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Naoki Harada

Publications and source records attributed to Naoki Harada.

52 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Inv dup del(4)(:p14 --> p16.3::p16.3 --> qter) with manifestations of partial duplication 4p and Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome.

An 8-year-old girl with a combination of clinical manifestations of partial duplication 4p and the Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome was studied. Chromosomal G-banding and FISH analyses showed a 33.2-Mb segment of inverted duplication at 4p14-p16.3 and a 2.8-Mb segment of deletion at 4p16.3-pter (including the Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome critical region). The chromosomes of the parents were normal. Her karyotype was thus 46,XX, inv dup del(4)(:p14 --> p16.3::p16.3 --> qter) de novo. The inverted duplication deletion was assumed to have arisen through chromatid breakage at 4p16.3, U-type reunion at the breakpoints to produce a dicentric intermediate, breakage of the dicentric to result in a monocentric, and telomere capture/healing of the broken end. Olfactory receptor gene clusters at 4p16.3 were ruled out as an intermediary of the duplication deletion process.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Preferential paternal origin of microdeletions caused by prezygotic chromosome or chromatid rearrangements in Sotos syndrome.

Sotos syndrome (SoS) is characterized by pre- and postnatal overgrowth with advanced bone age; a dysmorphic face with macrocephaly and pointed chin; large hands and feet; mental retardation; and possible susceptibility to tumors. It has been shown that the major cause of SoS is haploinsufficiency of the NSD1 gene at 5q35, because the majority of patients had either a common microdeletion including NSD1 or a truncated type of point mutation in NSD1. In the present study, we traced the parental origin of the microdeletions in 26 patients with SoS by the use of 16 microsatellite markers at or flanking the commonly deleted region. Deletions in 18 of the 20 informative cases occurred in the paternally derived chromosome 5, whereas those in the maternally derived chromosome were found in only two cases. Haplotyping analysis of the marker loci revealed that the paternal deletion in five of seven informative cases and the maternal deletion in one case arose through an intrachromosomal rearrangement, and two other cases of the paternal deletion involved an interchromosomal event, suggesting that the common microdeletion observed in SoS did not occur through a uniform mechanism but preferentially arose prezygotically.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Fifty microdeletions among 112 cases of Sotos syndrome: low copy repeats possibly mediate the common deletion.

Sotos syndrome (SoS) is an autosomal dominant overgrowth syndrome with characteristic craniofacial dysmorphic features and various degrees of mental retardation. We previously showed that haploinsufficiency of the NSD1 gene is the major cause of SoS, and submicroscopic deletions at 5q35, including NSD1, were found in about a half (20/42) of our patients examined. Since the first report, an additional 70 SoS cases consisting of 53 Japanese and 17 non-Japanese have been analyzed. We found 50 microdeletions (45%) and 16 point mutations (14%) among all the 112 cases. A large difference in the frequency of microdeletions between Japanese and non-Japanese patients was noted: 49 (52%) of the 95 Japanese patients and only one (6%) of the 17 non-Japanese had microdeletions. A sequence-based physical map was constructed to characterize the microdeletions. Most of the microdeletions were confirmed to be identical by FISH analysis. We identified highly homologous sequences, i.e., possible low copy repeats (LCRs), in regions flanking proximal and distal breakpoints of the common deletion, This suggests that LCRs may mediate the deletion. Such LCRs seem to be present in different populations. Thus the different frequency of microdeletions between Japanese and non-Japanese cases in our study may have been caused by patient-selection bias.

Carrier Proteins↗

Complex low-copy repeats associated with a common polymorphic inversion at human chromosome 8p23.

To characterize a submicroscopic, common 8p23 polymorphic inversion, we constructed a complete BAC/PAC-based physical map covering the entire 4.7-Mb inversion and its flanking regions. Two low-copy repeats (LCRs), REPD (approximately 1.3 Mb) and REPP (approximately 0.4 Mb), were identified at each of the inversion breakpoints. Comparison of the REPD and REPP sequences revealed that REPD showed high homology to REPP, with complex direct and inverted orientations. REPD and REPP contain six and five olfactory receptor gene-related sequences, respectively. LCRs at 8p23 showed multiple FISH signals from an Old World monkey to the human. Thus, multiplication of the LCR may have occurred at least 21-25 million years ago. We also investigated the frequency of the 4.7-Mb inversion in the general Japanese population and found that the allele frequency for the 8p23 inversion was estimated to be 27%.

Chromosome Inversion↗

Postnatal overgrowth by 15q-trisomy and intrauterine growth retardation by 15q-monosomy due to familial translocation t(13;15): dosage effect of IGF1R?

We report a 4-year-old boy, a 6-month-old girl, and a 17-week-old fetus all with a chromosomal imbalance derived from a balanced translocation t(13;15)(q34;q26.1) of their father. The boy had a partial trisomy for 15q26.1-qter (46,XY,der(13)t(13;15)(q34;q26.1)) and postnatal overgrowth, as well as craniosynostosis, facial anomalies, and finger joint contractures, while the girl with the same chromosomal aberration did not show overgrowth, although she had similar craniofacial and skeletal abnormalities. The fetus had a partial monosomy for 15q26.1-qter and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis with a BAC clone covering the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor gene (IGF1R) that is located to 15q25-q26 revealed three copies in the boy, one copy in the fetus, and two copies in their phenotypically normal father. Since deletion of IGF1Rhas repeatedly been reported to be associated with IUGR, it is tempting to speculate that the dosage of IGF1R may have determined growth in these children.

Abortion, Induced↗

Chk2-deficient mice exhibit radioresistance and defective p53-mediated transcription.

The mammalian Chk2 kinase is thought to mediate ATM-dependent signaling in response to DNA damage. The physiological role of mammalian Chk2 has now been investigated by the generation of Chk2-deficient mice. Although Chk2(-/-) mice appeared normal, they were resistant to ionizing radiation (IR) as a result of the preservation of splenic lymphocytes. Thymocytes and neurons of the developing brain were also resistant to IR-induced apoptosis. The IR-induced G(1)/S cell cycle checkpoint, but not the G(2)/M or S phase checkpoints, was impaired in embryonic fibroblasts derived from Chk2(-/-) mice. IR-induced stabilization of p53 in Chk2(-/- )cells was 50-70% of that in wild-type cells. Caffeine further reduced p53 accumulation, suggesting the existence of an ATM/ATR-dependent but Chk2-independent pathway for p53 stabilization. In spite of p53 protein stabilization and phosphorylation of Ser23, p53-dependent transcriptional induction of target genes, such as p21 and Noxa, was not observed in Chk2(-/-) cells. Our results show that Chk2 plays a critical role in p53 function in response to IR by regulating its transcriptional activity as well as its stability.

Animals↗

Duplication of 8p23.2: a benign cytogenetic variant?

We describe a duplication of the 8p23.2 band in seven individuals from four families. The duplication was recognizable as an enlarged 8p23.2 band on G-banded chromosomes at the 550 band level. It was transmitted from a parent to offspring in three of the four families in which both parents were karyotyped. Each proband in the four families had the enlarged band and showed various phenotypic abnormalities, but the abnormalities were inconsistent. Chromosomal and interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis of the enlarged band region defined a 2.5-Mb duplicated segment common to all seven individuals studied. Interphase FISH analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes from 50 unrelated normal individuals showed the duplication in three individuals. In view of these findings, it is most likely that the 8p23.2 duplication we described is a normal variant.

Child↗

Maternal isodisomy for 14q21-q24 in a man with diabetes mellitus.

We report a 20-year-old man with maternal uniparental disomy for chromosome 14 (UPD14) and maturity-onset diabetes mellitus (DM). He had pre- and postnatal growth retardation, developed DM at age 20 years without any autoimmune antibodies, and had a mosaic 45,XY,der(14;14)(q10;q10)[129]/46,XY,+14,der(14;14)(q10;q10)[1] karyotype. Allelotyping using microsatellite markers covering the entire 14q indicated segmental maternal isodisomy for 14q21-q24 and maternal heterodisomy of the remaining regions of the chromosome. It is thus tempting to speculate that the segmental isodisomy led to reduction to homozygosity for a mutant gene and thus caused his DM, although the possibility of coincidental occurrence of the two events cannot totally be ruled out. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis using BAC clone probes revealed that the isodisomic segment did not overlap any known IDDM or NIDDM susceptibility loci on chromosome 14, suggesting a novel locus for a subset of DM at the isodisomic segment.

Adult↗

Haploinsufficiency of NSD1 causes Sotos syndrome.

We isolated NSD1 from the 5q35 breakpoint in an individual with Sotos syndrome harboring a chromosomal translocation. We identified 1 nonsense, 3 frameshift and 20 submicroscopic deletion mutations of NSD1 among 42 individuals with sporadic cases of Sotos syndrome. The results indicate that haploinsufficiency of NSD1 is the major cause of Sotos syndrome.

Acromegaly↗

Identification of de novo chromosome rearrangements: five cases analyzed with differential chromosome painting.

We report on five cases of de novo structural chromosome rearrangements that were difficult to identify by conventional G-banding analysis. In all five cases, differential chromosome painting (DCP) provided evidence for the presence of an additional segment and its origin. A combination of DCP with subsequent conventional fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis using adequate locus-specific probes and reexamination of G-banding patterns resulted in successful identification of the rearrangements. Their karyotypes were finally interpreted as 46,XY,der(1)(qter --> q42.1::p36.3 --> qter) in case 1; 46,XY,der(8)(8pter -->8q24.3::8q24.3 --> 8q23.2::?p11.2 --> ?ps) in case 2; 47,XY,+der(10)(pter --> q11) in case 3; 46,XX,der(3)(17pter --> 17p11.2::3p26 --> 3qter) in case 4; and 46,XY,dup(1) (pter --> q32::q25 --> qter) in case 5.

Child, Preschool↗

A novel gene is disrupted at a 14q13 breakpoint of t(2;14) in a patient with mirror-image polydactyly of hands and feet.

Mirror-image polydactyly of hands and feet (MIP) is a very rare congenital anomaly characterized by mirror-image duplication of digits. To isolate the gene responsible for MIP, we performed translocation breakpoint cloning from an MIP patient with t(2;14)(p23.3;q13). We isolated a good candidate gene for MIP that was disrupted by the translocation of the patient. We had previously con structed a 1.2-megabase bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)/P1-derived artificial chromosome (PAC) contig covering the 14q13 breakpoint of t(2;14)(p23.3;q13). From a 500-kb segment consisting of seven BAC/PAC clones in the contig, we isolated a novel gene (the mirror-image polydactyly 1 gene, designated as MIPOL1, GenBank Accession No. AY059470), in addition to the hepatocyte nuclear factor 3 alpha gene (HNF3A, GenBank Accession No. XM 007360). MIPOL1 spans about 350kb, comprises 15 exons, and encodes 442 amino acids. Northern blot analysis revealed that MIPOL1 expression is definite but very weak in adult heart, liver, skeletal muscle, kidney, and pancreas, and in fetal kidney. In view of the genome sequence and the contig map constructed, the 14q13 breakpoint of the patient was identified as located in intron 11 of MIPOL1, indicating that the gene was disrupted by the translocation, and that the breakage resulted in MIPOL1 protein truncation. Whole-mount in situ hybridization in mouse resulted in mouse Mipol1 signals all over E10.5-E13.5 mouse embryos. Two other unrelated patients with limb anomalies similar to MIP were subjected to mutation analysis of MIPOL1, but none had any mutations. We then isolated BAC clones from the other breakpoint, 2p23.3. A search for genes and expressed sequence tags in a more than 300-kb region around the 2p23.3 breakpoint found only the neuroblastoma-amplified protein gene (NAG, GenBank Accession No. NM 015909), which is located at least 50kb centromeric to the breakpoint and is not likely to be related to MIP. MIPOL1 is a good candidate gene for the MIP type of anomaly.

Chromosomes, Human, Pair 14↗

Induction and characterization of cutaneous lymphocyte antigen on natural killer cells.

Cutaneous lymphocyte antigen (CLA) has been reported to be expressed mainly by memory/effector T lymphocytes infiltrating inflammatory skin lesions and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. It has been suggested that CLA is a specific homing receptor, facilitating the T-cell migration into skin lesions, and also an indicator of the skin-homing T-cell subset. In the present study, we investigated the expression of CLA in natural killer (NK) cells defined phenotypically as surface CD3- and CD56+ cells in peripheral blood. CLA was definitely expressed on CD3-CD56+ cells at a level comparable to CD3+ cells in peripheral blood of normal Japanese volunteers. After in vitro stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with interleukin 2 (IL-2) and IL-12, there was a significant increase in the number and percentage of CLA+ NK cells but not CLA+ T cells (P < 0.01). To analyse the characteristics of CLA expressed by NK cells, we investigated a CLA+ NK-leukaemia cell line, NK-YS, established from a patient with NK leukaemia/lymphoma with skin infiltration. In the in vitro study, the CLA-expressing NK-leukaemic cell line bound to E-selectin-transfected cells and was inhibited by HECA 452 antibody or neuraminidase treatment of leukaemic cells. These findings suggest that CLA expressed by NK cells is a homing receptor for the E-selectin molecule and may explain skin infiltration by NK cells and NK lymphoma cells analogous to T cells. An NK-cell subset expressing CLA must play an important role in host defence against microorganisms and neoplasms in skin lesions.

Antigens, CD↗

Expansion of trisomy 8 and Sweet syndrome in a prolonged course of aplastic anemia.

We describe a 17-year-old boy with aplastic anemia who had Sweet syndrome develop with increasing expansion of trisomy 8. The diagnosis of aplastic anemia was made at 6 years of age. Cytopenias partially responded to danazol therapy. Cytogenetic studies of bone marrow (BM) cells were normal until the detection of trisomy 8 at 14 years of age. This clone increased with the progression of cytopenias. Cell sorting and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis revealed that trisomy 8 was present only in nonlymphoid elements. When the patient was 17 years of age, Sweet syndrome developed. BM study showed myelodysplastic features, in which trisomy 8 occupied 74% of BM cells with additional chromosomal changes. Trisomy 8 may contribute to the late transformation of myeloid lineages in BM failure.

Adolescent↗

Monozygotic twins with discordant sexual phenotypes due to different ratios of mosaicism of 47,X,idic(Y),idic(Y)/46,X, idic(Y)/45,X.

We report monozygotic twins of different sexual phenotypes. One of the twins had complete female external genitalia except for a mild clitoromegaly. She had bilateral gonads consisting of the wavy stroma and scant dysgenetic seminiferous tubules. No androgen secretion was induced by gonadotrophin stimulation. The other twin had hypospadiac male genitalia. His gonads were located intrascrotally and he had good androgenic response to a stimulation test. Conventional and fluorescence in situ hybridization chromosome analysis disclosed that both twins had a 47,X,idic(Y),idic(Y)/46,X,idic(Y)/45,X and 47,X, + mar x 2.ish idic(Y)(q11.2)(DYZ3++ x 2)/46,X, + mar.ish idic(Y)(q11.2)(DZY3++)/45,X. These twins were clinically monochorionic and allelotype analysis in these twins and their parents with microsatellite markers showed the affirmative probability of 0.999999994 for monozygosity. The ratio of mosaicism, gonadal histology, and testosterone productivity were reasonably correlated to the genital virilization in these monozygotic twins, showing discordant sexual phenotypes.

Alleles↗