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Biomedical subjects

K Muroya

Publications and source records attributed to K Muroya.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Clinical and molecular studies in 15 females with ring X chromosomes: implications for r(X) formation and mental development.

We report clinical and molecular findings in 15 Japanese mosaic females with r(X) chromosomes, 45,X/46,X,r(X), confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis for DXZ1 and whole X chromosome painting. Cases 1-3, 5-7, and 11-13 had mental retardation (MR), the remaining cases being free from MR. FISH analysis showed that XIST was absent from the r(X) chromosomes in cases 1-4 and was present on the r(X) chromosomes in cases 5-15. X-inactivation analysis for the methylation status of the AR gene indicated that, of eight cases with XIST-positive r(X) chromosomes in more than 10% (23%-62%) of lymphocytes (cases 5-12), cases 5-10 had selective X-inactivation, whereas cases 11 and 12 had active X disomy. Microsatellite analysis for multiple loci on the pericentromeric region revealed that, of 11 cases with r(X) chromosomes in more than 10% (13%-62%) of lymphocytes (cases 1, 2, and 4-12), cases 1, 2, and 5-10 had heterozygous alleles for at least one locus, whereas cases 4, 11, and 12 had single alleles for all the loci examined. The results suggest that the r(X) and normal X chromosomes could be of biparental or uniparental origin, and that mental status in females with r(X) chromosomes is determined by multiple factors, including the presence or absence of XIST on the r(X) chromosomes and the size and frequency of active r(X) chromosomes, in addition to co-incidental genetic and environmental factors.

Adolescent↗

Del(X)(p21.1) in a mother and two daughters: genotype-phenotype correlation of Turner features.

We report a mother and two daughters with partial Xp monosomy. Clinical assessment for Turner phenotype revealed that the three females manifested low-normal to mild short stature (-1.6 to approximately -2.3 SD) and variable degrees of skeletal features, such as cubitus valgus, short 4th matacarpals, and Madelung deformity, but no soft tissue or visceral anomalies or gonadal dysfunction. Cytogenetic studies for lymphocytes showed that the karyotype was 45,X[3]/46,X,del(X)(p21.1)[27] in the mother and non-mosaic 46,X,del(X)(p21.1) in the two daughters. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and microsatellite analyses for 19 loci/regions on the X chromosome demonstrated that the del(Xp) chromosome was missing SHOX and had the breakpoint between DMD and CYBB. The results are consistent with the recently proposed notion that haploinsufficiency of SHOX results in not only short stature, but also Turner skeletal features in association with maturational effects of gonadal estrogens. The lack of soft tissue or visceral anomalies suggests the presence of the putative lymphogenic gene on the del(Xp) chromosome; the preservation of ovarian function appears to be compatible with meiotic pairing failure being relatively mild.

Adolescent↗

Genetic evidence for a novel gene(s) involved in urogenital development on 10q26.

BACKGROUND: Although the frequent association between distal 10q monosomy and urogenital anomalies suggests the presence of a gene(s) for urogenital development on distal 10q, molecular deletion mapping has not been performed for the putative gene(s). In this study, we examined genotype-phenotype correlations in patients with distal 10q monosomy. METHODS: This study consisted of six karyotypic males (cases 1 through 6) and four karyotypic females (cases 7 through 10) with 10q26 monosomy. Cases 3 through 5 and 7 through 10 had urinary anomalies such as vesicoureteral reflux and hypoplastic kidney, and cases 1 through 6, 8, and 9 exhibited genital anomalies such as micropenis, hypospadias, cryptorchidism, and hypoplastic labia majora. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for 10q telomere, whole chromosome 10 painting, and microsatellite analysis for 35 loci on distal 10q were performed in cases 1 through 8. RESULTS: FISH and whole chromosome painting confirmed distal 10q monosomy in cases 1 through 8. Microsatellite analysis revealed that hemizygosity for the region distal to D10S186 was shared by cases with urinary anomalies and that for the region distal to D10S1248 was common to cases with genital anomalies. Furthermore, it was indicated that PAX2, GFRA1, and EMX2 on distal 10q, in which the deletions could affect urinary and/or genital development, were present in two copies in cases 1 through 8. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that a novel gene(s) for urinary development and that for genital development reside in the approximately 20 cM region distal to D10S186 and in the approximately 10 cM region distal to D10S1248, respectively, although it remains to be determined whether the two types of genes are identical or different.

Adolescent↗

CAG repeat length of the androgen receptor gene in Japanese males with cryptorchidism.

We have analysed the CAG repeat length in exon 1 of the androgen receptor gene in 48 Japanese males with cryptorchidism and 100 fertile Japanese males. The CAG repeat length was 23.4 +/- 0.48 (mean +/- SE) (range 16-32, median 23) in cryptorchid patients and 23.5 +/- 0.29 (range 15-32, median 23) in normal males. There was no significant difference between the two groups. The expansion of the CAG repeats in exon 1 of the androgen receptor gene is unlikely to constitute a major cause of cryptorchidism.

Adolescent↗

Sex-determining gene(s) on distal 9p: clinical and molecular studies in six cases.

We report on clinical and molecular findings in five karyotypic males (cases 1-5) and one karyotypic female (case 6) with distal 9p monosomy. Cases 1-3 and 6 had female external genitalia, case 4 showed ambiguous external genitalia, and case 5 exhibited male external genitalia with left cryptorchidism and right intrascrotal testis. Gonadal explorations at gonadectomy in cases 3 and 4 revealed that case 3 had left streak gonad and right agonadism, and case 4 had bilateral hypoplastic testes. Endocrine studies in cases 1-4 and 6 showed that cases 1, 3, and 6 had definite primary hypogonadism, with basal FSH levels of 54, 39, and 41 IU/L, respectively, whereas case 2 with severe malnutrition was unremarkable for the baseline values, and case 4 had fairly good testicular function. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and microsatellite analyses demonstrated that all cases had hemizygosity of the 9p sex-determining region distal to D9S1779, with loss of the candidate sex-determining genes DMRT1 and DMRT2 from the abnormal chromosome 9. Sequence analysis in cases 1-4 and 6 showed that they had normal sequences of each exon of DMRT1 and the DM domain of DMRT2 on the normal chromosome 9, and that cases 1-4 had normal SRY sequence. The results provide further support for the presence of a sex-determining gene(s) on distal 9p and favor the possibility of DMRT1 and/or DMRT2 being the sex-determining gene(s). Furthermore, as hemizygosity of the 9p sex-determining region was associated with a wide spectrum of gonadogenesis from agonadism to testis formation in karyotypic males and with primary hypogonadism regardless of karyotypic sex, it is inferred that haploinsufficiency of the 9p sex-determining gene(s) primarily hinders the formation of indifferent gonad, leading to various degrees of defective testis formation in karyotypic males and impaired ovary formation in karyotypic females.

Adult↗

Characterization of exo-(1,4)-alpha glucan lyase from red alga Gracilaria chorda. Activation, inactivation and the kinetic properties of the enzyme.

Exo-(1,4)-alpha glucan lyase (GLase) was purified from a red alga Gracilaria chorda. The enzyme was activated 1.3-fold in the presence of Ca(2+) and Cl(-) ions. The ions also stabilized the enzyme increasing the temperature of its maximum activity from 45 degrees C to 50 degrees C. GLase was inactivated by chemical modification with carbodiimide and a carboxyl group of the enzyme was shown essential to the lyase activity. A tryptophanyl residue(s) was also shown to be important for the activity and was probably involved in substrate binding. K(m) values of the enzyme were 2.3 mM for maltose, 0.4 mM for maltotriose and 0.1 mM for maltooligosaccharides of degree of polymerization (dp) 4-7, and the k(0) values for the oligosaccharides were similar (42-53 s(-1)). The analysis of these kinetic parameters showed that the enzyme has four subsites to accommodate oligosaccharides. The subsite map of GLase was unique, since subsite 1 and subsite 2 have large positive and small negative affinities, respectively. The subsite map of this type has not been found in other enzymes with exo-action on alpha-1,4-glucan. The K(m) and k(0) values for the polysaccharides were lower (0.03 mM) and higher (60-100 s(-1)), respectively, suggesting the presence of another affinity site specific to the polysaccharides.

Ammonium Chloride↗

Random X-inactivation in a girl with duplication Xp11.21-p21.3: report of a patient and review of the literature.

We describe a 10-month-old girl with abnormal clinical findings and Xp duplication. She showed poor weight gain and developmental retardation, and had several minor anomalies including pigmentary dysplasia (hypomelanosis of Ito). She had a partial short arm duplication in the paternally derived X chromosome, 46,X,dup(X)(p11. 21p21.3), with the normal and duplicated X chromosomes randomly inactivated. These findings indicate that gross functional imbalance in the cells with an active dup(X) chromosome has caused global developmental defects in the patient, and that functional chromosomal mosaicism with respect to the duplicated Xp region has resulted in pigmentary dysplasia. Literature review of 52 patients with partial X duplications revealed (1) random or skewed but not completely selective X-inactivation in 9 of 45 patients examined for the X-inactivation pattern, independently of the size or location of duplicated segments, (2) apparently normal phenotype in 6 of 9 patients with random or skewed X-inactivation, and (3) an abnormal phenotype in 13 of 35 patients with completely selective inactivation of dup(X) chromosomes.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Gonadoblastoma, mixed germ cell tumor, and Y chromosomal genotype: molecular analysis in four patients.

This study reports on Y chromosomal genotypes of three patients with gonadoblastoma and one patient with gonadoblastoma and mixed germ cell tumor. Molecular analysis for 35 Y chromosomal loci was performed for DNA samples taken from peripheral leukocytes and lymphoblastoid cell lines, showing that the four patients shared the region between DYS267 at interval 4A and DYF50S1 at interval 6D, with the exception of the region around DYS202 at interval 5K. In the patient with gonadoblastoma and mixed germ cell tumor, Y chromosomal material was preserved in the gonadoblastoma but was lost from the mixed germ cell tumor. The results, in conjunction with previous reports, suggest that GBY (gonadoblastoma locus on the Y chromosome) may be located to a roughly 5-Mb pericentromeric region between DYS267 at interval 4A and DYS270 at interval 5A. The presence of Y chromosomal material in gonadoblastoma is consistent with GBY being involved in the development of gonadoblastoma, and the absence of Y chromosomal material in mixed germ cell tumor would be explained as a consequence of Y chromosomal loss from rapidly proliferating gonadal cancer cells.

Adolescent↗

Skeletal features and growth patterns in 14 patients with haploinsufficiency of SHOX: implications for the development of Turner syndrome.

We report on clinical features in 14 Japanese patients (4 males and 10 females) with partial monosomy of the short arm pseudoautosomal region involving SHOX (n = 11) or total monosomy of the pseudoautosomal region with no involvement of disease genes on the sex-differential regions (n = 3). Skeletal assessment showed that three patients had no discernible skeletal abnormalities, one patient exhibited short 4th metacarpals and borderline cubitus valgus, and the remaining 10 patients had Madelung deformity and/or mesomelia characteristic of Léri-Weill dyschondrosteosis (LWD), together with short 4th metacarpals and/or cubitus valgus. Skeletal lesions were more severe in females and became obvious with age. Growth evaluation revealed that patients without LWD grew along by the -2 SD growth curve before puberty and showed a normal or exaggerated pubertal growth spurt, whereas those with LWD grew along by the standard growth curves before puberty but exhibited an attenuated pubertal growth spurt and resultant short stature. Maturational assessment indicated a tendency of relatively early maturation in patients with LWD. There was no correlation between the clinical phenotype and the deletion size. These findings suggest that haploinsufficiency of SHOX causes not only short stature but also Turner skeletal anomalies (such as short 4th metacarpals, cubitus valgus, and LWD) and that growth pattern is primarily dependent on the presence or absence of LWD. Because skeletal lesions have occurred in a female-dominant and age-influenced fashion, it is inferred that estrogens exert a maturational effect on skeletal tissues that are susceptible to premature fusion of growth plates because of haploinsufficiency of SHOX, facilitating the development of skeletal lesions.

Adolescent↗

[Primary racemose hemangioma of bronchial artery].

A 38-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of massive hemoptysis. A chest X-ray film disclosed an infiltrative shadow. A bronchoscopic examination revealed a small, pulsatile, papillary protrusion in the orifice of the middle lobe bronchus, and massive bleeding from the protrusion was observed during the examination. Bronchial arteriography showed convolution and mild hypervascularization of the right bronchial artery. A middle lobectomy was performed, and the protrusion was histologically shown to be a primary racemose hemangioma of the bronchial artery.

Adult↗

Deletion mapping and X inactivation analysis of a non-specific mental retardation gene at Xp21.3-Xp22.11.

We report on deletion mapping and X inactivation analysis of a gene for X linked non-specific mental retardation (MRX) at Xp21.3-Xp22.11, on the basis of molecular studies in two families with Xp microdeletions involving the DAX-1 gene. In family A, mental retardation (MR) was profound in the older brother with an episode of adrenal crisis, severe in the younger brother with no episode of adrenal crisis, and mild to moderate in the sister and the mother with no signs of adrenal hypoplasia. In family B, MR was absent in the male patient with adrenal hypoplasia. Polymerase chain reaction for 16 loci in the middle of Xp showed that the brothers of family A had a small Xp deletion between DXS7182 and DXS1022, and that the patient of family B had a tiny Xp deletion between DXS319 and DXS1022. Microsatellite analysis for tetranucleotide repeats in the promoter region of the DAX-1 gene and Southern blotting for DAX-1 and DXS28 showed that the sister and the mother of family A were heterozygous for the interstitial deletion. X inactivation analysis for the methylation status of the AR gene and the HPRT gene indicated that the normal X and the deleted X chromosome underwent random X inactivation in both the sister and the mother. The results imply that an MRX gene subject to X inactivation is present in a roughly 4 Mb region between DXS7182 and DAX-1, and that reduced expression of the normal MRX gene caused by random X inactivation results in MR in carrier females.

Child↗

Variability of biochemical and clinical phenotype in X-linked liver glycogenosis with mutations in the phosphorylase kinase PHKA2 gene.

X-linked liver glycogenosis (XLG) resulting from phosphorylase kinase (Phk) deficiency is one of the most common forms of glycogen storage disease. It is caused by mutations in the gene encoding the liver isoform of the Phk alpha subunit (PHKA2). In the present study, we address the issue of phenotypic and allelic heterogeneity in XLG. We have identified mutations in seven male patients. One of these patients represents the variant biochemical phenotype, XLG subtype 2 (XLG2), where Phk activity is low in liver but normal or even elevated in erythrocytes. He carries a K189E missense mutation, which adds to the emerging evidence that XLG2 is associated with missense mutations clustering at a few sites. Two patients display clinical phenotypes unusual for liver Phk deficiency, with dysfunction of the kidneys (proximal renal tubular acidosis) or of the nervous system (seizures, delayed cognitive and speech abilities, peripheral sensory neuropathy), respectively, in addition to liver glycogenosis. In the patient with kidney involvement, we have identified a missense mutation (P399S) and a trinucleotide deletion (2858del3) leading to the replacement of two amino acids by one new residue (N953/L954I), and a missense mutation has also been found in the patient with neurological symptoms (G1207W). These two cases demonstrate that PHKA2 mutations can also be associated with uncommon clinical phenotypes. Finally, in four typical XLG cases, we have identified three truncating mutations (70insT, R352X, 567del22) and an in-frame deletion of eight well-conserved amino acids (2452del24). Together, this study adds eight new mutations to the previously known complement of sixteen PHKA2 mutations. All known PHKA2 mutations but one are distinct, indicating pronounced allelic heterogeneity of X-linked liver glycogenosis with mutations in the PHKA2 gene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Microphthalmia with linear skin defects syndrome in a mosaic female infant with monosomy for the Xp22 region: molecular analysis of the Xp22 breakpoint and the X-inactivation pattern.

This paper describes a female infant with microphthalmia with linear skin defects syndrome (MLS) and monosomy for the Xp22 region. Her clinical features included right microphthalmia and sclerocornea, left corneal opacity, linear red rash and scar-like skin lesion on the nose and cheeks, and absence of the corpus callosum. Cytogenetic studies revealed a 45,X[18]/46,X,r(X)(p22q21) [24]/46,X,del(X)(p22)[58] karyotype. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis showed that the ring X chromosome was positive for DXZ1 and XIST and negative for the Xp and Xq telomeric regions, whereas the deleted X chromosome was positive for DXZI, XIST, and the Xq telomeric region and negative for the Xp telomeric region. Microsatellite analysis for 19 loci at the X-differential region of Xp22 disclosed monosomy for Xp22 involving the critical region for the MLS gene, with the breakpoint between DXS1053 and DXS418. X-inactivation analysis for the methylation status of the PGK gene indicated the presence of inactive normal X chromosomes. The Xp22 deletion of our patient is the largest in MLS patients with molecularly defined Xp22 monosomy. Nevertheless, the result of X-inactivation analysis implies that the normal X chromosomes in the 46,X,del(X)(p22) cell lineage were more or less subject to X-inactivation, because normal X chromosomes in the 45,X and 46,X,r(X)(p22q21) cell lineages are unlikely to undergo X-inactivation. This supports the notion that functional absence of the MLS gene caused by inactivation of the normal X chromosome plays a pivotal role in the development of MLS in patients with Xp22 monosomy.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Pseudoautosomal deletions encompassing a novel homeobox gene cause growth failure in idiopathic short stature and Turner syndrome.

Growth retardation resulting in short stature is a major concern for parents and due to its great variety of causes, a complex diagnostic challenge for clinicians. A major locus involved in linear growth has been implicated within the pseudoautosomal region (PAR1) of the human sex chromosomes. We have determined an interval of 170 kb of DNA within PAR1 which was deleted in 36 individuals with short stature and different rearrangements on Xp22 or Yp11.3. This deletion was not detected in any of the relatives with normal stature or in a further 30 individuals with rearrangements on Xp22 or Yp11.3 with normal height. We have isolated a homeobox-containing gene (SHOX) from this region, which has at least two alternatively spliced forms, encoding proteins with different patterns of expression. We also identified one functionally significant SHOX mutation by screening 91 individuals with idiopathic short stature. Our data suggest an involvement of SHOX in idiopathic growth retardation and in the short stature phenotype of Turner syndrome patients.

Adolescent↗

Impaired male sex development in an infant with molecularly defined partial 9p monosomy: implication for a testis forming gene(s) on 9p.

This paper describes a genetically male infant with impaired male sex development and partial 9p monosomy. The external genitalia were ambiguous with microphallus (penile length at birth 10 mm, mean age matched normal length 29 mm (SD 5)), hypospadias, and hypoplastic scrotum. The tests were undescended and severely hypoplastic (testis size at 12 months of age, right 8 x 5 x 4 mm and left 4 x 3 x 2 mm; mean age matched normal size, length 18 mm (SD 2), width 11 mm (SD 1). Cytogenetic studies showed a 46,XY,del(9)(p23) karyotype in all the 30 peripheral lymphocytes and 20 skin fibroblasts examined. Microsatellite analysis for a total of 13 loci assigned to the 9p22-24 region showed that the deleted chromosome 9 was of paternal origin and was missing a region distal to D9S168. Southern blot analysis for D9S47 also confirmed the 9p deletion. The sequence of SRY was normal. The results provide further support for the previously proposed hypothesis that a gene(s) for testis formation is present on the distal part of 9p and indicate in molecular terms that the putative testis forming gene(s) resides in the region distal to D9S168.

Blotting, Southern↗