Novel mutations in the fukutin gene in a boy with asymptomatic hyperCKemia

Mutations in the fukutin gene were first identified in Japanese patients with classic Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy, a severe form of congenital muscular dystrophy associated with cobblestone lissencephaly and ocular defects. Patients of different ethnicities and with milder phenotypes, including limb girdle muscular dystrophy and cardiomyopathy without brain impairment, have also been reported. The hallmark of this disorder, regardless of the clinical outcome, is moderate-to-severe hypoglycosylation of alpha-dystroglycan in muscle sections. We describe the case of a boy harboring two novel mutations in fukutin gene and presenting a five-year history of asymptomatic hyperCKemia, without overt muscle, brain or ocular involvement. Genetic investigations, guided by the presence of moderate myopathic changes on muscle biopsy with loss of immunodetectable alpha-dystroglycan, led to a definitive diagnosis. Cardiac and echocardiographic examinations at follow-up disclosed low normal left ventricular function but no active cardiovascular symptoms. We suggest that fukutin mutations should be sought in asymptomatic hyperCKemia and subclinical heart dysfunction.     

Genetic causes of monogenic familial hypercholesterolemia in the Greek population: Lessons,mistakes, and the way forward

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a leading cause of premature atherosclerosis. Genetic defects in the LDLR, APOB and PCSK9 genes cause FH, and confirmation of a gene defect is essential for an indisputable diagnosis of the disease. FH is underdiagnosed and we aimed to revise the genetic defects that have been characterized in FH patients of Greek origin and define an effective, future strategy for genetic studies. A literature search was performed in MEDLINE and EMBASE on genetic studies with FH patients of Greek origin. To date, no APOB and PCSK9 mutations have been found in the Greek population. It must be noted however, that only a small number of patients has been screened for PCSK9 mutations. In total, 41 LDLR defects have been characterized, with 6 common mutations c.1646G>A (p.Gly546Asp), c.858C>A (p.Ser286Arg), c.81C>G (p.Cys27Trp), c.1285G>A (p.Val429Met), c.517T>C (p.Cys173Arg), and c.1775G>A (p.Gly592Glu) that account for >80% of all mutations. Due to geographic isolation, ​founder mutations exist in a subpopulation in North West Greece and the Greek Cypriot population but not in the general population. Genetic testing should focus primarily on LDLR, and subsequently on PCSK9 and APOB. The Greek population is genetically homogeneous, which allows for a quick molecular diagnosis of the disease. Cascade screening is feasible and will certainly facilitate the identification of additional patients.     

Current Options for Third-line and Beyond Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. Spanish TTD Group Expert Opinion

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a public health problem: it is the third most common cancer in men (746,000 new cases/year) and the second in women (614,000 new cases/year), representing the second leading cause of death by cancer worldwide. The survival of patients with metastatic CRC (mCRC) has increased prominently in recent years, reaching a median of 25 to 30 months. A growing number of patients with mCRC are candidates to receive a treatment in third line or beyond, although the optimal drug regimen and sequence are still unknown. In this situation of refractoriness, there are several alternatives: (1) To administer sequentially the 2 oral drugs approved in this indication: trifluridine/tipiracil and regorafenib, which have shown a statistically significant benefit in progression-free survival and overall survival with a different toxicity profile. (2) To administer cetuximab or panitumumab in treatment-naive patients with RAS wild type, which is increasingly rare because these drugs are usually indicated in first- or second-line. (3) To reuse drugs already administered that were discontinued owing to toxicity or progression (oxaliplatin, irinotecan, fluoropyrimidine, antiangiogenics, anti-epidermal growth factor receptor [if RAS wild-type]). High-quality evidence is limited, but this strategy is often used in routine clinical practice in the absence of alternative therapies especially in patients with good performance status. (4) To use specific treatments for very selected populations, such as trastuzumab/lapatinib in mCRC human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive, immunotherapy in microsatellite instability, intrahepatic therapies in limited disease or primarily located in the liver, although the main recommendation is to include patients in clinical trials.     

先天性高胰岛素血症18例临床特征和遗传学分析

目的 对先天性高胰岛素血症(CHI)的临床特征及致病基因携带情况进行总结及分析.方法 选取2015年12月—2018年10月北京儿童医院内分泌遗传代谢科收治临床先天性高胰岛素血症患儿18例为研究对象,对患儿的临床特征、致病基因携带情况、诊疗经过和后期随访资料等进行回顾性分析.结果 18例患儿中,男7例,女11例,起病年...     

Genetic analysis of non-severe hemophilia A phenotype with A discrepancy between one-stage and chromogenic factor VIII activity assays

IntroductionThe diagnosis of hemophilia A (HA) is based on the measurement of factor VIII activity (VIII:C). About one-third of non-severe HA patients show a discrepancy of VIII:C measured by one-stage (VIII:C 1st) and chromogenic (VIII:C chr) assays. Different mutations in the F8 gene may cause the discrepancy in results of the FVIII activity assay.The aim of this study was to investigate F8 gene mutations in patients with assay discrepancies and to evaluate their impact on the results of VIII:C assays.MethodsMutation analysis was performed on 41 individuals with a discrepancy in VIII:C 1st and FVIII: C chr assays by direct sequencing. In addition, the effect of the variants on FVIII macromolecule structure was investigated by in silico and bioinformatics tools.ResultsGenetic analysis disclosed 22 different variants, of which 19 were identified for the first time to be involved in the phenotype of VIII:C discrepancy. Most of the variants related to the higher VIII:C 1st were found in A1, A2, A3 domains. The variant related to VIII:C chr > VIII:C 1st was located in the thrombin cleavage site. In silico analysis showed the effect of variants on FVIII macromolecule stability, which may be the possible mechanism causing the discrepancy.ConclusionOur data shed light on the impact of genetic defects on VIII:C assay and provided evidence that the consideration of these mutations may open a new window to the proper diagnosis and treatment monitoring of non-severe HA patients.     

脂质沉积性肌病35例的临床特点及电子转移黄素蛋白脱氢酶基因突变分析

目的 探讨脂质沉积性肌病(LSM)的临床特点及电子传递黄素蛋白脱氢酶(ETFDH)基因突变所致的多种脂酰辅酶A脱氢酶缺乏症在该病中所占比例.方法 收集35例经病理明确诊断的LSM患者的临床资料,并对所有患者的ETFDH基因的全部13个外显子进行PCR扩增,产物纯化后直接测序.同时对来自50名健康对照的100条染色体进行检测,以验证发现的ETFDH新突变.结果 35例患者均存在不同程度的肌肉无力,包括10例存在咀嚼吞咽无力,28例存在抬头无力.在随访的32例患者中,29例患者经维生素B2及辅酶Q10治疗后症状明显改善.30例(86%)存在不同形式的ETFDH基因突变:8例为纯合突变,20例为复合杂合突变,2例患者仅存在1个杂合突变.本组患者共发现14个新突变:9个错义突变(c.3G>C、c.152G>A、c.191G>A、c.349G>C、c.433G>C、c.949C>A、c.1454C>G、c.1744A>T和c.1763A>G),1个无义突变(c.172G>T),2个缺失突变(c.1282_1283del和c.1773_1774del)和2个剪切位点突变(c.405+1G>T和c.1691-3C>G).所有患者中,9例存在c.250G>A突变,6例存在c.770A>G突变.结论 LSM可表现近端肌受累为主的肢体无力.基因分析发现本组KSM患者以ETFDH突变引起的多种酰基辅酶A脱氢酶缺乏为主.c.250G>A和c.770A>G是其最常见的突变位点.

Abstract：

Objective To investigate the clinical features and electron transfer flavoprotein dehydrogenase (ETFDH) gene mutations in 35 Chinese patients with lipid storage myopathy. Methods The clinical data of 35 cases with lipid storage myopathy confirmed by muscle biopsy were collected. The sequences of all 13 exons of ETFDH were analyzed. Results All 35 patients showed proximal weakness. Ten of them demonstrated masseter weakness and 28 of them showed weakness in neck flexion. Twenty-nine of 32 patients who were followed up showed improvement after treatment with VitB2 and CoQ10. Mutations of ETFDH were found in 30 of 35 patients,which included 8 homozygosises,20 compound heterozygosises and 2 single heterozygosises. Fourteen novel mutations were found, including 9 missense mutations ( c. 3G > C, c. 152G>A, c. 191G > A, c.349G>C, c.433G>C, c. 949C > A, c. 1454C > G, c. 1744A >T and c. 1763A>G), 1 nonsense mutation(c. 172G>T), 2 deletions(c. 1282_1283del and 1773_1774del) and 2 splice mutations (c. 405 + 1G > T and c. 1691 -3C > G). Nine of them showed c. 250G > A mutation and 6 of them showed c. 770A > G mutation. Conclusions Lipid storage myopathy is presented as proximal weakness. Multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency caused by mutations of ETFDH is the major cause of lipid storage disease in this group. ETFDH c. 250G > A and c. 770A > G mutations show a high frequency.     

眼皮肤白化病Ⅰ型产前基因诊断二例

目的对生育过眼皮肤白化病（oculocutaneous albinism,OCA）患儿的2个家系进行基因诊断分型,并在此基础上提供产前基因诊断。方法采用PCR扩增先证者OCA 1型疾病相关基因TYR的所有5个编码外显子,PCR产物直接测序,在确定致病突变的基础上对及家系成员进行综合分析。结果 2个OCA先证者均携带TYR基因复合杂合突变,确定2例先证者均为OCA1型患者。TYR基因共检测到3种突变：c.71G〉A,c.896G〉A和c.929ins C。产前诊断：第1个家系提示胎儿基因型与先证者一致,家属选择终止妊娠;第2个家系中胎儿为TYR基因野生型携带者,继续妊娠至足月分娩,新生儿随访正常。结论利用基因检测可为眼皮肤白化病患者提供确切的临床分型,并在此基础上提供有效的产前基因诊断。     

Three discontinuous loop nucleotides in the 3′ terminal stem-loop are required for Red clover necrotic mosaic virus RNA-2 replication

The genome of Red clover necrotic mosaic virus (RCNMV) consists of positive-sense, single-stranded RNA-1 and RNA-2. The 29 nucleotides at the 3′ termini of both RNAs are nearly identical and are predicted to form a stable stem-loop (SL) structure, which is required for RCNMV RNA replication. Here we performed a systematic mutagenesis of the RNA-2 3′ SL to identify the nucleotides critical for replication. Infectivity and RNA replication assays indicated that the secondary structure of the 3′ SL and its loop sequence UAUAA were required for RNA replication. Single-nucleotide substitution analyses of the loop further pinpointed three discontinuous nucleotides (L1U, L2A, and L4A) that were vital for RNA replication. A 3-D model of the 3′ SL predicted the existence of a pocket formed by these three nucleotides that could be involved in RNA-protein interaction. The functional groups of the bases participating in this interaction at these positions are discussed.     

心肌肌钙蛋白T基因突变在心肌病发病机制中的研究进展

肥厚型和扩张型心肌病中,基因缺陷分别占发病的50%和35%,其病理生理机制,主要包括肌小节蛋白基因突变引起的收缩力产生缺陷,细胞骨架蛋白基因突变引起的收缩力传递缺陷等。心肌肌钙蛋白T将肌钙蛋白C和肌钙蛋白I连接到肌动蛋白和原肌球蛋白上,在心肌细胞收缩和舒张过程中发挥重要作用。在肥厚型和扩张型心肌病中发现了多种心肌肌钙蛋白T的基因突变,围绕心肌肌钙蛋白T的研究有助于阐明心肌病的发病机制。本文总结了心肌肌钙蛋白T基因突变在心肌病发病机制中的研究情况。