Five novel SLC7A7 variants and y+L gene-expression pattern in cultured lymphoblasts from Japanese patients with lysinuric protein intolerance

Two distinct human light subunits of the heteromeric amino acid transporter, y+LAT-1 coded by SLC7A7 and y+LAT-2 coded by SLC7A6, are both known to induce transport system y+L activity. SLC7A7 has already been identified as the gene responsible for lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI). We successfully identified five novel SLC7A7 variants (S238F, S489P, 1630delC, 1673delG, and IVS3-IVS5del9.7kb) in Japanese patients with LPI by PCR amplification and direct DNA sequencing. In addition, we performed a semi-quantitative expression analysis of SLC7A7 and SLC7A6 in human tissue. In normal tissue, the gene-expression ratio of SLC7A6 to SLC7A7 was high in the brain, muscle, and cultured skin fibroblasts; low in the kidneys and small intestine; and at an intermediate level in peripheral blood leukocytes, the lungs, and cultured lymphoblasts. The gene-expression ratio of SLC7A6 to SLC7A7 in cultured lymphoblasts was significantly different between normal subjects and LPI patients with R410X and/or S238F, where the relative amount of SLC7A7 mRNA was significantly lower and the relative amount of SLC7A6 mRNA was statistically higher in affected lymphoblasts than in normal cells. Expression of SLC7A7 and SLC7A6 may thus be interrelated in cultured lymphoblasts.     

Lysinuric protein intolerance: reviewing concepts on a multisystem disease

Lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI) is an inherited aminoaciduria caused by defective cationic amino acid transport at the basolateral membrane of epithelial cells in intestine and kidney. LPI is caused by mutations in the SLC7A7 gene, which encodes the y(+)LAT-1 protein, the catalytic light chain subunit of a complex belonging to the heterodimeric amino acid transporter family. LPI was initially described in Finland, but has worldwide distribution. Typically, symptoms begin after weaning with refusal of feeding, vomiting, and consequent failure to thrive. Hepatosplenomegaly, hematological anomalies, neurological involvement, including hyperammonemic coma are recurrent clinical features. Two major complications, pulmonary alveolar proteinosis and renal disease are increasingly observed in LPI patients. There is extreme variability in the clinical presentation even within individual families, frequently leading to misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis. This condition is diagnosed by urine amino acids, showing markedly elevated excretion of lysine and other dibasic amino acids despite low plasma levels of lysine, ornithine, and arginine. The biochemical diagnosis can be uncertain, requiring confirmation by DNA testing. So far, approximately 50 different mutations have been identified in the SLC7A7 gene in a group of 142 patients from 110 independent families. No genotype-phenotype correlation could be established. Therapy requires a low protein diet, low-dose citrulline supplementation, nitrogen-scavenging compounds to prevent hyperammonemia, lysine, and carnitine supplements. Supportive therapy is available for most complications with bronchoalveolar lavage being necessary for alveolar proteinosis.     

Novel SLC7A7 large rearrangements in lysinuric protein intolerance patients involving the same AluY repeat

Lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI) is a rare autosomal inherited disease caused by defective cationic aminoacid transport 4F2hc/y(+)LAT-1 at the basolateral membrane of epithelial cells in the intestine and kidney. LPI is a multisystemic disease with a variety of clinical symptoms such as hepatosplenomegaly, osteoporosis, hypotonia, developmental delay, pulmonary insufficiency or end-stage renal disease. The SLC7A7 gene, which encodes the y(+)LAT-1 protein, is mutated in LPI patients. Mutation analysis of the promoter localized in intron 1 and all exons of the SLC7A7 gene was performed in 11 patients from 9 unrelated LPI families. Point mutation screening was performed by exon direct sequencing and a new multiplex ligation probe amplification (MLPA) assay was set up for large rearrangement analysis. Eleven SLC7A7-specific mutations were identified, seven of them were novel: p.L124P, p.C425R, p.R468X, p.Y274fsX21, c.625+1G>C, DelE4-E11 and DelE6-E11. The novel large deletions originated by the recombination of Alu repeats at introns 3 and 5, respectively, with the same AluY sequence localized at the SLC7A7 3' region. The novel MLPA assay is robust and valuable for LPI molecular diagnosis. Our results suggest that genomic rearrangements of SLC7A7 play a more important role in LPI than has been reported, increasing the detection rate from 5.1 to 21.4%. Moreover, the 3' region AluY repeat could be a recombination hot spot as it is involved in 38% of all SLC7A7 rearranged chromosomes described so far.     

Molecular Genetic Analysis of SLC3A1 and SLC7A9 Genes in Czech and Slovak Cystinuric Patients

Cystinuria is a frequently inherited metabolic disorder in the Czech population (frequency 1/5,600) caused by a defect in the renal transport of cystine and dibasic amino acids (arginine, lysine and ornithine). The disease is characterized by increased urinary excretion of the amino acids and often leads to recurrent nephrolithiasis. Cystinuria is classified into two subtypes (type I and type non‐I). Type I is caused predominantly by mutations in the SLC3A1 gene (2p16.3), encoding heavy subunit (rBAT) of the heterodimeric transporter. Cystinuria non‐I type is caused by mutations in the SLC7A9 gene (19q13.1). In this study, we present results of molecular genetic analysis of the SLC3A1 and the SLC7A9 genes in 24 unrelated cystinuria families. Individual exons of the SLC3A1 and SLC7A9 genes were analyzed by direct sequencing. We found ten different mutations in the SLC3A1 gene including six novel ones: three missense mutations (G140R), D179Y and R365P), one splice site mutation (1137‐2A>G), one deletion (1515_1516delAA), and one nonsense mutation (Q119X). The most frequent mutation, M467T; was detected in 36% of all type I classified alleles. In the SLC7A9 gene we found six mutations including three new ones: one missense mutation (G319R), one insertion (611_612insA) and one deletion (205_206delTG). One patient was compound heterozygote for one SLC3A1 and one SLC7A9 mutation. Our results confirm that cystinuria is a heterogeneous disorder at the molecular level, and contribute to the understanding of the distribution and frequency of mutations causing cystinuria in the Caucasian population.     

精氨酸转运功能异常相关基因SLC7A2的研究

精氨酸是细胞和有机体生存所必需的,其转运主要依赖于Na+非依赖性、pH不敏感的y+型转运体.其中,SLC7A2基因编码的阳离子氨基酸转运体2(CAT2)是介导精氨酸转运的重要转运体之一.本文就SLC7A2基因及CAT2的功能及此转运体功能异常与疾病的关系作一综述.     

Identification of 12 novel mutations in the SLC3A1 gene in Swedish cystinuria patients

Cystinuria is an autosomal recessive disorder that affects luminal transport of cystine and dibasic amino acids in the kidneys and the small intestine. Three subtypes of cystinuria can be defined biochemically, and the classical form (type I) has been associated with mutations in the amino acid transporter gene SLC3A1. The mutations detected in SLC3A1 tend to be population specific and have not been previously investigated in Sweden. We have screened the entire coding sequence and the intron/exon boundaries of the SLC3A1 gene in 53 cystinuria patients by means of single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and DNA sequencing. We identified 12 novel mutations (a 2 bp deletion, one splice site mutation, and 10 missense mutations) and detected another three mutations that were previously reported. Five polymorphisms were also identified, four of which were formerly described. The most frequent mutation in this study was the previously reported M467T and it was also detected in the normal population with an allelic frequency of 0.5%. Thirty‐seven patients were homozygous for mutations in the SLC3A1 gene and another seven were heterozygous which implies that other genes may be involved in cystinuria. Future investigation of the non‐type I cystinuria gene SLC7A9 may complement our results but recent studies also suggest the presence of other potential disease genes. Hum Mutat 18:516–525, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

一个中国耳聋家系的SLC26A4基因分析

目的 确定一个非综合征型耳聋家系的致病基因。方法 应用聚合酶链反应-直接测序方法，对溶质转运蛋白家族26，成员4（solute carrier family 26，member 4；SLC26A4）基因的所有外显子及其与内含子交界处进行测序寻找突变。结果 在该家系先证者发现SLC26A4基因的N392Y、S448X复合杂合突变，其父亲为S448X的杂合突变，其母亲为N392Y的杂合突变。结论 SLC26A4基因的N392Y、S448X复合杂合突变是导致该先证者耳聋发生的原因。     

直接胆红素增高的黄疸患儿SLC25A13基因热点突变分析

目的建立快速诊断citrin缺陷导致的新生儿肝内胆汁淤积症（NICCD）的方法,初步探讨NICCD在直接胆红素增高的黄疸患儿中所占比例。方法应用聚合酶链反应（PCR）和聚合酶链反应-限制性片段长度多态性分析（PCR-RFLP）对122例表现为直接胆红素增高的黄疸患儿SLC25A13基因（热点突变分析位点包括：851del4、1638ins23、IVS6＋5G〉A、IVS16ins3kb和IVS11＋1G〉A）进行热点突变分析。结果在122例纳入实验研究的患者中,发现6例患儿为851del4纯合子;2例为1638ins23/IVS6＋5G〉A突变;2例为851del4/IVS16ins3kb突变。还有8例患儿只发现了一个SLC25A13基因突变,其相应等位突变尚不清楚,但是后续的实验证实了这8例患儿为NICCD。暂时未发现有IVS11＋1G〉A突变。在这些热点突变类型中以851del4突变所占比例最高,占了71.4%（20/28）,其次为IVS16ins3kb和1638ins23,各占10.7%。NICCD患儿占总受检人数的14.7%。结论 1.SLC25A13基因热点突变分析能快速准确地诊断NICCD。2.SLC25A13基因突变以851del最为常见。3.NICCD在直接胆红素增高的黄疸患儿中占相当高的比例。     

一个肺泡微结石症家系中SLC34A2基因的新突变

子.此外在2例患者及先证者女儿的第2内含子发现一纯合性单核苷酸多态.结论 本家系中患者SLC34A2基因第8外显子出现新的纯合突变,提前出现终止密码子,编码截短蛋白,导致发病.所发现的第2内含子多态性意义有待深入研究.     

A homozygous mutation in SLC1A4 in siblings with severe intellectual disability and microcephaly

We performed exome analysis in two affected siblings with severe intellectual disability (ID), microcephaly and spasticity from an Ashkenazi Jewish consanguineous family. We identified only one rare variant, a missense in SLC1A4 (c. 766G>A [p. E256K]), that is homozygous in both siblings but not in any of their 11 unaffected siblings or their parents (Logarithm of odds, LOD score: 2.6). This variant is predicted damaging. We genotyped 450 controls of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry and identified only 5 individuals who are heterozygous for this variant (minor allele frequency: 0.0056). SLC1A4 (ASCT1) encodes a transporter for neutral aminoacids such as alanine, serine, cysteine and threonine. l ‐Serine is essential for neuronal survival and differentiation. Indeed, l ‐serine biosynthesis disorders affect brain development and cause severe ID. In the brain, l ‐serine is synthesized in astrocytes but not in neurons. It has been proposed that ASCT1 mediates the uptake of l ‐serine into neurons and the release of glia‐borne l ‐serine to neighboring cells. SLC1A4 disruption may thus impair brain development and function by decreasing the levels of l ‐serine in neurons. The identification of additional families with mutations in SLC1A4 would be necessary to confirm its involvement in ID.     

CATs and HATs: the SLC7 family of amino acid transporters

The SLC7 family is divided into two subgroups, the cationic amino acid transporters (the CAT family, SLC7A1–4) and the glycoprotein-associated amino acid transporters (the gpaAT family, SLC7A5–11), also called light chains or catalytic chains of the hetero(di)meric amino acid transporters (HAT). The associated glycoproteins (heavy chains) 4F2hc (CD98) or rBAT (D2, NBAT) form the SLC3 family. Members of the CAT family transport essentially cationic amino acids by facilitated diffusion with differential trans-stimulation by intracellular substrates. In some cells, they may regulate the rate of NO synthesis by controlling the uptake of l-arginine as the substrate for nitric oxide synthase (NOS). The heterodimeric amino acid transporters are, in contrast, quite diverse in terms of substrate selectivity and function (mostly) as obligatory exchangers. Their selectivity ranges from large neutral amino acids (system L) to small neutral amino acids (ala, ser, cys-preferring, system asc), negatively charged amino acid (system x_c^–) and cationic amino acids plus neutral amino acids (system y⁺L and b^0,+-like). Cotransport of Na⁺ is observed only for the y⁺L transporters when they carry neutral amino acids. Mutations in b^0,+-like and y⁺L transporters lead to the hereditary diseases cystinuria and lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI), respectively.     

泉州地区SLC25A13基因常见突变携带者频率的研究及意义

目的 改良citrin缺陷病致病基因SLC25A13常见突变851del4的诊断方法,并对泉州地区该基因常见突变的人群携带率进行探讨.方法 于450名健康成人中筛查SLC25A13常见突变851del4、1638-1660dup及IVS6+5G＞A的突变携带者,应用改良SLC25A13基因常见突变851del4的诊断方法,论证本诊断方法的可行性.结果 共发现6例851del4、3例1638-1660dup及3例IVS6+5G＞A突变携带者.其总携带者频率为0.027(12/450),本研究采用的新型诊断方法筛查的851del4突变人群携带者经(eneScan方法得到确认.结论 本研究改良的诊断方法对突变85ldel4诊断明确且简单实用,泉州地区SLC25A13常见突变携带者频率略高于台湾等周边地区,在该地区应存在一定数量的citrin缺陷病患者,对于该类代谢遗传病应予重视,以免发生因误诊或延误诊治而导致的不良后果.     

CD133与SLC7A11在NSCLC中的表达及其与病理特征的关系

目的 探讨CD133及SLC7A11在非小细胞肺癌（NSCLC）组织及邻近正常肺组织中的表达及临床意义。方法 选取2015年1月~2019年7月我院经病理科确诊的NSCLC组织标本42例,并选取病理证实无癌细胞浸润的邻近正常肺组织标本（距癌组织＞5 cm）30例,比较NSCLC组织和邻近正常肺组织中CD133和SLC7A11阳性率表达、CD133及SLC7A11阳性表达与临床病理的关系及其在NSCLC组织中共表达关系。结果 NSCLC组织中CD133、SLC7A11阳性率为57.14%、64.29%,高于邻近正常肺组织的10.00%、6.67%,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。不同分化程度、淋巴结转移、TNM分期癌组织中CD133、SLC7A11阳性表达比较,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）;不同性别、年龄、组织学类型癌组织中的CD133、SLC7A11阳性表达比较,差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）。24例CD133阳性表达中,有21例SLC7A11阳性表达;18例CD133阴性表达中,有12例SLC7A11阴性表达,CD133、SLC7A11在NSCLC中的表达呈正相关（r=0.532,P＜0.05）。结论 CD133、SLC7A11在NSCLC中的高表达与癌组织的恶性行为及患者较差预后密切相关,对NSCLC早期诊断和靶向治疗具有重要意义。     

Molecular and functional analysis of SLC25A20 mutations causing carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase deficiency

The enzyme carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase (CACT) is involved in the transport of long-chain fatty acids into mitochondria. CACT deficiency is a life-threatening, recessively inherited disorder of lipid beta-oxidation which manifests in early infancy with hypoketotic hypoglycemia, cardiomyopathy, liver failure, and muscle weakness. We report here the clinical, biochemical, and molecular features of six CACT-deficient patients from Italy, Spain, and North America who exhibited significant clinical heterogeneity. In five patients (Patients 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6) the disease manifested in the neonatal period, while the remaining patient (Patient 3), the younger sibling of an infant who had died with clinical suspicion of fatty acid oxidation defect, has been treated since birth and was clinically asymptomatic at 4.5 years of age. Patients 1 and 4 were deceased within 6 months from the onset of this study, while the remaining four are still alive at 8, 4.5, 3.5, and 2 years, respectively. Sequence analysis of the CACT gene (SLC25A20) disclosed five novel mutations and three previously reported mutations. Three patients were homozygous for the identified mutations. Two of the novel mutations (c.718+1G>C and c.843+4_843+50del) altered the donor splice site of introns 7 and 8, respectively. The 47-nt deletion in intron 8 caused both skipping of exon 8 only and skipping of exons 6-8. Four mutations [[c.159dupT;c.163delA] ([p.Gly54Trp;p.Thr55Ala]) c.397C>T (p.Arg133Trp), c.691G>C (p.Asp231His), and c.842C>T (p.Ala281Val)] resulted in amino acid substitutions affecting evolutionarily conserved regions of the protein. Interestingly, one of these exonic mutations (p.Ala281Val) was associated with a splicing defect also characterized by skipping of exons 6-8. The deleterious effect of the p.Arg133Trp substitution was demonstrated by measuring CACT activity upon expression of the normal and the mutant protein in E. coli and functional reconstitution into liposomes. Combined analysis of clinical, biochemical, and molecular data failed to indicate a correlation between the phenotype and the genotype.     

P2X7 and NRAMP1/SLC11 A1 gene polymorphisms in Mexican mestizo patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

Tuberculosis remains one of the most important infectious diseases worldwide. Several studies have suggested that genetic factors may affect susceptibility to tuberculosis, but the specific genes involved have not yet been fully characterized. NRAMP1/SLC11 A1 and P2X(7) genes have been linked to increased risk for tuberculosis in some African and Asiatic populations. To explore the potential role of these genes in the susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis in a Mexican mestizo population, we evaluated the association of D543N and 3'-UTR polymorphisms in NRAMP1/SLC11 A1 and - 762 and A1513C polymorphisms in P2X(7) genes with the risk for tuberculosis. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of genomic DNA followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, and allelic-specific PCR was employed. We found no significant differences in allelic frequency in NRAMP1/SLC11 A1 gene polymorphisms in 94 patients with tuberculosis compared to 100 healthy contacts. Similarly, no significant association of the P2X(7)-762 gene polymorphism with tuberculosis was detected. In contrast, the P2X(7) A1513C polymorphism was associated significantly with tuberculosis (P = 0.02, odds ratio = 5.28, 95% CI, 0.99-37.69), an association that had not been reported previously. However, when the function of P2X(7) was assessed by an L-selectin loss assay, we did not find significant differences in patients compared to healthy contacts or between PPD(+) and PPD(-) control individuals. This study further supports the complex role of P2X(7) gene in host regulation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, and demonstrates that different associations of gene polymorphisms and tuberculosis are found in distinct racial populations.     

变性高效液相色谱法分析非综合征型耳聋人群SLC26A4基因突变

目的 研究非综合征型耳聋(nonsyndromic hearing loss,NSHL)患者SLC26A4基因的突变情况,为临床上NSHL患者基因诊断提供指导.方法 PCR分别扩增SLC26A4基因的21个外显子及其侧翼序列,所得目的 片段用变性高效液相色谱(denaturing high-performance liquid chromatorgraphy,DHPLC)进行突变筛查,有异常峰形的样本进行DNA测序.结果 在所选30例无血缘关系且GJB2基因检测未发现突变的NSHL患者中,共检测出10种SLC26A4基因变异,其中包括7种已知突变,2种未见报道的新突变(F572L和D87Y),及一种已知多态(Ivs11+47T＞C),其中Ivs7-2A＞G是最常见的突变,约占总突变的40%.结论 SLC26A4基因为仅次于GJB2的导致NSHL的相关基因,在(GJB2基因检测未发现突变的NSHL人群中SLC26A4基因的检出率达到23.3%,其中Ivs7-2A＞G是其最常见的突变.     

Exclusion of linkage between schizophrenia and the gene encoding a neutral amino acid glutamate/aspartate transporter,SLC1A5

An abnormality in glutamatergic function has been hypothesized as being of etiological importance in schizophrenia. Twenty-three multiplex English and Icelandic schizophrenia families were genotyped with a polymorphic dinucleotide repeat sequence in the 3′-untranslated region of the glutamate/aspartate transporter gene called SLC1A5. Using the lod and a model-free method of linkage analysis (MFLINK), no evidence of linkage between SLC1A5 and schizophrenia was found. Our results do not support the hypothesis that SLC1A5 gene mutations or allelic variants provide a major gene contribution to the etiology of schizophrenia. However, because of the likelihood of heterogeneity of linkage in schizophrenia, there is a case for testing other pedigrees for linkage to the SLC1A5 locus. The SLC1A5 locus is one of a complex family of genes encoding neutral amino acid transporter proteins and the genetic relation between these other loci and schizophrenia has not yet been established. Am. J. Med. Genet. 74:50–52, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Direct or indirect association in a complex disease: the role of SLC22A4 and SLC22A5 functional variants in Crohn disease

A common haplotype spanning 250 kb on chromosome 5q31 is strongly associated with Crohn disease (CD). Recently, two functional variants within the SLC22A4 and SLC22A5 genes at this locus (IBD5), L503F (c.1507C > T) and G-207C (c.-207G > C), have been proposed to contribute directly to susceptibility to CD. However, extensive linkage disequilibrium at the IBD5 locus has complicated efforts to distinguish causal variants from association of the general risk haplotype. We genotyped the SLC22A4 and SLC22A5 variants and other polymorphisms across the risk haplotype in four populations of European origin, and applied regression-based haplotype analysis to over 1,200 fully genotyped case-control pairs, modeling case/control status on the presence of one or more SNPs to test for conditional association and to identify risk haplotypes. We found highly significant association of SNPs at the IBD5 locus with Crohn disease in all populations tested. However, the frequencies of L503F and G-207C in individuals who did not carry the general IBD5 risk haplotype were not significantly different in cases and controls, with associated disease odds ratios (ORs) of 0.90 (95% CI, 0.57-1.40) and 0.90 (95% CI, 0.65-1.23), respectively. Haplotype analysis showed that addition of the SLC22A4 and SLC22A5 variants to a null model that included the background risk haplotype did not significantly improve the model fit. In addition to the common risk haplotype, several rare haplotypes had an increased frequency in cases compared to controls. This study suggests that the molecular basis for Crohn disease susceptibility at the IBD5 locus remains to be defined, and highlights the challenge of the identification of causal variants in a complex disease in regions of extensive linkage disequilibrium.