Germline LEMD3 mutations are rare in sporadic patients with isolated melorheostosis

To further explore the allelic heterogeneity within the group of LEMD3-related disorders, we have screened a larger series of patients including 5 probands with osteopoikilosis or Buschke-Ollendorff syndrome (BOS), 2 families with the co-occurrence of melorheostosis and BOS, and 12 unrelated patients with isolated melorheostosis. Seven novel LEMD3 mutations were identified, all predicted to result in loss-of-function of the protein. We confirm that loss-of-function mutations in the LEMD3 gene can result in either osteopoikilosis or BOS. However, LEMD3 germline mutations were only found in two melorheostosis patients belonging to a different BOS family and one sporadic patient with melorheostosis. The additional presence of osteopoikilosis lesions in these patients seemed to distinguish them from the group of sporadic melorheostosis patients where no germline LEMD3 mutation was identified. Somatic mosaicism for a LEMD3 mutation in the latter group was also not observed, and therefore we must conclude that the genetic defect in the majority of sporadic and isolated melorheostosis remains unknown.     

Osteopoikilosis and multiple exostoses caused by novel mutations in <Emphasis Type="Italic">LEMD3</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">EXT1</Emphasis> genes respectively - coincidence within one family

Background  

Osteopoikilosis is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disorder, characterised by the occurrence of the hyperostotic spots preferentially localized in the epiphyses and metaphyses of the long bones, and in the carpal and tarsal bones [1]. Heterozygous LEMD3 gene mutations were shown to be the primary cause of the disease [2]. Association of the primarily asymptomatic osteopokilosis with connective tissue nevi of the skin is categorized as Buschke-Ollendorff syndrome (BOS) [3]. Additionally, osteopoikilosis can coincide with melorheostosis (MRO), a more severe bone disease characterised by the ectopic bone formation on the periosteal and endosteal surface of the long bones [4–6]. However, not all MRO affected individuals carry germ-line LEMD3 mutations [7]. Thus, the genetic cause of MRO remains unknown. Here we describe a familial case of osteopoikilosis in which a novel heterozygous LEMD3 mutation coincides with a novel mutation in EXT1, a gene involved in aetiology of multiple exostosis syndrome. The patients affected with both LEMD3 and EXT1 gene mutations displayed typical features of the osteopoikilosis. There were no additional skeletal manifestations detected however, various non-skeletal pathologies coincided in this group.     

Melorheostosis in a patient with familial osteopoikilosis

We report on a 40-year-old woman with melorheostosis who also had radiographic findings of generalized osteopoikilosis. Three of her sibs have osteopoikilosis, but none of them have melorheostosis. Several cases of “mixed sclerosing bone dysplasia” have been described previously, and all have been sporadic. Isolated melorheostosis without osteopoikilosis is also generally a sporadic condition, but osteopoikilosis has been described as an autosomal-dominant trait. The finding of mixed sclerosing bone dysplasia in a family with osteopoikilosis suggests that the melorheostotic component of this disorder may be due to a second mutation at the same locus that causes isolated familial osteopoikilosis. Am. J. Med. Genet. 72:43–46, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Melorheostosis in a family with autosomal dominant osteopoikilosis

We describe a 19-year-old woman with melorheostosis and osteopoikilosis (mixed sclerosing bone dysplasia). Her sister and mother had osteopoikilosis, but no evidence of melorheostosis. Isolated melorheostosis and melorheostosis with osteopoikilosis are sporadic disorders. Osteopoikilosis is an autosomal dominant trait. Mixed sclerosing bone dysplasia in a family with autosomal dominant osteopoikilosis raises the possibility that the two bone disorders may be related. This family and that of Butkus et al. [1997: Am J Med Genet 72:43-46] suggest that the melorheostosis could be due to a second mutation at the same locus as that which causes autosomal dominant osteopoikilosis.     

Refinement of the 12q14 microdeletion syndrome: primordial dwarfism and developmental delay with or without osteopoikilosis

In their studies on the molecular basis of osteopoikilosis, Menten et al have identified three individuals with microdeletions on chromosome 12q14.4, which removed several genes including LEMD3, the osteopoikilosis gene. In addition to osteopoikilosis, affected individuals had growth retardation and developmental delay. We now report a smaller 12q14.4 microdeletion in a boy with severe pre and postnatal growth failure, and mild developmental delay; the patient was small at birth and presented with poor feeding and failure to thrive during the first 2 years of life, similar to the phenotype of primordial dwarfism or severe Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS). The 12q14 deletion did not include LEMD3, and no signs of osteopoikilosis were observed on skeletal radiographs. Among the deleted genes, HMGA2 is of particular interest in relationship to the aberrant somatic growth in our patient, as HMGA2 variants have been linked to stature variations in the general population and loss of function of Hmga2 in the mouse results in the pygmy phenotype that combines pre and postnatal growth failure, with resistance to the adipogenic effect of overfeeding. Sequencing of the remaining HMGA2 allele in our patient showed a normal sequence, suggesting that HMGA2 haploinsufficiency may be sufficient to produce the aberrant growth phenotype. We conclude that the 12q14.4 microdeletion syndrome can occur with or without deletion of LEMD3 gene; in LEMD3-intact cases, the phenotype includes primordial short stature and failure to thrive with moderate developmental delay, but osteopoikilosis is absent. Such cases will likely be diagnosed as Silver-Russell-like or as primordial dwarfism.     

Melorheostosis in a family with autosomal dominant osteopoikilosis: report of a third family

We describe a three-generation family with clinical and radiological findings of osteopoikilosis in five and melorheostosis in one individual. The co-occurrence of both rare bone disorders suggests that both conditions might be related as suggested previously by Butkus et al. [1997: Am J Med Genet 72:43-46] and Nevin et al. [1999: Am J Med Genet 82:409-414]. The findings in this family strengthen the hypothesis that osteopoikilosis is an autosomal dominant condition and that an early postzygotic second hit mutation in the second allele results in melorheostosis.     

Melorheostosis may originate as a type 2 segmental manifestation of osteopoikilosis

Melorheostosis is a non-hereditary disorder involving the bones in a segmental pattern, whereas osteopoikilosis is a rather mild disseminated bone disorder inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. Interestingly, melorheostosis and osteopoikilosis may sometimes occur together. In analogy to various autosomal dominant skin disorders for which a type 2 segmental manifestation has been postulated, melorheostosis may be best explained in such cases as a type 2 segmental osteopoikilosis, resulting from early loss of the corresponding wild type allele at the gene locus of this autosomal dominant bone disorder.     

Mutation analysis of the FLCN gene in Chinese patients with sporadic and familial isolated primary spontaneous pneumothorax

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is a common manifestation of Birt–Hogg–Dubé syndrome caused by folliculin gene ( FLCN ) mutation, which is also found in isolated familial PSP cases. A complete genetic analysis of FLCN was performed in 102 unrelated Chinese patients with isolated PSP and 21 of their family members. Three novel mutations (c.924_926del, c.1611_1631del and c.1740C>T) and a previously reported mutation (c.1733insC) were identified in five familial and five sporadic PSP patients. Of the 21 family members of patients with PSP including 3 previous considered as sporadic, 4 (19%) had history of at least one episode of PSP and 9 (43%) were FLCN mutant carriers without PSP. Seven of the nine (78%) mutant carriers had pulmonary cysts detected by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). Although c.924_926del and c.1611_1631del were found in eight patients from the same geographic district, haplotype analysis demonstrated that they did not share the same affected haplotype, thus excluding common ancestry. This study first demonstrates that FLCN mutation contributes to not only familial but also 'apparently sporadic' patients with isolated PSP. It suggests that mutation analysis and HRCT scan may be recommended for first-degree family members of PSP patients with FLCN mutations, irrespective of their family history status of PSP.     

VCP mutations in familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Mutations in the valosin-containing protein (VCP) gene were recently reported to be the cause of 1%-2% of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases. VCP mutations are known to cause inclusion body myopathy (IBM) with Paget's disease (PDB) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The presence of VCP mutations in patients with sporadic ALS, sporadic ALS-FTD, and progressive muscular atrophy (PMA), a known clinical mimic of inclusion body myopathy, is not known. To determine the identity and frequency of VCP mutations we screened a cohort of 93 familial ALS, 754 sporadic ALS, 58 sporadic ALS-FTD, and 264 progressive muscular atrophy patients for mutations in the VCP gene. Two nonsynonymous mutations were detected; 1 known mutation (p.R159H) in a patient with familial ALS with several family members suffering from FTD, and 1 mutation (p.I114V) in a patient with sporadic ALS. Conservation analysis and protein prediction software indicate the p.I114V mutation to be a rare benign polymorphism. VCP mutations are a rare cause of familial ALS. The role of VCP mutations in sporadic ALS, if present, appears limited.     

Endolymphatic sac tumor (aggressive papillary tumor of middle ear and temporal bone): report of two cases with analysis of the VHL gene

Endolymphatic sac tumor (Heffner tumor) (ELST) is a very rare nonmetastasizing, locally aggressive low-grade adenocarcinoma of endolymphatic sac origin, which is linked to von-Hippel-Lindau disease (VHLD). VHLD is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by an inherited genetic abnormality of the VHL gene located on the short arm of chromosome 3 (3p26-p25). VHL gene mutations have been shown both in ELSTs associated with VHLD and in sporadic cases. Because of the rarity of ELST, only a small number of cases have been subjected to molecular genetic analysis. We have encountered two patients with ELST, one of whom presented with a medical and family history of VHLD. The second was a sporadic case, the patient having no symptoms of VHLD. The tissues obtained from Heffner tumor and cerebellar hemangioblastoma from the patient with inherited VHLD possess a point mutation in exon 1 of VHL gene. This mutation is a C to T exchange at position 194, resulting in amino acid exchange S65L. No mutation was found in any of the three exons analyzed and in the exon-intron junctions of the VHL gene in the sporadic case.     

抗维生素D佝偻病PHEX基因突变分析

目的 研究10例家族性及非家族性(散发)抗维生素D佝偻病患者PHEX基因突变,初步探讨我国东北地区抗维生素D佝偻病患者PHEX基因突变的类型.方法 应用常规饱和酚-氯仿法提取基因组DNA,聚合酶链反应扩增PHEX基因22个外显子序列,DGGE方法结合测序检测突变.结果 3名患者检测出PHEX基因突变:患者(H11)检测出16外显子上游46 bp(T>C)突变;患者(H1,H2)检测出18外显子1861(C>T)(Gin621X)的无义突变.结论 PHEX基因突变是抗维生素D佝偻病的致病原因.检测到的这两种PHEX基因突变为国际上首次报道的新的突变类型.     

Osteopoikilosis, short stature and mental retardation as key features of a new microdeletion syndrome on 12q14

This report presents the detection of a heterozygous deletion at chromosome 12q14 in three unrelated patients with a similar phenotype consisting of mild mental retardation, failure to thrive in infancy, proportionate short stature and osteopoikilosis as the most characteristic features. In each case, this interstitial deletion was found using molecular karyotyping. The deletion occurred as a de novo event and varied between 3.44 and 6 megabases (Mb) in size with a 3.44 Mb common deleted region. The deleted interval was not flanked by low-copy repeats or segmental duplications. It contains 13 RefSeq genes, including LEMD3, which was previously shown to be the causal gene for osteopoikilosis. The observation of osteopoikilosis lesions should facilitate recognition of this new microdeletion syndrome among children with failure to thrive, short stature and learning disabilities.     

Two Mutations of the C7 Gene, c.1424G > A and c.281-1G > T, in Two Korean Families

Complement C7 deficiency is associated with increased susceptibility to meningococcal infection. The genetic alterations of C7 deficiency are known to be sporadic and heterogeneous worldwide. We investigated molecular basis of C7 deficiency in two unrelated Korean families, in which the index cases suffered from meningococcal meningitis. Exon-specific PCR and direct sequencing of the C7 gene revealed two different mutations: c.1424G > A and c.281-1G > T. In family 1, index case and her brother revealed a homozygous mis-sense mutation (c.1424G > A), a novel mutation, which results in the change of cysteine to tyrosine (C475Y) in exon 10. Index case in family 2 was found to be a homozygote carrying point mutation at the 3′ splice acceptor site of intron 3 (c.281-1G > T), which was previously reported in a Korean C7-deficient subject.     

Detection of Molecular Alterations in Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Using Next-Generation Sequencing: an Institutional Experience

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) harbors rearranged during transfection (RET) gene and rarely RAS gene mutations. The knowledge of the type of gene mutation in MTC is important to determine the treatment of the patients and the management of their family members. Targeted next-generation sequencing with a panel of 47 genes was performed in a total of 12 cases of sporadic (9/12) and hereditary MTC (3/12). Two of three hereditary MTCs had RET/C634R mutation, while the other one harbored two RET mutations (L790F and S649L). All the sporadic MTC had RET/M918T mutation except one case with HRAS mutation. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) can provide comprehensive analysis of molecular alterations in MTC in a routine clinical setting, which facilitate the management of the patient and the family members.     

河南省一例致死性家族性失眠症病例研究

目的 调查和研究报道1例散发型致死性家族性失眠症(sporadic Family Fatal isomnia,sFFI)的临床症状,分析人类朊病毒病(Human prion protein,PrP)基因特征.方法 随访调查1例疑为FFI患者的临床特征和家族发病史;采集患者脑脊液及抗凝全血标本后Western-Blot检测14-3-3脑蛋白及常染色体PrP基因突变及测序分析;采集患者家族成员抗凝全血进行PrP基因突变检测.结果 根据患者的临床表现及PrP基因检测结果,PrP呈D178N/129M/M突变基因型;且脑蛋白14-3-3阳性,这在以往少有报道,提示今后在临床鉴别、诊断人类克.雅病(CJD)与FFI患者时,应注重甄别临床症状及实验室结果;14名直系及旁系家族成员PrP基因均未出现突变,且家族内无其他人患类似疾病.结论 该患者为致死性家族性失眠症单发性病例;患者的临床表现及PrP基因突变检测对甄别单发、家族聚集性的致死性失眠症及人类CJD作用重大.该FFI病例为我国首次报道,具有较大的临床意义和科研意义.     

FBN1新生突变引起的马凡综合征及其基因型-表型的关联研究

 目的: 本研究对2个不同马凡综合征(Marfan syndrome)的小家系进行致病基因FBN1的编码区和剪切位点突变检测,以寻找致病的突变,并初步探索马凡综合征基因型-表型的关联。方法: 通过临床检查、实验室检查及心脏超声检查确诊2个无血缘关系的家庭中原疑似为马凡综合征的3例患者。运用新一代测序对家系1的疑似患者行FBN1基因的全外显子组测序,并对检出的致病性遗传变异进行Sanger验证及在所有家系成员中验证;对于家系2的存活成员,本研究直接进行PCR扩增FBN1基因的所有编码区及剪切位点,对产物进行直接Sanger测序。另外在50个正常对照中对新发现的突变位点进行基于PCR产物的测序分析,以排除多态性;并对实验结果行生物信息学分析。结果: 所有存活的疑似患者均确诊为马凡综合征。在家系1中,我们检测到了一个FBN1基因数据库中尚未报道的新突变c.4685G>A(p.Cys1562Tyr),并且患者父母和同胞姐姐均未检测到此变异,故此突变为一个新生突变。该错义突变使第1562位上极性中性的含硫的半胱氨酸被极性中性的含羟苯基的酪氨酸所替代,影响了fibrillin-1蛋白一个TGF-β结合结构域,导致蛋白质的二级结构发生改变。家系2含父母及一对同卵双胎患者,其中一患者已去世。我们在存活患者检测到1个FBN1基因的已报道致病突变c.3706T>C(p.Cys1236Arg),该突变在患者父母中不存在,故也为新生突变。结论: 本文报道了一例FBN1基因的新突变及另一例由FBN1基因已知突变引起的马凡综合征,二者皆为新生突变,并在家系中进行了基因型-表型的比较,表明家系1的新突变可能与经典马凡综合征的表型相关,而家系2的已知突变确和新生儿重症马凡综合征表型相关。     

Novel heterozygous nonsense mutation of the OPTN gene segregating in a Danish family with ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. About 10% of ALS cases are familial (FALS) and the genetic defect is known only in approximately 20%-30% of these cases. The most common genetic cause of ALS is SOD1 (superoxide dismutase 1) mutation. Very recently, mutations of the optineurin gene (OPTN), which is involved in open-angle glaucoma, were identified in 3 Japanese patients/families with ALS, and subsequently in a few FALS patients of European descent. We found a heterozygous nonsense mutation (c.493C>T, p.Gln165X, exon 6) in the OPTN gene in a Danish patient with ALS, and the mutation segregated from his affected father. The p.Gln165X mutation could not be detected in 1070 healthy Danish controls, in 1000 Danish individuals with metabolic phenotypes or in 64 sporadic ALS (SALS) cases. The p.Gln165X mutation described in this study is the first mutation reported in a Danish family and is likely involved in disease pathogenesis. Until now, only few OPTN mutations have been associated with ALS. As the underlying genetic defect is known only in approximately 20%-30% of FALS families, further screening of these cases is necessary for establishing the contribution of OPTN mutations in disease pathogenesis.     

Screening for VPS35 mutations in Parkinson's disease

Recently 2 groups have independently identified a mutation in the gene 'vacuolar protein sorting 35 homolog' (VPS35 c.1858G>A; p.Asp620Asn) as a possible cause of autosomal dominant Parkinson's disease (PD). In order to assess the frequency of the reported mutation and to search for other possible disease-causing variants in this gene, we sequenced all 17 exons of VPS35 in 96 familial PD cases, and exon 15 (in which the reported mutation is found) in an additional 64 familial PD cases, 175 young-onset PD cases, and 262 sporadic, neuropathologically confirmed PD cases. We identified 1 individual with the p.Asp620Asn mutation and an autosomal dominant family history of PD. Subsequent follow-up of the family confirmed an affected sibling and cousin who also carried the same mutation. No other potentially disease-causing mutations were identified. We conclude that the VPS35 c.1858G>A mutation is an uncommon cause of familial Parkinson's disease in our population.