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Parkin variants in North American Parkinson's disease: cases and controls.

We report on an evaluation of coding variants within the parkin gene to assess their frequency in a North American clinical series of 313 Parkinson's disease (PD) cases and 192 unrelated controls. We hypothesized that the carrier frequency of parkin coding mutations, exon deletions, or duplications may be greater in PD cases. However, point mutations and exonic deletions/duplications, reported previously as pathogenic in homozygous or compound heterozygous individuals, occurred in both cases and controls with similar frequencies (3.8% in cases, 3.1% in controls). Furthermore, only stratified subanalyses detected any genetic association between the V380L common coding polymorphism and PD. We discuss the implication of parkin mutations for Parkinson's disease from this population perspective.

Adult↗

Cognitive impairment as a manifestation of SPG7: case report.

Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a group of genetic disorders caused by >80 genes that can be described as either pure or complex forms.We report a case of a patient with a complex form of SPG7 with significant cognitive impairment.A 42-year-old man presented with a 10-year history of dysarthria, 5 years of gait difficulties, and 3 years of cognitive symptoms. Neuropsychological analysis showed deficits involving speed of information processing, mental flexibility, ideational fluency, verbal concept formation, visual working memory, and visual-spatial perception. Next-generation sequencing on whole blood revealed 2 heterozygous pathogenic variants in SPG7 (c. 1049_1077del, p. Pro350Glnfs*36 and c. 1529C>T, p. Ala510Val).There are emerging reports of complex forms of SPG7 presenting with impairments in memory, executive dysfunction, language, visuospatial processing, social functioning, and emotional communication. In this report, we describe a complex SPG7 patient who underwent formal neuropsychological testing to assess cognitive status in depth. This revealed deficits in speed of processing, visuospatial working memory and perception, impaired non-verbal intellect, and overall lack of insight, which have not yet been described in the literature.

Cognitive impairment↗

Selection of virus variants and emergence of virus escape mutants after immunization with an epitope vaccine.

In this report, we assessed the evolution of the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response induced by an epitope vaccine. In two macaques immunized with a mixture of lipopeptides derived from simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) Nef and Gag proteins, CTL responses were directed against the same, single epitope of the Nef protein (amino acids 128 to 137) presenting an alanine at position 136 (Nef 128-137/136A). However, after 5 months of SIV infection, peripheral blood mononuclear cells from both macaques lost their ability to be stimulated by autologous SIV-infected cells while still retaining their capacity to generate cytotoxic responses after specific Nef 128-137/136A peptide stimulation. The sequences of the pathogenic viral isolate used for the challenge showed a mixture of several variants. Within the Nef epitopic sequence from amino acids 128 to 137, 82% of viral variants expressed the epitopic peptide Nef 128-137/136A; the remaining variants presented a threonine at position 136 (Nef 128-137/136T). In contrast, sequence analysis of cloned proviral DNA obtained from both macaques 5 months after SIV challenge showed a different pattern of quasi-species variants; 100% of clones presented a threonine at position 136 (Nef 128-137/136T), suggesting the disappearance of viral variants with an alanine at this position under antiviral pressure exerted by Nef 128-137/136A-specific CTLs. In addition, 12 months after SIV challenge, six of eight clones from one macaque presented a glutamic acid at position 131 (Nef 128-137/131E+136T), which was not found in the infecting isolate. Furthermore, CTLs generated very early after SIV challenge were able to lyse cells sensitized with the Nef 128-137/136A epitope. In contrast, lysis was significantly less effective or even did not occur when either the selected peptide Nef 128-137/136T or the escape variant peptide Nef 128-137/131E+136T was used in a target cell sensitization assay. Dose analysis of peptides used to sensitize target cells as well as a major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-peptide stability assay suggested that the selected peptide Nef 128-137/136T has an altered capacity to bind to the MHC. These data suggest that CTL pressure leads to the selection of viral variants and to the emergence of escape mutants and supports the fact that immunization should elicit broad CTL responses.

AIDS Vaccines↗

Functional screening of ZIP8 naturally occurring variants identifies pathogenic mutations and trafficking defects.

The rapid expansion of human genomic data has revealed a large number of naturally occurring variants, creating a major challenge for functional annotation. The human metal transporter SLC39A8 (ZIP8) is a clinically important, promiscuous divalent metal transporter, yet most of its documented variants remain uncharacterized. Here, we developed a workflow to functionally evaluate ZIP8 variants by integrating laser ablation inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-TOF-MS) with scaled-up cell-based transport assays. Using this method, we systematically analyzed 33 naturally occurring missense variants located in the extracellular domain (ECD) of ZIP8. The assay enables direct quantification of intracellular metal accumulation with substantially improved throughput (~150 samples per hour). Functional screening identified 14 potential pathogenic variants with significantly reduced transport activity. Comparison with computational predictions revealed a moderate correlation between activity and AlphaMissense pathogenicity scores (R2 = 0.423), while an error rate of ~20% underscores the need for experimental validation. Flow cytometry analysis showed that most loss-of-function variants exhibit impaired trafficking of the protein to the cell surface possibly due to mutation-caused protein misfolding or instability. Structural mapping of activity-compromised variants, together with functional assessment of the ZIP8-ECD, highlights the importance of this domain in ZIP8 expression and intracellular trafficking. Together, this work establishes a scalable approach for functional screening of metal transporter variants and provides new insights into the structure-function relationships of ZIP8.

Journal Article↗

Erythroblastic inclusions in dominantly inherited beta thalassemias.

While the precipitation of unstable variant beta-globin chains has been implicated as a major pathogenic mechanism in dominantly inherited beta thalassemia, their instability and presence in intra-erythroblastic inclusions have not been conclusively shown. We report the investigation of two cases of dominantly inherited beta thalassemia due to heterozygosity for the beta-codon 121 G-T mutation. In one case, we were able to demonstrate the presence of an abnormal beta-globin chain in both peripheral blood reticulocytes and bone marrow erythroblasts, and to assess its stability in relation to the substantial amounts of mutant beta mRNA transcript. The serum transferrin receptor (TfR) level was markedly increased, an indication of increased erythropoietic activity. In both cases, we could show by immunoelectron microscopy that the intra-erythroblastic inclusion bodies, a prominent feature of diseases in this category, contained not only precipitated alpha-globin chains, but also beta chains. The data confirm previous suggestions that the cellular pathology underlying this group of beta thalassemias is related to the synthesis of highly unstable beta-globin chain variants, which fail to form functional tetramers and precipitate intracellularly with the concomitant excess alpha chains, leading to increased ineffective erythropoiesis.

Adult↗

Evaluation of the safety of amantadine-HC1 and the role of respiratory viral infections in children with cystic fibrosis.

Amantadine-HC1, an antiviral drug clinically effective against most strains of influenza A virus, was evaluated in a double-blind trial in 153 children with cystic fibrosis during the initial appearance of influenza A/England/42 virus in the New England area. Infection with this variant strain of influenza virus did not reach epidemic proportions during the study, so that the effectiveness of amantadine in this study population could not be fully assessed. However, the potential symptomatic and biochemical toxicity of amantadine was carefully monitored in a pediatric population. Serologic screening by complement fixation tests indicated that respiratory viruses may be important pathogens in exacerbations of respiratory disease in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Adolescent↗

Comparative testing of disinfectants against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium terrae in a quantitative suspension test.

In order to establish a quantitative suspension test to assess the tuberculocidal activity of disinfectants, comparative tests were carried out with a variant of the Dutch Standard Suspension Test using Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium terrae as the test organisms. The results indicate that both species have a similar susceptibility towards disinfectants. Because of this and since M. terrae is a relatively fast growing organism with a low pathogenic potential, it is recommended that this species be used for determining the tuberculocidal potential of new products.

Disinfectants↗

Functional screening of ZIP8 naturally occurring variants identifies pathogenic mutations and trafficking defects.

The rapid expansion of human genomic data has revealed a large number of naturally occurring variants, creating a major challenge for functional annotation. The human metal transporter SLC39A8 (ZIP8) is a clinically important divalent metal transporter, yet most of its documented variants remain uncharacterized. Here, we developed a workflow to functionally evaluate ZIP8 variants by integrating laser ablation inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-TOF-MS) with scaled-up cell-based transport assays. Using this method, we systematically analyzed 33 naturally occurring missense variants located in the extracellular domain (ECD) of ZIP8. The assay enables direct quantification of intracellular metal accumulation with substantially improved throughput (∼150 samples per hour). Functional screening identified 14 potential pathogenic variants with significantly reduced transport activity. Comparison with computational predictions revealed a moderate correlation between activity and AlphaMissense pathogenicity scores (R2 = 0.423), while an error rate of ∼20% for AlphaMissense underscores the need for experimental validation. Flow cytometry analysis showed that most loss-of-function variants exhibit impaired trafficking of the protein to the cell surface possibly due to mutation-caused protein misfolding or instability. Structural mapping of activity-compromised variants, together with functional assessment of the ZIP8-ECD, highlights the importance of this domain in ZIP8 expression and intracellular protein trafficking. Together, this work establishes a scalable approach for functional screening of metal transporter variants and provides new insights into the structure-function relationships of ZIP8.

Journal Article↗

SIVsmmPBj14: an atypical lentivirus.

SIV-PBj14 is atypical for a lentivirus in that infection of pig-tailed macaques usually does not result in long-term progressive disease; however, this model may potentially provide valuable information about the pathogenesis of HIV and the development of AIDS. By capitalizing on some of the unique properties of the virus and the model system discussed above, new insights may be gained in: (a) understanding pathogenic mechanisms of acute lentiviral infections, (b) dissecting lentivirus-host cell interactions, (c) evaluating the role(s) of cytokines in lentivirus-induced disease, (d) rapidly assessing therapeutic and prophylactic benefits of new drugs and vaccines, and (e) identifying regions of the viral genome that influence specific biological properties. While it is unlikely, but possible, that HIV-1 variants as virulent as SIV-PBj14 will become a threat to humans, SIV-PBj14 may possess properties important to the development of lentivirus-induced disease. An understanding of all possible virus-host interactions, from the most virulent to the most benign, may be required to make a significant, positive impact on the HIV-1 pandemic.

Animals↗

Vaccine-elicited V3 loop-specific antibodies in rhesus monkeys and control of a simian-human immunodeficiency virus expressing a primary patient human immunodeficiency virus type 1 isolate envelope.

Vaccine-elicited antibodies specific for the third hypervariable domain of the surface gp120 of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) (V3 loop) were assessed for their contribution to protection against infection in the simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)/rhesus monkey model. Peptide vaccine-elicited anti-V3 loop antibody responses were examined for their ability to contain replication of SHIV-89.6, a nonpathogenic SHIV expressing a primary patient isolate HIV-1 envelope, as well as SHIV-89.6P, a pathogenic variant of that virus. Low-titer neutralizing antibodies to SHIV-89.6 that provided partial protection against viremia following SHIV-89.6 infection were generated. A similarly low-titer neutralizing antibody response to SHIV-89.6P that did not contain viremia after infection with SHIV-89.6P was generated, but a trend toward protection against CD4+ T-lymphocyte loss was seen in these infected monkeys. These observations suggest that the V3 loop on some primary patient HIV-1 isolates may be a partially effective target for neutralizing antibodies induced by peptide immunogens.

AIDS Vaccines↗

Low frequency of AXIN2 mutations and high frequency of MUTYH mutations in patients with multiple polyposis.

Familial adenomatous polyposis has been linked to germline mutations in the APC tumor suppressor gene. However, a number of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (with either classical or attenuated phenotype) have no APC mutation. Recently, germline mutations in the Wnt pathway component gene AXIN2 have been associated with tooth agenesis-colorectal cancer syndrome. Moreover, biallelic mutations in the base excision repair gene MUTYH have been associated with polyposis and early-onset colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to further assess the contribution of AXIN2 and MUTYH to hereditary colorectal cancer susceptibility. AXIN2 and MUTYH genes were screened for germline mutations by PCR and direct sequencing in 39 unrelated patients with multiple adenomas or colorectal cancer without evidence of APC mutation nor mismatch repair defect. Two novel AXIN2 variants were detected in one patient with multiple adenomas, but no clearly pathogenic mutation. In contrast, nine different MUTYH mutations were detected in eight patients, including four novel mutations. Biallelic MUTYH mutations were only found in patients with multiple adenomatous polyposis (7 out of 22 (32%)). Interestingly, five MUTYH mutation carriers had a family history consistent with dominant inheritance. Moreover, one patient with biallelic MUTYH mutations presented with multiple adenomas and severe tooth agenesis. Therefore, germline mutations are rare in AXIN2 but frequent in MUTYH in patients with multiple adenomas. Our data suggest that genetic testing of MUTYH may be of interest in patients with pedigrees apparently compatible with autosomal recessive as well as dominant inheritance.

Adenomatous Polyposis Coli↗

MNV-aware molecular characterization of a rare homozygous TTPA complex allele in ataxia with vitamin E deficiency.

Ataxia with vitamin E deficiency (AVED) is a rare autosomal-recessive neurological disorder caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in TTPA. Early vitamin E supplementation may prevent or limit irreversible neurological damage, but diagnosis is often delayed. Multi-nucleotide variants (MNVs) in TTPA have rarely been described and may be misinterpreted when adjacent substitutions are evaluated independently. We investigated a 34-year-old woman with childhood-onset progressive ataxia using clinical, biochemical, neuroimaging, and electrophysiological assessments. Serum vitamin E levels were measured longitudinally during supplementation. Whole-exome sequencing, read-level inspection, and Sanger sequencing were used to identify and confirm a homozygous TTPA complex allele, NM_000370.3:c. 296G > A;299 A > C, predicted to result in NP_000361.1:p. Gly99_Tyr100delinsAspSer, and to assess familial segregation. Population-database review, in silico prediction, and exploratory structure-based analysis were performed to evaluate its potential clinical relevance. The patient had markedly reduced baseline serum vitamin E levels of 0.8 µg/mL, which increased to 7.5 µg/mL after 12 months of supplementation. This biochemical correction was temporally accompanied by qualitatively observed improvements in gait stability, coordination, speech, and fine motor performance. Read-level analysis supported the presence of both substitutions on the same allele, and Sanger sequencing confirmed the homozygous complex allele in the patient and heterozygous carrier status in both parents. The affected residues are conserved and located within the CRAL-TRIO domain of α-tocopherol transfer protein. Exploratory structure-based analysis suggested altered local residue interactions; however, no functional assay was performed, and effects on protein stability, α-tocopherol binding, or transfer could not be established. This report expands the molecular spectrum of AVED by describing a homozygous TTPA complex allele and highlights the importance of MNV-aware interpretation of closely spaced substitutions. Vitamin E supplementation resulted in biochemical correction and was accompanied by possible partial clinical improvement despite initiation in adulthood. Functional studies are required to determine the precise effect of this allele on α-tocopherol transfer protein function.

Humans↗

Creating an atlas of variant effects to resolve variants of uncertain significance and guide cardiovascular medicine.

Cardiovascular diseases are leading global causes of death and disability, often presenting as interrelated phenotypes of atherosclerotic vascular disease, heart failure and arrhythmias. Cardiovascular diseases arise from interactions between environmental factors and predisposing genotypes and include common Mendelian lipid disorders, cardiomyopathies and arrhythmia syndromes. The identification of a pathogenic variant through genetic testing can inform disease diagnosis, risk prediction, treatment and family screening. However, a major roadblock in genomic medicine is that for many variants, especially missense variants, we lack sufficient evidence to enable a definitive classification, and therefore these variants are deemed as 'variants of uncertain significance'. In this Review, we describe how multiplexed assays of variant effects can enable the functional assessment of nearly all coding variants in a target sequence, potentially offering a proactive approach to identifying the functional significance of gene variants that are observed later in a patient. We discuss validation, including the role of in silico variant effect predictors, and how multiplexed experimental methods are informing cardiovascular disease biology and ultimately resolving the problem of variants of uncertain significance at scale.

Humans↗

Antigenic diversity of meningococcal outer membrane protein PorA has implications for epidemiological analysis and vaccine design.

The currently used serological subtyping scheme for the pathogen Neisseria meningitidis is not comprehensive, a proportion of isolates are reported as not subtypeable (NST), and few isolates are fully characterized with two subtypes for each strain. To establish the reasons for this and to assess the effectiveness of DNA-based subtyping schemes, dot blot hybridization and nucleotide sequence analyses were used to characterize the genes encoding antigenic variants of the meningococcal subtyping antigen, the PorA protein. A total of 233 strains, including 174 serologically NST and 59 partially or completely subtyped meningococcal strains, were surveyed. The NST isolates were chosen to be temporally and geographically representative of NST strains, isolated in England and Wales, and submitted to the Meningococcal Reference Unit in the period 1989 to 1991. The DNA-based analyses demonstrated that all of the strains examined possessed a porA gene. Some of these strains were serologically NST because of a lack of monoclonal antibodies against certain PorA epitopes; in other cases, strains expressed minor variants of known PorA epitopes that did not react with monoclonal antibodies in serological assays. Lack of expression remained a possible explanation for serological typing failure in some cases. These findings have important implications for epidemiological analysis and vaccine design and demonstrate the need for genetic characterization, rather than phenotypic characterization using monoclonal antibodies, for the identification of meningococcal strains.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Genotypic and phenotypic diversity of rabies virus variants involved in human rabies: implications for postexposure prophylaxis.

OBJECTIVES: Rabies virus variants associated with silver-haired bats (SHBRV) are responsible for most recent human rabies cases in the United States, which are not associated with a history of exposure. We compared their genotype and phenotype with those of dog rabies virus (DRV) variants, the classic cause of rabies in humans, to determine whether differences in these strains might have ramifications for therapeutic intervention, particularly vaccination. METHODS: Eleven silver-haired bat and 8 dog rabies virus isolates were characterized by sequencing the glycoprotein gene, by assessing their ability to replicate in neuronal versus nonneuronal cultures at optimal and suboptimal temperatures, by assessing their pathogenicity in mice, and by determining the resistance of these viruses to therapeutic immunization with commercial vaccines. RESULTS: SHBRV isolates were less genetically diverse, less neuronal cell specific, more temperature sensitive, but as pathogenic, on average, as DRV isolates. Immune protection was equivalent for SHBRV and DRV strains of similar pathogenicity. CONCLUSIONS: SHBRV strains have unique characteristics that may explain their exceptional association with human rabies but have little bearing on their lethality in mice. The pathogenicity of a particular virus, rather than its antigenic makeup, determines the outcome of immunization.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Enhanced risk stratification in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy through the integration of extracellular volume fraction on cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

AIMS: This study investigated the incremental prognostic value of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived extracellular volume fraction (ECV), a marker of diffuse interstitial fibrosis, beyond late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). METHODS AND RESULTS: We analysed 990 consecutive HCM patients (median age 58 years, male 68.3%) who underwent CMR between 2012 and 2024. LGE and global ECV were quantified, and their associations with the primary endpoint of HCM-related events-a composite of sudden cardiac death (SCD) events, heart failure (HF) events, and HCM-related death-were assessed. During a median follow-up of 3.2 years, 64 (6.5%) patients experienced the primary endpoint. While LGE (median 7.1%, IQR 2.3-16.9%) and ECV (median 29.0%, IQR 26.6-32.0%) were moderately correlated (R = 0.604, P < 0.001), both were significantly associated with increased risk of the primary endpoint and individual outcomes of SCD and HF events, and optimal cutoffs were determined as LGE &#x2265; 27% and ECV &#x2265; 35%. Patients with ECV &#x2265; 35% had more symptoms, a more severe phenotype with greater systolic and diastolic dysfunction, and more pathogenic gene variants. Notably, ECV remained a significant predictor of the primary endpoint (adjusted HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02-1.15, per 1%) after adjustment for key disease variables, including left ventricular ejection fraction and LGE. Elevated ECV effectively identified high-risk individuals even among lower-risk subgroups, including those with low LGE burden. CONCLUSION: Increased ECV is an independent predictor of HCM-related outcomes. ECV may serve as a novel imaging biomarker to refine risk stratification in HCM patients who do not meet traditional LGE-based high-risk criteria.

Humans↗

Animal models for muscular dystrophy show different patterns of sarcolemmal disruption.

Genetic defects in a number of components of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex (DGC) lead to distinct forms of muscular dystrophy. However, little is known about how alterations in the DGC are manifested in the pathophysiology present in dystrophic muscle tissue. One hypothesis is that the DGC protects the sarcolemma from contraction-induced damage. Using tracer molecules, we compared sarcolemmal integrity in animal models for muscular dystrophy and in muscular dystrophy patient samples. Evans blue, a low molecular weight diazo dye, does not cross into skeletal muscle fibers in normal mice. In contrast, mdx mice, a dystrophin-deficient animal model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, showed significant Evans blue accumulation in skeletal muscle fibers. We also studied Evans blue dispersion in transgenic mice bearing different dystrophin mutations, and we demonstrated that cytoskeletal and sarcolemmal attachment of dystrophin might be a necessary requirement to prevent serious fiber damage. The extent of dye incorporation in transgenic mice correlated with the phenotypic severity of similar dystrophin mutations in humans. We furthermore assessed Evans blue incorporation in skeletal muscle of the dystrophia muscularis (dy/dy) mouse and its milder allelic variant, the dy2J/dy2J mouse, animal models for congenital muscular dystrophy. Surprisingly, these mice, which have defects in the laminin alpha2-chain, an extracellular ligand of the DGC, showed little Evans blue accumulation in their skeletal muscles. Taken together, these results suggest that the pathogenic mechanisms in congenital muscular dystrophy are different from those in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, although the primary defects originate in two components associated with the same protein complex.

Animals↗

Neonatal gene therapy with AAV2/8-LSPhGAA improves hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the Gaac.1826dupA knock-in murine model.

Pompe disease (PD) results from lysosomal acid &#x3b1;-glucosidase (GAA) deficiency, causing lysosomal glycogen accumulation in cardiac and skeletal muscles. We previously characterized a murine model carrying the orthologous human infantile-onset PD (IOPD) pathogenic variant, c.1826dupA (p.Y609*), introduced into the mouse Gaa gene. Compared to wild-type (WT; C57BL/6NJ) controls, Gaac.1826dupA mice exhibit reduced GAA activity and develop early-onset hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-evidenced by increased left ventricular wall thickness and left ventricular mass index (LVMI)- as well as impaired grip strength and gait abnormalities. To benchmark the model's disease fidelity and assess its responsiveness to established therapeutic intervention, Gaac.1826dupA mice received a single retro-orbital dose of AAV2/8-LSPhGAA (2&#xa0;&#xd7;&#xa0;109 vg/g body weight) at postnatal day 12-14. Twelve weeks post-treatment, mice exhibited supraphysiological GAA enzymatic activity in the heart (550% of WT) and liver (400% of WT) with a 93% reduction in cardiac glycogen. No sex-dependent differences in therapeutic efficacy were observed. Echocardiography revealed robust reversal of cardiac pathology, with wall thicknesses and LVMI values approaching WT levels. In contrast to this profound cardiac rescue, skeletal muscle improvements were modest; while forelimb grip strength remained unchanged, automated gait analysis showed benefit limited to hind paw base of support. These findings demonstrate that the Gaac.1826dupA model mirrors the critical cardiomyopathy characteristic of IOPD. While systemic AAV treatment yields definitive cardiac correction, the partial skeletal muscle response highlights a clear need for optimization. Consequently, the Gaac.1826dupA mouse serves as a high-fidelity platform for evaluating next-generation genomic correction strategies targeting both cardiac and refractory neuromuscular manifestations of PD.

Acid &#x3b1;-glucosidase↗