibility gene for poor concentration among Korean patients with SCZ.     

Identification of high risk DISC1 protein structural variants in patients with bipolar spectrum disorder

In a large Scottish pedigree, a balanced translocation t (1;11)(q42.1;q14.3) disrupting the DISC1 and DISC2 genes segregates with major mental illness, including schizophrenia and depression. A frame-shift carboxyl-terminal deletion was reported in DISC1 in an American family with schizophrenia, but subsequently found in two controls. Herein, we test one hypothesis utilizing a large scale case–control mutation analysis: uncommon DISC1 variants are associated with high risk for bipolar spectrum disorder. We have analyzed the regions of likely functional significance in the DISC1 gene in 504 patients with bipolar spectrum disorder and 576 ethnically similar controls. Five patients were heterozygous for ultra-rare protein structural variants not found in the 576 controls (p = 0.02, one-sided Fisher's exact test) and shown to be ultra-rare by their absence in a pool of 10,000 control alleles. In our sample, ultra-rare (private) protein structural variants in DISC1 are associated with an estimated attributable risk of about 0.5% in bipolar spectrum disorder. These data are consistent with: (i) the high frequency of depression in the large Scottish family with a translocation disrupting DISC1; (ii) linkage disequilibrium analysis demonstrating haplotypes associated with relatively small increases in risk for bipolar disorder (<3-fold odds ratio). The data illustrate how low/moderate risk haplotypes that might be found by the HapMap project can be followed up by resequencing to identify protein structural variants with high risk, low frequency and of potential clinical utility.     

Decreased levels of disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) are associated with expansion of the dentate granule cell layer in normal and kindled rats

Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) is a candidate gene involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. DISC1 expression is particularly abundant in the adult dentate gyrus, in which decreased levels lead to aberrant growth, impaired migration, and accelerated integration of adult generated neurons. Because seizures can also result in similar changes, we tested the hypothesis that DISC1 expression may be altered in an animal model of epilepsy. We found that extended amygdala kindling (i.e., 99-electrical stimulations) significantly decreased DISC1 labeling in the dentate granule cell layer and subgranular zone. Extended kindling also led to an increase in the number of ectopic granule cells in the hilus. In addition, although the width of the granule cell layer was not generally affected by kindling, decreased levels of DISC1 in the subgranular zone and granule cell layer were associated with an expansion of the upper blade and crest of the dentate gyrus in both normal and kindled rats. These novel findings suggest that seizure activity affects DISC1 signaling in the dentate gyrus and that DISC1 expression may regulate the cytoarchitectural organization of the granule cell layer.     

Allele-specific regulation of DISC1 expression by miR-135b-5p

Disrupted-in-schizophrenia-1 (DISC1) gene has been established as a risk factor for various neuropsychiatric phenotypes. Both coding and regulatory variants in DISC1 have been identified and associated with these phenotypes in genetic studies. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of protein coding genes. Since the miRNA-mRNA target recognition mechanism is vulnerable to disruption by DNA polymorphisms, we investigated whether polymorphisms in the DISC1 3′UTR affect binding of miRNAs and lead to allele-specific regulation of DISC1. We identified four predicted polymorphic miRNA target sites in the DISC1 3′UTR, and demonstrated that miR-135b-5p regulates the level of DISC1 mRNA. Moreover, DISC1 regulation by miR-135b-5p is allele specific: miR-135b-5p only binds to the major allele (A) of rs11122396, not to the minor allele (G). Thus, the G allele may be functionally related to the DISC1-associated phenotypes by abolishing regulation by miR-135b-5p, leading to elevated DISC1 levels.     

Lissencephaly and LIS1: insights into the molecular mechanisms of neuronal migration and development

Lissencephaly is a severe human neuronal migration defect characterized by a smooth cerebral surface, mental retardation and seizures. LIS1 was first gene cloned in an organism important for neuronal migration, as it was deleted or mutated in patients with lissencephaly in a heterozygous fashion. Studies in model organisms, particularly Aspergillus nidulans, as well as those in the mouse, have uncovered an evolutionarily conserved pathway that involves LIS1 and cytoplasmic dynein. This pathway codes for proteins in a complex with cytoplasmic dynein and positively regulates its conserved function in nuclear migration. This complex appears to be important for proliferation and neuronal survival as well as neuronal migration. One of the components of this complex, NDEL1, is a phosphoprotein that is a substrate for CDK5 (or CDK2 in fibroblasts) and Aurora-A, two mitotic kinases. CDK5-phosphorylated NDEL1 binds to 14-3-3epsilon, which protects it from phosphatase attack. Interestingly, 14-3-3epsilon is located 1 Mb from LIS1 and is heterozygously deleted with LIS1 in patients with a severe form of lissencephaly, Miller-Dieker syndrome. Mouse models confirm that 14-3-3epsilon plays an important role in neuronal migration, and mice that are double heterozygotes for mutations in Lis1 and 14-3-3epsilon, display more severe neuronal migration defects. The identification of LIS1 as the first lissencephaly gene, and the first gene required for neuronal migration has revealed the importance of the regulation of cytoplasmic dynein in the control of neuronal migration by modulating nuclear migration in a pathway conserved in virtually all eukaryotes.     

Families with the risk allele of DISC1 reveal a link between schizophrenia and another component of the same molecular pathway, NDE1

We have previously reported a robust association between an allelic haplotype of 'Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1' (DISC1) and schizophrenia in a nationwide collection of Finnish schizophrenia families. This specific DISC1 allele was later identified to associate with visual working memory, selectively in males. DISC1 association to schizophrenia has since been replicated in multiple independent study samples from different populations. In this study, we conditioned our sample of Finnish families for the presence of the Finnish tentative risk allele for DISC1 and re-analyzed our genome-wide scan data of 443 markers on the basis of this stratification. Two additional loci displayed an evidence of linkage (LOD > 3) and included a locus on 16p13, proximal to the gene encoding NDE1, which has been shown to biologically interact with DISC1. Although none of the observed linkages remained significant after multiple test correction through simulation, further analysis of NDE1 revealed an association between a tag-haplotype and schizophrenia (P = 0.00046) specific to females, which proved to be significant (P = 0.011) after multiple test correction. Our finding would support the concept that initial gene findings in multifactorial diseases will assist in the identification of other components of complex genetic etiology. Notably, this and other converging lines of evidence underline the importance of DISC1-related functional pathways in the etiology of schizophrenia.     

Deletion 16p13.11 uncovers NDE1 mutations on the non‐deleted homolog and extends the spectrum of severe microcephaly to include fetal brain disruption

Deletions of 16p13.11 have been associated with a variety of phenotypes, and have also been found in normal individuals. We report on two unrelated patients with severe microcephaly, agenesis of the corpus callosum, scalp rugae, and a fetal brain disruption (FBD)‐like phenotype with inherited deletions of 16p13.11. The first patient was subsequently found on whole exome sequencing to have a nonsense mutation (p.R44X) in NDE1 on the non‐deleted chromosome 16 homolog. We then undertook copy number studies of 16p13.11 and sequencing of NDE1 in nine additional patients with a similar severe microcephaly, agenesis of the corpus callosum, and FBD‐like phenotype. The second patient was found to have an inherited deletion of the entire NDE1 gene combined with a frameshift mutation (c.1020‐1021het_delGA) in the non‐deleted NDE1. These observations broaden the phenotype seen in NDE1‐related microcephaly to include FBD. These data also represent the second described syndrome, after Bernard‐Soulier syndrome, where an autosomal recessive condition combines an inherited segmental duplication mediated deletion with a mutation in a gene within the non‐deleted homolog. Finally, we performed informatics analysis of the 16p13.11 gene content, and found that there are many genes within the region with evidence for role(s) in brain development. Sequencing of other candidate genes in this region in patients with deletion 16p13.11 and more severe neurophenotypes may be warranted. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Clinical and molecular basis of classical lissencephaly: Mutations in the LIS1 gene (PAFAH1B1)

Classical lissencephaly (LIS) and subcortical band heterotopia (SBH) are related cortical malformations secondary to abnormal migration of neurons during early brain development. Approximately 60% of patients with classical LIS, and one patient with atypical SBH have been found to have deletions or mutations of the LIS1 gene, located on 17p13.3. This gene encodes the LIS1 or PAFAH1B1 protein with a coiled‐coil domain at the N‐terminus and seven WD40 repeats at the C‐terminus. It is highly conserved between species and has been shown to interact with multiple proteins involved with cytoskeletal dynamics, playing a role in both cellular division and motility, as well as the regulation of brain levels of platelet activating factor. Here we report 65 large deletions of the LIS1 gene detected by FISH and 41 intragenic mutations, including four not previously reported, the majority of which have been found as a consequence of the investigation of 220 children with LIS or SBH by our group. All intragenic mutations are de novo, and there have been no familial recurrences. Eight‐eight percent (36/41) of the mutations result in a truncated or internally deleted protein—with missense mutations found in only 12% (5/41) thus far. Mutations occurred throughout the gene except for exon 7, with clustering of three of the five missense mutations in exon 6. Only five intragenic mutations were recurrent. In general, the most severe LIS phenotype was seen in patients with large deletions of 17p13.3, with milder phenotypes seen with intragenic mutations. Of these, the mildest phenotypes were seen in patients with missense mutations. Hum Mutat 19:4–15, 2002. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

DISC1 (Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia 1) is a centrosome-associated protein that interacts with MAP1A,MIPT3, ATF4/5 and NUDEL: regulation and loss of interaction with mutation

Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) is a novel gene associated with schizophrenia by multiple genetic studies. In order to determine how mutations in DISC1 might cause susceptibility to schizophrenia, we undertook a comprehensive study of the cellular biology of DISC1 in its full-length and disease-associated mutant forms. DISC1 interacts by yeast two-hybrid, mammalian two-hybrid, and co-immunoprecipitation assays with multiple proteins of the centrosome and cytoskeletal system, including MIPT3, MAP1A and NUDEL; proteins which localize receptors to membranes, including alpha-actinin2 and beta4-spectrin; and proteins which transduce signals from membrane receptors, including ATF4 and ATF5. Truncated mutant DISC1 fails to interact with ATF4, ATF5 or NUDEL. Deletion mapping demonstrated that DISC1 has distinct interaction domains: MAP1A interacts via its LC2 domain with the N-terminus of DISC1, whereas MIPT3 and NUDEL bind via their C-terminal domains to the central coiled-coil domain of DISC1, and ATF4/5 bind via their C-terminal domains to the C-terminus of DISC1. In its full-length form, DISC1 protein localizes to predominantly perinuclear punctate structures which extend into neurites in some cells; mutant truncated DISC1, by contrast, is seen in a diffuse pattern throughout the cytoplasm and abundantly in neurites. Both forms co-localize with the centrosomal complex, although truncated less abundantly than full-length DISC1. Although both full-length and mutant DISC1 are found in microtubule fractions, neither form of DISC1 appears to bind directly to microtubules, but rather do so in a MIPT3-dependent fashion that is stabilized by taxol. Based on these data, we propose that DISC1 is a multifunctional protein whose truncation contributes to schizophrenia susceptibility by disrupting intracellular transport, neurite architecture and/or neuronal migration, all of which have been hypothesized to be pathogenic in the schizophrenic brain.     

腺苷A1受体基因与精神分裂症的遗传关联分析

目的探讨腺苷A1受体基因(ADORA1)多态性与精神分裂症关联的关系。方法选取ADORA1基因上rs3766558位点采用聚合酶链式反应—限制性片段长度多态性(PCR-RFLP)方法对119例精神分裂症病例,包括88例正常对照组ADORA1基因分型进行检测和进行遗传关联分析。结果病例组和正常对照组基因型分布符合Hard-Weinberg平衡法则,rs3766558单倍型相对风险分析,结果为χ2=6.301,P=0.026和χ2=4.771,P=0.029。差异到达显著(P<0.05)。结论漳州地区人群ADORA1基因rs3766558与精神分裂症存在关联。