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Biomedical subjects

C A Stanley

Publications and source records attributed to C A Stanley.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Familial hyperinsulinism with apparent autosomal dominant inheritance: clinical and genetic differences from the autosomal recessive variant.

We describe three families with hypoglycemia caused by familial hyperinsulinism (HI) in whom vertical transmission of the disorder occurred, suggesting autosomal dominant (AD) inheritance. We therefore examined the relationship between the apparent AD disorder and the more common autosomal recessive (AR) form of HI, which has recently been linked to the sulfonylurea receptor on chromosome 11p15.1. The clinical features of the 11 patients with AD HI were milder than those seen in 14 patients with AR HI. Hypoglycemia was readily controlled with either diet alone or with diazoxide in 10 of 11 patients with AD HI but in none of those with the AR form. In one large pedigree, analysis of genomic DNA with polymorphic simple sequence repeat markers excluded linkage of AD HI to the SUR locus in a dominant manner. The possibility of linkage to the SUR locus could not be absolutely excluded in the two smaller pedigrees. None of the published mutations of the SUR gene identified in patients with AR HI were detected in the patients with the AD form. We conclude that the AD form of hyperinsulinism is phenotypically different from the AR variant. The identification of more families with this form of HI may make it possible to locate the responsible gene by the use of linkage analysis.

Adolescent

Linkage-disequilibrium mapping without genotyping.

Genomic mismatch scanning (GMS) is a technique that enriches for regions of identity by descent (IBD) between two individuals without the need for genotyping or sequencing. Regions of IBD selected by GMS are mapped by hybridization to a microarray containing ordered clones of genomic DNA from chromosomes of interest. Here we demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of this form of linkage-mapping, using congenital hyperinsulinism (HI), an autosomal recessive disease, whose relatively high frequency in Ashkenazi Jews suggests a founder effect. The gene responsible (SUR1) encodes the sulfonylurea receptor, which maps to chromosome 11p15.1. We show that the combination of GMS and hybridization of IBD products to a chromosome-11 microarray correctly maps the HI gene to a 2-Mb region, thereby demonstrating linkage-disequilibrium mapping without genotyping.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 levels in the diagnosis of hypoglycemia caused by hyperinsulinism.

The diagnosis of hypoglycemia caused by hyperinsulinism may be difficult because insulin levels are not uniformly elevated at the time of hypoglycemia. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) is a 28 kd protein whose secretion is acutely inhibited by insulin. We hypothesized that serum levels of IGFBP-1 would be a useful marker of hyperinsulinism. We measured IGFBP-1 levels during the course of standardized fasting studies in hospitalized children; 36 patients became hypoglycemic during the fasting studies, and samples obtained at the point of hypoglycemia were analyzed. On the basis of the currently used diagnostic criteria, 13 children had hyperinsulinism, 16 had ketotic hypoglycemia or no disorder, 3 had hypopituitarism or isolated growth hormone deficiency, 2 had glycogen storage disease type 1 and 2 had fatty acid oxidation disorders. In control subjects (children with ketotic hypoglycemia or no disorder), IGFBP-1 levels rose during fasting to a mean of 343.8 +/- 71.3 ng/ml in the sample drawn at the time of hypoglycemia. Mean IGFBP-1 levels at hypoglycemia for the entire group with hyperinsulinism were 52.4 +/- 11.5 ng/ml, significantly different from levels seen in control subjects (p < 0.0001). In children with moderately controlled hyperinsulinism (fasting tolerance > 4 hours), mean IGFBP-1 levels at the time of hypoglycemia were 71.5 +/- 16.9 ng/ml. IGFBP-1 levels in the children with poorly controlled hyperinsulinism (fasting tolerance < 4 hours) failed to rise during fasting, with a mean of 30.1 +/- 10.4 ng/ml in the final sample. IGFBP-1 levels were inversely correlated with serum insulin and C-peptide levels (r = -0.71 and -0.72, respectively; p < 0.0001). Patients with other endocrinologic or metabolic diseases that result in fasting hypoglycemia demonstrated a rise in IGFBP-1 levels similar to that seen in ketotic hypoglycemia. Low serum levels of IGFBP-1 at the time of hypoglycemia provide an additional marker of insulin action that might help to differentiate hyperinsulinism from other hypoglycemic disorders.

Adolescent

Mitochondrial carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase deficiency presenting as sudden neonatal death.

A breast-fed female infant died suddenly in the neonatal period at 31 hours of age with profound macrovesicular fatty infiltration of liver, kidney, and muscle on postmortem examination, suggestive of a defect in fatty acid beta-oxidation. Fatty acid and palmitoyl-carnitine oxidation studies and direct enzyme study of cultured skin fibroblasts suggested a deficiency in the oxidation of long-chain fatty acids distal to carnitine palmitoyl-transferase I and before long-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenases. Deficient activity of carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase was demonstrated with intermediate levels of activity in the infant's parents, consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance. Fatty acid oxidation studies showed deficient oxidation of fatty acids at all chain lengths from C10:0 to C24:0, with partially reduced oxidation of C26:0 fatty acid, indicating the occurrence of a single mitochondrial carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase and demonstrating the requirement in vivo for L-carnitine for mitochondrial transport of all medium- and long-chain fatty acyl moieties. The disorder may have been precipitated in this breast-fed infant by poor initial feeding, fasting stress, and the long-chain triglycerides of human milk. The severity of the disorder prompted prenatal diagnosis, and affected siblings were excluded in two subsequent pregnancies by fatty acid oxidation in cultured chorionic villus cells and amniocytes.

Adult

Sudden neonatal death in carnitine transporter deficiency.

A newborn infant died suddenly and unexpectedly on day 5 of life. Postmortem investigations led to a suspicion of carnitine transporter deficiency, a diagnosis supported by the finding that both parents are heterozygotes for this disorder. The fasting stress caused by poor breast-feeding with no formula supplements and, possibly, the vegetarian diet of the mother were likely the critical factors leading to neonatal death, an outcome previously not described in this disorder.

Adipose Tissue

A syndrome of congenital hyperinsulinism and hyperammonemia.

This report describes two patients from unrelated families with an unusual syndrome of hyperinsulinism plus hyperammonemia. The diagnosis of hyperinsulinism was based on the demonstration of fasting hypoglycemia with inappropriately elevated insulin levels, inappropriately low beta-hydroxybutyrate and free fatty acid levels, and inappropriately large glycemic response to the administration of glucagon. In both patients, plasma ammonium levels were persistently elevated and unaffected by protein feeding, protein restriction, or benzoate therapy. Plasma and urinary amino acids, urinary organic acids, and urinary orotic acid levels were not consistent with any of the urea cycle enzyme defects or other hyperammonemic disorders. These two patients appear to represent a unique form of congenital hyperinsulinism distinct from the previously described autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive variants. We speculate that the underlying defect involves a site that is common to the amino acid regulation of both insulin secretion in pancreatic beta-cells and urea synthesis in the liver.

Ammonia

Hyperinsulinism in infants and children.

Hyperinsulinism is the most common cause of hypoglycemia in early infancy. Congenital hyperinsulinism, formerly termed nesidioblastosis, is usually caused by genetic defects in beta-cell regulation, including a severe recessive disorder of the sulfonylurea receptor, a milder dominant form of hyperinsulinism, and a syndrome of hyperinsulinism plus hyperammonemia. Transient neonatal hyperinsulinism may be associated with perinatal asphyxia or small-for-dates birthweight and maternal diabetes. To prevent permanent brain damage from hypoglycemia, the treatment of infants with hyperinsulinism must be prompt and aggressive. A combination of medical therapy with diazoxide or octreotide, a long-acting somatostatin analog, and surgical 95% subtotal pancreatectomy may be required.

Child

Carnitine effects on coenzyme A profiles in rat liver with hypoglycin inhibition of multiple dehydrogenases.

To examine the changes in coenzyme A profile and the possible corrective effects of carnitine supplementation in the genetic disorders of mitochondrial beta-oxidation, we carried out experiments using an inhibitor of multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase enzymes, methylenecyclopropaneacetic acid (MCPA), in rat hepatocytes. MCPA irreversibly inhibited ketone synthesis from straight-chain fatty acids (butyrate, octanoate, palmitate) and branched-chain fatty acids (alpha-ketoisocaproate) with a parallel 70-90% reduction of hepatocyte acetyl-CoA levels. Alone, MCPA or substrates halved free CoA levels to 15% of total CoA and doubled short- and medium-chain acyl-CoA levels to 30% of total CoA. With MCPA plus substrates combined, free CoA levels were 10% of total CoA, and short- and medium-chain acyl-CoA levels were 45% of total CoA. Comparable changes in CoA profiles were found in a patient with a severe genetic defect in beta-oxidation. Neither the suppression of ketogenesis nor the alterations in CoA profiles induced by MCPA inhibition could be corrected by carnitine supplementation.

Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenases

A nonsense mutation in the inward rectifier potassium channel gene, Kir6.2, is associated with familial hyperinsulinism.

ATP-sensitive potassium (K[ATP]) channels are an essential component of glucose-dependent insulin secretion in pancreatic islet beta-cells. These channels comprise the sulfonylurea receptor (SUR1) and Kir6.2, a member of the inward rectifier K+ channel family. Mutations in the SUR1 subunit are associated with familial hyperinsulinism (HI) (MIM:256450), an inherited disorder characterized by hyperinsulinism in the neonate. Since the Kir6.2 gene maps to human chromosome 11p15.1 (1,2), which also encompasses a locus for HI, we screened the Kir6.2 gene for the presence of mutations in 78 HI probands by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and nucleotide sequence analyses. A nonsense mutation, Tyr-->Stop at codon 12 (designated Y12X) was observed in the homozygous state in a single proband. 86Rb+ efflux measurements and single-channel recordings of COS-1 cells co-expressing SUR1 and either wild-type or Y12X mutant Kir6.2 proteins confirmed that K(ATP) channel activity was abolished by this nonsense mutation. The identification of an HI patient homozygous for the Kir6.2/Y12X allele affords an opportunity to observe clinical features associated with mutations resulting in an absence of Kir6.2. These data provide evidence that mutations in the Kir6.2 subunit of the islet beta-cell K(ATP) channel are associated with the HI phenotype and also suggest that the majority of HI cases are not attributable to mutations in the coding region of the Kir6.2 gene.

Animals

First prenatal diagnosis of the carnitine transporter defect.

We report the first attempt at prenatal diagnosis of the carnitine transporter defect in a fetus at high risk of having the disorder. Analysis of cultured CVS after prolonged culture predicted that the fetus was not affected but might be heterozygous for the carnitine transporter defect, but chromosome 15 satellite DNA markers showed no paternal contribution, suggesting that the CVS cells assayed were of predominantly maternal origin. Subsequent assay of cultured amniocytes predicted that the fetus would be affected, and this was confirmed in the newborn period. We conclude that prenatal diagnosis of the carnitine transporter defect is possible, but where results depend on extended culture of CVS, molecular studies should be performed to confirm genetic contributions from both parents.

Carnitine

Endocardial fibroelastosis and primary carnitine deficiency due to a defect in the plasma membrane carnitine transporter.

Endocardial fibroelastosis (EFE) has previously been shown to be associated with tissue carnitine deficiency, although the basis for the carnitine deficiency has not been documented. A patient with the classical features of EFE and marked deficiency of carnitine in heart muscle, skeletal muscle, and liver is presented in this report. Cultured skin fibroblasts from both parents demonstrated levels of carnitine uptake at 50% of the normal rate. This is consistent with heterozygosity for the plasma membrane carnitine transporter defect, indicating likely homozygosity for this recently recognized inborn error in the index patient.

Cardiomyopathy, Dilated

Mutations in the sulonylurea receptor gene are associated with familial hyperinsulinism in Ashkenazi Jews.

Familial hyperinsulinism (HI) is a disorder of pancreatic beta-cell function characterized by persistent hyperinsulinism despite severe hypoglycemia. To define the molecular genetic basis of HI in Ashkenazi Jews, 25 probands were screened for mutations in the sulfonylurea receptor (SUR1) gene by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of genomic DNA and subsequent nucleotide sequence analyses. Two common mutations were identified: (I) a novel in-frame deletion of three nucleotides (nt) in exon 34, resulting in deletion of the codon for F1388 (delta F1388) and (II) a previously described g-->a transition at position-9 of the 3' splice site of intron 32 (designated 3992-9g-->a). Together, these mutations are associated with 88% of the HI chromosomes of the patients studied. 86Rb+ efflux measurements of COSm6 cells co-expressing Kir6.2 and either wild-type or delta F1388 SUR1 revealed that the F1388 mutation abolished ATP-sensitive potassium channel (KATP) activity in intact cells. Extended haplotype analyses indicated that the delta F1388 mutation was associated with a single specific haplotype whereas the 3992-9g-->a mutation was primarily associated with a single haplotype but also occurred in the context of several other different haplotypes. These data suggest that HI in Ashkenazi Jews is predominantly associated with mutations in the SUR1 gene and provide evidence for the existence of at least two founder HI chromosomes in this population.

Animals

Acute fatty liver of pregnancy, hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets syndrome, and long chain 3-hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency.

BACKGROUND: The similarity of the hepatic pathology in acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) to that seen in children with inherited disorders of intramitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) suggests that there may be a genetic basis for some cases of AFLP. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine patients with AFLP and their offspring to determine if there were women with AFLP who were heterozygous for the FAO defect, long chain 3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase (LCHAD) deficiency. METHODS: We evaluated 12 women previously diagnosed with AFLP. Provocative fasting studies and skin biopsies for examination of their cultured skin fibroblasts were performed to search for a generalized defect in FAO both in vivo and in vitro. Cultured skin fibroblasts from AFLP patients, their children, and their husbands were also examined specifically for LCHAD activity. RESULTS: Of 12 women with a previous episode of AFLP, eight had reduced LCHAD activity consistent with being heterozygous for LCHAD deficiency. The eight heterozygotes had a total of nine pregnancies complicated by AFLP. In seven of those nine pregnancies, the women developed severe preeclampsia and hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets (HELLP) syndrome. Of the nine offspring delivered from these pregnancies, four were confirmed to be affected with homozygous LCHAD deficiency. Three other deceased infants were presumed to be LCHAD-deficient based on clinical findings, postmortem examination, and confirmed heterozygote parents. The remaining two infants delivered after pregnancies complicated by AFLP had LCHAD activity in the heterozygous range and are healthy at 18 and 24 months of age. Consistent with the known autosomal recessive nature of this defect, five tested husbands of LCHAD heterozygous women with a history of AFLP and affected infants also showed reduced LCHAD activity. CONCLUSIONS: These studies indicate that a significant subgroup of women with AFLP are heterozygous for LCHAD deficiency and that careful observation of their offspring for signs of this disorder is warranted. Severe preeclampsia appears to increase the risk of AFLP in LCHAD heterozygous women.

3-Hydroxyacyl CoA Dehydrogenases

Glycine and L-carnitine therapy in 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase deficiency.

Genetic deficiency of 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase (3-MCC) is a rare inborn error of leucine metabolism producing an organic acidaemia. With accumulation of 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA, there is increased production of 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid, the glycine conjugate (3-methylcrotonylglycine), and the carnitine conjugate (3-hydroxyisovalerylcarnitine). The conjugates represent endogenous detoxification products. We studied excretion rates of these conjugates at baseline and with glycine and carnitine therapy in an 8-year-old girl with 3-MCC deficiency. Her preadmission diet was continued. Plasma and urine samples were obtained after 24 h of each of the following: L-carnitine 100 mg/kg per day and glycine 100, 175 and 250 mg/kg per day. Plasma and urinary carnitine levels were reduced by 80% and 50%, respectively with abnormal urinary excretion patterns. These normalized with carnitine therapy. Acylcarnitine excretion increased with carnitine therapy. The glycine conjugate, 3-methylcrotonylglycine (3-MCG), was the major metabolite excreted at all times and its excretion increased with glycine therapy. Clearly, in 3-MCC deficiency the available glycine and carnitine pools are not sufficient to meet the potential for conjugation of accumulated metabolites, suggesting a possible therapeutic role for glycine and carnitine therapy in this disorder.

Amino Acid Metabolism, Inborn Errors

Recombinant mapping of the familial hyperinsulinism gene to an 0.8 cM region on chromosome 11p15.1 and demonstration of a founder effect in Ashkenazi Jews.

A gene for autosomal recessive familial hyperinsulinism (HI) (OMIM: 256450), a neonatal metabolic disease characterized by inappropriate insulin secretion in the presence of severe hypoglycemia, was recently mapped to a 6.6 cM interval between the markers D11S926 and D11S928 on chromosome 11p in 15 families (1). In the current study we evaluated six additional families and five new markers, and further localized the gene between D11S419 and D11S1310. Using genotype data from CEPH Version 7 and data generated from this study, this region was estimated to be 0.8 cM in length. Significant linkage disequilibrium between markers and the HI gene was observed over a region of 10.3 cM (11 pter-D11S926-D11S1308-11pcen) for Ashkenazi Jewish chromosomes. Haplotype analysis showed that 12 of 36 HI chromosomes, versus one of 36 non-HI chromosomes, bore a specific haplotype for D11S419-D11S902-D11S921 (p < 0.0007), strongly suggesting a founder effect in this ethnic group.

Alleles