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B Grandchamp

Publications and source records attributed to B Grandchamp.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PTCH mutations and deletions in patients with typical nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome and in patients with a suspected genetic predisposition to basal cell carcinoma: a French study.

The patched (PTCH) mutation rate in nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS) reported in various studies ranges from 40 to 80%. However, few studies have investigated the role of PTCH in clinical conditions suggesting an inherited predisposition to basal cell carcinoma (BCC), although it has been suggested that PTCH polymorphisms could predispose to multiple BCC (MBCC). In this study, we therefore performed an exhaustive analysis of PTCH (mutations detection and deletion analysis) in 17 patients with the full complement of criteria for NBCCS (14 sporadic and three familial cases), and in 48 patients suspected of having a genetic predisposition to BCC (MBCC and/or age at diagnosis < or =40 years and/or familial BCC). Eleven new germline alterations of the PTCH gene were characterised in 12 out of 17 patients harbouring the full complement of criteria for the syndrome (70%). These were frameshift mutations in five patients, nonsense mutations in five patients, a small inframe deletion in one patient, and a large germline deletion in another patient. Only one missense mutation (G774R) was found, and this was in a patient affected with MBCC, but without any other NBCCS criterion. We therefore suggest that patients harbouring the full complement of NBCCS criteria should as a priority be screened for PTCH mutations by sequencing, followed by a deletion analysis if no mutation is detected. In other clinical situations that suggest genetic predisposition to BCC, germline mutations of PTCH are not common.

Basal Cell Nevus Syndrome↗

Mild dehydrated hereditary stomatocytosis revealed by marked hepatosiderosis.

We report a patient in whom hepatosiderosis was diagnosed at the age of 55 years and who has since been treated by regular bleeding. The H63D mutation was found in the heterozygous state in the HFE gene. No mutation was recorded in the SLC11A3 gene (ferroportin). Hepatosiderosis did not seem primary, nevertheless its cause long remained elusive. Only 2 years ago did we find the responsible condition, a very mildly expressed form of dehydrated hereditary stomatocytosis (DHS). This genetic disease is a strongly iron-loading condition. Haemolysis was fully compensated. Kalaemia was slightly elevated, suggesting a pseudohyperkalaemia that may be associated with DHS. Osmotic gradient ektacytometry allowed to assess the diagnosis of DHS. The red cell monovalent Na+ and K+ concentrations were moderately elevated and reduced respectively. The temperature dependence of the ouabain + bumetanide-resistant K+ influx produced a shallow slope, above and parallel to the control curve. These features were consistent with the diagnosis of DHS. The pronounced hepatosiderosis contrasted with the mildly expressed DHS, and with the ferritinaemia that was slightly elevated, if at all, prior to bleeding. Bleeding caused ferritinaemia to decrease and hepatosiderosis to recede. The whole picture accounts for a misleading presentation of DHS, in which the primary condition long remained hidden behind one of its remotest complications, hepatosiderosis.

Aged↗

Germline mutations of the INK4a-ARF gene in patients with suspected genetic predisposition to melanoma.

Germline anomalies of the INK4a-ARF and Cdk4 genes were sought in a series of 89 patients suspected of having a genetic predisposition to melanoma. Patients were selected based on the following criteria: (a) familial melanoma (23 cases), (b) multiple primary melanoma (MPM; 18 cases), (c) melanoma and additional unrelated cancers (13 cases), (d) age at diagnosis less than 25 years (21 cases), and (e) nonphoto-induced melanoma (NPIM; 14 cases). Mutations of INK4a-ARF and Cdk4 were characterised by automated sequencing, and germline deletions of INK4a-ARF were also examined by real-time quantitative PCR. Seven germline changes of INK4a-ARF, five of which were novel, were found in seven patients (8%). Four were very likely to be pathogenic mutations and were found in three high-risk melanoma families and in a patient who had a pancreatic carcinoma in addition to melanoma. Three variants of uncertain significance were detected in one MPM patient, one patient <25 years, and one NPIM patient. No germline deletion of INK4a-ARF was found in 71 patients, and no Cdk4 mutation was observed in the 89 patients. This study confirms that INK4a-ARF mutations are infrequent outside stringent familial criteria, and that germline INK4a-ARF deletions are rarely involved in genetic predisposition to melanoma.

Adolescent↗

Lack of hepcidin gene expression and severe tissue iron overload in upstream stimulatory factor 2 (USF2) knockout mice.

We previously reported the disruption of the murine gene encoding the transcription factor USF2 and its consequences on glucose-dependent gene regulation in the liver. We report here a peculiar phenotype of Usf2(-/-) mice that progressively develop multivisceral iron overload; plasma iron overcomes transferrin binding capacity, and nontransferrin-bound iron accumulates in various tissues including pancreas and heart. In contrast, the splenic iron content is strikingly lower in knockout animals than in controls. To identify genes that may account for the abnormalities of iron homeostasis in Usf2(-/-) mice, we used suppressive subtractive hybridization between livers from Usf2(-/-) and wild-type mice. We isolated a cDNA encoding a peptide, hepcidin (also referred to as LEAP-1, for liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide), that was very recently purified from human blood ultrafiltrate and from urine as a disulfide-bonded peptide exhibiting antimicrobial activity. Accumulation of iron in the liver has been recently reported to up-regulate hepcidin expression, whereas our data clearly show that a complete defect in hepcidin expression is responsible for progressive tissue iron overload. The striking similarity of the alterations in iron metabolism between HFE knockout mice, a murine model of hereditary hemochromatosis, and the Usf2(-/-) hepcidin-deficient mice suggests that hepcidin may function in the same regulatory pathway as HFE. We propose that hepcidin acts as a signaling molecule that is required in conjunction with HFE to regulate both intestinal iron absorption and iron storage in macrophages.

Animals↗

Characterization of 11 novel mutations in the X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (CYBB gene).

The most frequent form of chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is caused by inactivation of the CYBB gene, which encodes the gp91-phox subunit of phagocyte NADPH oxidase. This defect prevents phagocytes from producing reactive oxygen species and thus from eradicating bacterial and fungal infections. We investigated 16 unrelated male patients with suspected X-linked CGD and gp91-phox deficiency. A mutation was found in the CYBB gene of all 16 patients, and 11 of these mutations were novel. Eleven patients (69%) had a point mutation (84G>A in two unrelated patients, and 177C>G, 217C>T, 388C>T, 676C>T, 691C>T, 868C>T, 919A>C, 1384G>T and T1514G in one case each, yielding W28X, C59W, R73X, R130X, R226X, Q231X, R290X, T307P, E462X, L505R gp-91phox). One patient had an in-frame deletion removing two amino acids (R54 and A55). Finally, insertions or duplications were found in four patients (from +1 to +31 bases). Overall, 12 (75%) of the mutations led to the production of a truncated protein. No clear correlation was found between clinical manifestations and genomic/biochemical alterations. Thirteen mothers could be tested, and all were carriers. Hum Mutat 18:163, 2001.

Cytochrome b Group↗

Deletion of chromosomal region 13q14.3 in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Deletion of the 13q14 chromosomal region is frequent in B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) and is believed to inactivate a tumor supressor gene (TSG) next to RB1. We studied microsatellite markers spanning the 13q14 chromosomal region in 138 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Allelic loss was demonstrated in six cases (4.3%). Deletion did not include RB1 in two cases. In five patients, the deleted region overlapped that described in B-CLL. A sixth patient harbored a smaller deletion, slightly more telomeric than minimal deleted regions reported in B-CLL. Apparent differences in the delineation of the minimal deleted region could be due to the fact that the putative TSG is a very large gene, with some deletions affecting only a part of it. Our present findings suggest that at least some of its exons lie within a region of less than 100 kb more telomeric that previously thought.

Adolescent↗

Quantification of TEL-AML1 transcript for minimal residual disease assessment in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Strategies currently used for residual disease detection in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) rely on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor rearrangements. The TEL-AML1 fusion transcript, which is associated with t(12;21) (p13;q22), is found in 25% of childhood B-cell precursor ALL, and represents an interesting alternative target. We compared two methods for quantitating TEL-AML1 fusion transcripts: competitive PCR and real-time PCR. These techniques showed similar sensitivity (5 x 10(-5)) and reproducibility. Giving highly correlated results, both techniques can be conveniently used for TEL-AML1 transcript quantification. The constancy of TEL-AML1 expression was evaluated by measuring TEL-AML1 transcripts at different steps of the cell cycle, and in 21 cases of ALL at diagnosis. No major variation in TEL-AML1 expression was observed during the cell cycle or in 20/21 of the ALL patients. Residual disease was then determined after completion of induction therapy in 20 patients with a TEL-AML1-positive ALL. Seven patients out of 20 (35%) were still positive, including two patients with high level of residual blasts (close to or beyond 10(-2)). When comparison was possible, results obtained using TEL-AML1 quantification were in accordance with those obtained using T-cell receptor rearrangements analysis.

Child↗

Association studies between haemochromatosis gene mutations and the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

BACKGROUND: Haemochromatosis is a common genetic disorder, inherited as an autosomal recessive trait that results in a progressive accumulation of iron in most tissues of the body. Positive association studies have been recently published between cardiovascular diseases and heterozygosity for the major mutation C282Y in the haemochromatosis gene HFE. METHODS: In the present work, we have determined the HFE genotypes for C282Y and H63D in subjects from two case-control studies: the ECTIM and GENIC studies, designed to identify genetic variants associated with myocardial and brain infarction, respectively. In addition, we tested whether HFE mutations were associated with the degree of arteriosclerosis assessed non-invasively by Doppler ultrasonography on the carotid and femoral arteries, in a group of apparently healthy individuals (the AXA Study). RESULTS: The prevalence of 282Y, and 63D allele carriers, did not differ between cases and controls in the ECTIM and in the GENIC studies, while 63D but not 282Y carriers were more numerous among subjects with atherosclerotic plaques in the AXA Study. CONCLUSIONS: These three studies do not provide consistent evidence supporting the hypothesis that HFE mutations are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and with the development of arteriosclerosis.

Adolescent↗

Early embryonic lethality of H ferritin gene deletion in mice.

Ferritin molecules play an important role in the control of intracellular iron distribution and in the constitution of long term iron stores. In vitro studies on recombinant ferritin subunits have shown that the ferroxidase activity associated with the H subunit is necessary for iron uptake by the ferritin molecule, whereas the L subunit facilitates iron core formation inside the protein shell. However, plant and bacterial ferritins have only a single type of subunit which probably fulfills both functions. To assess the biological significance of the ferroxidase activity associated with the H subunit, we disrupted the H ferritin gene (Fth) in mice by homologous recombination. Fth(+/-) mice are healthy, fertile, and do not differ significantly from their control littermates. However, Fth(-/-) embryos die between 3.5 and 9.5 days of development, suggesting that there is no functional redundancy between the two ferritin subunits and that, in the absence of H subunits, L ferritin homopolymers are not able to maintain iron in a bioavailable and nontoxic form. The pattern of expression of the wild type Fth gene in 9.5-day embryos is suggestive of an important function of the H ferritin gene in the heart.

Animals↗

Genotype determination at the survival motor neuron locus in a normal population and SMA carriers using competitive PCR and primer extension.

Precise quantitation of SMN1 copy number is of great interest in many clinical applications such as direct detection of SMA carriers or detection of an SMA-affected patient with a hemizygous deletion of the SMN1 gene. We describe a method that combines two independent nonradioactive PCR assays: determination of the relative ratio of the SMN1 and SMN2 genes using a primer extension assay and of the total SMN copy number using competitive PCR. Consistency of the results of two independent approaches ensures the reliability of the deduced genotype and thus avoids false interpretation of borderline results that can occur in quantitative assays. In all, 135 subjects were tested, including 91 normal controls and 44 SMA-affected children or SMA carriers. Two main genotypes were observed in controls: 2T/2C (45%) and 2T/1C (32%). A wide variability at the SMN locus is observed with nine different genotypes and up to six SMN genes. SMA carriers showed three frequent genotypes, 1T/2C (50%), 1T/3C (29%), and 1T/1C (18%). Normal chromosomes with two SMN1 genes per chromosome are not infrequent and thus, about 3% of SMA carriers are not detected using SMN1 copy number quantitation. Finally, as this method does not detect point mutations (4% of SMN1 gene mutations), reliability ranges from 93% to 100% depending on data available from the propositus.

Child, Preschool↗

Absence of microsatellite instability in transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of the microsatellite instability related to mismatch repair (MMR) gene defects using a panel of six microsatellite markers, as recommended by a recent workshop on microsatellite instability in colon cancer, because it is still unclear whether abnormalities in DNA MMR genes are involved in transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder. METHODS: Three mononucleotide repeats (BAT26, TGFbetaRII, and BAX) were studied in 33 TCC samples and in four bladder cancer cell lines. Three dinucleotide repeats (D2S123, D5S346, and D17S250) were studied in 21 of these 33 TCC samples. RESULTS: No alteration was detected either in the 33 TCC samples analyzed or in the four bladder cancer cell lines (T24, J82, 647V, and 1207) studied. A difference between normal and tumor DNA was observed in only 1 of 21 tumor samples for D17S250. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that microsatellite instability is very uncommon in TCC of the bladder.

Aged↗

Recurrent molecular deletion of the 12p13 region, centromeric to ETV6/TEL, in T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia.

INTRODUCTION: T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia is a rare form of mature leukemia which occurs in adults and in younger patients suffering ataxia telangiectasia. Among others, complex chromosome aberrations of chromosome 12 have been described in this disease. We searched for deletions of the 12p13 region as the result of these chromosome rearrangements. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Paired leukemic and non-leukemic cells were obtained from a series of 21 patients suffering T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia. Loss of heterozygosity was searched for by microsatellite typing using a fluorescent automated laser DNA sequencer to analyze the amplification products. Proteins were analyzed by Western blot. Southern blot analysis of one patient was conducted. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Loss of heterozygosity of the 12p13 region, including the ETV6 and CDKN1B genes, was detected in nine of these 21 cases (43%). Western and Southern blot analyses of one case demonstrated a biallelic deletion which did not include ETV6. Taken together, our results defined a minimal region of deletion of less than one Mb flanked by the markers b312C2T7 and D12S320, excluding ETV6 as a candidate gene. Deletion of the 12p13 region is thus a highly recurrent genetic event in T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia.

Centromere↗