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Genetic and phenotypic analysis of Tcm, a mutation affecting early eye development.

Tcm (total cataract with microphthalmia) is an autosomal dominant mouse eye mutation. Heterozygous Tcm/+ mice are born with several eye malformations including microphthalmia, retinal and iris dysplasia, total lens cataract, and ventral coloboma. The Tcm mutation was previously mapped to a 26-Mb region on Chr 4 between D4Mit235 and D4Mit106. In this study, we characterize the Tcm/ Tcm homozygous mutant and find they are viable but severely microphthalmic. The developing eye in the Tcm/Tcm homozygote shows defects during early eye development, before formation of the optic cup. Further genetic mapping reduced the Tcm critical region to a 1.3-Mb region bordered by SNPs rs3666764 and rs3713818. This critical region contains two known genes (Asph and Gfd6) and three predicted genes, all of which are positional candidates for Tcm. Sequence analysis of Tcm genomic DNA revealed no mutations in the coding regions and splice site junctions of the five candidate genes. These results indicate that the causitive Tcm mutation falls within a noncoding regulatory region of one of the five candidate genes or in an undescribed gene.

Aging↗

Characterization of tissue expression and full-length coding sequence of a novel human gene mapping at 3q12.1 and transcribed in oligodendrocytes.

Macro-array differential hybridization of a collection of 5058 human gene transcripts represented in an IMAGE infant brain cDNA library has led to the identification of transcripts displaying preferential or specific expression in brain (Genome Res. 9 (1999) 195; http://idefix.upr420.vjf.cnrs.fr/IMAGE). Most of these genes correspond to as yet undescribed functions. Detailed characterization of the expression, sequence, and genome assignment of one of these genes named C3orf4, is reported here. The full-length sequence of the transcript was obtained by 5' extension RT-PCR. The gene transcript (2.8 kb) encodes a 253 amino acid long protein, with four transmembrane domains. The position of the C3orf4 gene was determined at 3q12.1 thanks to the draft sequence of the human genome. It is composed of five exons spanning more than 7 kb. No TATAA box but a CpG island was found upstream of the beginning of the gene. Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization revealed a predominant expression in myelinated structures such as corpus callosum and spinal cord. RT-PCR showed expression of the C3orf4 gene in rat optic nerve and cultured oligodendrocytes, the myelinating cells of the central nervous system, but not in astrocytes. This work supports further investigations aimed at determining the role of the C3orf4 gene in myelinating cells.

Adult↗

Mapping of genetic modifiers affecting the eye phenotype of ocular retardation (Chx10or-J) mice.

Ocular retardation is a recessive murine mutation whose phenotypic expression is greatly affected by genetic background effects. Mice of the inbred 129/SvJ background that are homozygous for the Chx10(or-J) mutation are blind and have a thin, poorly differentiated retina and no optic nerve. A backcross between 129/SvJ and Mus musculus castaneus (CASA/Rk) produced animals that were homozygous for the Chx10(or-J) mutation, yet showed a much milder phenotype. Such animals, when brother-sister mated and selected for mild phenotype for several generations, resulted in partial recovery of visual function, including presence of an optic nerve and pupillary response. In this article we report a genome scan of phenotypic extremes of the backcross to identify the genetic loci affecting this phenotype modification. Our scan revealed significant loci on Chromosomes 6 and 14 where the CASA/Rk alleles are maintained selectively. Markers were developed near candidate genes, but no candidate gene could be identified unequivocally.

Alleles↗

A first locus for isolated autosomal recessive optic atrophy (ROA1) maps to chromosome 8q.

In contrast to the frequent dominant optic atrophies (DOAs) in which the neuropathy is usually an isolated event, isolated recessive optic atrophies (ROAs) are very uncommon and have been described as severe congenital or early infantile conditions. To date, two loci for isolated DOA have been mapped, of which one was ascribed to mutations in the OPA1 gene. Conversely, no isolated autosomal ROA locus had previously been localised. Here, we report a large multiplex consanguineous family of French origin affected with an early onset but slowly progressive form of isolated OA. A genome-wide search for homozygosity allowed the localisation of the disease-causing gene to chromosome 8q21-q22 (Zmax of 3.41 at theta=0 for D8S270), in a 12 Mb interval flanked by markers D8S1702 and D8S1794. This localisation excludes allelism of the disease with both isolated DOAs, on one hand, or all known syndromic forms of ROA, on the other hand, supporting the mapping of a first gene for isolated autosomal ROA (ROA1) on the long arm of chromosome 8.

Child↗

Proteome analysis of Spiroplasma melliferum (A56) and protein characterisation across species boundaries.

Spiroplasma melliferum (Class: Mollicutes) is a wall-less, helical bacterium with a genome of approximately 1460 kbp encoding 800-1000 gene-products. A two-dimensional electrophoresis gel reference map of S. melliferum was produced by Phoretix 2-D gel software analysis of eight high quality gels. The reference map showed 456 silver-stained and replicated protein spots. 156 proteins (34% of visible protein spots) from S. melliferum were further characterised by one, or a combination, of the following: amino acid analysis, peptide-mass fingerprinting via matrix assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, and N-terminal protein microsequencing. Proteins with close relationship to those previously determined from other species were identified across species barriers. Thus, this study represents the first larger-scale analysis of a proteome based upon the attribution of predominantly 'unique numerical parameters' for protein characterisation across species boundaries, as opposed to a sequence-based approach. This approach allowed all database entries to be screened for homology, as is currently the case for studies based on nucleic acid or protein sequence information. Several proteins studied from this organism were identified as hypothetical, or having no close homolog already present in the databases. Gene-products from major families such as glycolysis, translation, transcription, cellular processes, energy metabolism and protein synthesis were identified. Several gene-products characterised in S. melliferum were not previously found in studies of the entire Mycoplasma genitalium and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (both closely related Mollicutes) genomes. The presence of such gene-products in S. melliferum is discussed in terms of genome size as compared with the smallest known free-living organisms. Finally, the levels of expression of S. melliferum gene-products were determined with respect to total optical intensity associated with all visible proteins expressed in exponentially grown cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

SOLH, a human homologue of the Drosophila melanogaster small optic lobes gene is a member of the calpain and zinc-finger gene families and maps to human chromosome 16p13.3 near CATM (cataract with microphthalmia).

Mutations in the Drosophila melanogaster small optic lobes (sol) gene cause a sever reduction in the neuropiles of the medulla and lobula complexes of the adult optic lobes. The predicted protein product of sol contains zinc-finger-like repeats, a calpain-like protease domain, and a C-terminal region of unknown function. We have isolated human brain cDNA for SOLH, a human homologue of sol. The human SOLH gene consists of 14 exons distributed over more than 45 kb of genomic DNA. The encoded SOLH protein of 1086 amino acids has strong similarity to the D. melanogaster protein. The calpain-like domain and C-terminal region are highly conserved (58% identity), and similar Cys2-Cys2 zinc fingers are present in the N-terminal region. A reported Caenorhabditis elegans homologue contains the calpain domain and C-terminal region, but appears to lack the zinc finger region. A single copy of the zinc finger sequence is present in adjacent C. elegans genomic cosmid DNA sequence, and we show that it is part of the C. elegans sol-like transcript. Northern analysis of human tissues revealed a SOLH transcript of approximately 5 kb that was strongest in human brain. We have mapped the SOLH gene to chromosome 16p13.3 by in situ hybridization. SOLH is a candidate gene for CATM (hereditary cataracts with microphthalmia), which maps in this region.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Overlapping and distinct functions provided by fgf17, a new zebrafish member of the Fgf8/17/18 subgroup of Fgfs.

Members of the fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) family are important signaling molecules in several inductive and patterning processes, and act as brain organizer-derived signals during formation of the early vertebrate nervous system. We isolated a new member of the Fgf8/17/18 subgroup of Fgfs from the zebrafish, and studied its expression and function during somitogenesis, optic stalk and midbrain-hindbrain boundary (MHB) development. In spite of a slightly higher aminoacid similarity to Fgf8, expression analysis and mapping to a chromosome stretch that is syntenic with mammalian chromosomes shows that this gene is orthologous to mammalian Fgf17. These data provide a further example of conserved chromosomal organization between zebrafish and mammalian genomes. Using an mRNA injection assay, we show that fgf17 can act similar to fgf8 during gastrulation, when fgf17 is not normally expressed. Direct comparison of the expression patterns of fgf17 and fgf8 suggest however a possible cooperation of these Fgfs at later stages in several tissues requiring Fgf signaling. Analysis of zebrafish MHB mutants demonstrates a gene-dosage dependent requirement of fgf17 expression for the no isthmus// pax2.1 gene, showing that no isthmus/pax2.1 functions upstream of fgf17 at the MHB in a haplo-insufficient manner, similar to what has been reported for mammalian pax2 mutants. In contrast, only maintenance of fgf17 expression is disturbed at the MHB of acerebellar/fgf8 mutants. Consistent with a requirement for fgf8 function, implantation of FGF8-soaked beads induces fgf17 expression, and expression is upregulated in aussicht mutants, which display upregulation of the Fgf8 signaling pathway. Taken together, our results argue that Fgf8 and Fgf17 act as hierarchically organized signaling molecules during development of the MHB organizer and possibly other organizers in the developing nervous system.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Axon-glia interactions and the domain organization of myelinated axons requires neurexin IV/Caspr/Paranodin.

Myelinated fibers are organized into distinct domains that are necessary for saltatory conduction. These domains include the nodes of Ranvier and the flanking paranodal regions where glial cells closely appose and form specialized septate-like junctions with axons. These junctions contain a Drosophila Neurexin IV-related protein, Caspr/Paranodin (NCP1). Mice that lack NCP1 exhibit tremor, ataxia, and significant motor paresis. In the absence of NCP1, normal paranodal junctions fail to form, and the organization of the paranodal loops is disrupted. Contactin is undetectable in the paranodes, and K(+) channels are displaced from the juxtaparanodal into the paranodal domains. Loss of NCP1 also results in a severe decrease in peripheral nerve conduction velocity. These results show a critical role for NCP1 in the delineation of specific axonal domains and the axon-glia interactions required for normal saltatory conduction.

Aging↗

[Clinical study and genetic 3q28 locus linkage in 2 Swiss families with Kjer dominant optic atrophy (OPA1)].

METHODS: We examined 20 patients from 2 unrelated Swiss families to describe their clinical phenotype. In addition, a linkage analysis was performed in an attempt to confirm the reported genetic homogeneity of this condition as well as to refine its genomic localization. RESULTS: Two point analysis provided a cumulative LOD-score of 3.03 with marker D3S 2305. The absence of recombination precluded further refinement of the disease interval. CONCLUSIONS: Our data confirm the genetic homogeneity and the extreme variability of expression, occasionally mimicking low tension glaucoma.

Adolescent↗

Differential gene expression in anatomical compartments of the human eye.

BACKGROUND: The human eye is composed of multiple compartments, diverse in form, function, and embryologic origin, that work in concert to provide us with our sense of sight. We set out to systematically characterize the global gene expression patterns that specify the distinctive characteristics of the various eye compartments. RESULTS: We used DNA microarrays representing approximately 30,000 human genes to analyze gene expression in the cornea, lens, iris, ciliary body, retina, and optic nerve. The distinctive patterns of expression in each compartment could be interpreted in relation to the physiology and cellular composition of each tissue. Notably, the sets of genes selectively expressed in the retina and in the lens were particularly large and diverse. Genes with roles in immune defense, particularly complement components, were expressed at especially high levels in the anterior segment tissues. We also found consistent differences between the gene expression patterns of the macula and peripheral retina, paralleling the differences in cell layer densities between these regions. Based on the hypothesis that genes responsible for diseases that affect a particular eye compartment are likely to be selectively expressed in that compartment, we compared our gene expression signatures with genetic mapping studies to identify candidate genes for diseases affecting the cornea, lens, and retina. CONCLUSION: Through genome-scale gene expression profiling, we were able to discover distinct gene expression 'signatures' for each eye compartment and identified candidate disease genes that can serve as a reference database for investigating the physiology and pathophysiology of the eye.

Adult↗

Neurodevelopmental delay, motor abnormalities and cognitive deficits in transgenic mice overexpressing Dyrk1A (minibrain), a murine model of Down's syndrome.

Down's syndrome (DS) is a major cause of mental retardation, hypotonia and delayed development. Murine models of DS carrying large murine or human genomic fragments show motor alterations and memory deficits. The specific genes responsible for these phenotypic alterations have not yet been defined. DYRK1A, the human homolog of the Drosophila minibrain gene, maps to the DS critical region of human chromosome 21 and is overexpressed in DS fetal brain. DYRK1A encodes a serine-threonine kinase, probably involved in neuroblast proliferation. Mutant Drosophila minibrain flies have a reduction in both optic lobes and central brain, showing learning deficits and hypoactivity. We have generated transgenic mice (TgDyrk1A) overexpressing the full-length cDNA of Dyrk1A. TgDyrk1A mice exhibit delayed cranio-caudal maturation with functional consequences in neuromotor development. TgDyrk1A mice also show altered motor skill acquisition and hyperactivity, which is maintained to adulthood. In the Morris water maze, TgDyrk1A mice show a significant impairment in spatial learning and cognitive flexibility, indicative of hippocampal and prefrontal cortex dysfunction. In the more complex repeated reversal learning paradigm, this defect turned out to be specifically related to reference memory, whereas working memory was almost unimpaired. These alterations are comparable with those found in the partial trisomy chromosome 16 murine models of DS and suggest a causative role of DYRK1A in mental retardation and in motor anomalies of DS.

Animals↗

OPA1, encoding a dynamin-related GTPase, is mutated in autosomal dominant optic atrophy linked to chromosome 3q28.

Autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA) is the most prevalent hereditary optic neuropathy resulting in progressive loss of visual acuity, centrocoecal scotoma and bilateral temporal atrophy of the optic nerve with an onset within the first two decades of life. The predominant locus for this disorder (OPA1; MIM 165500) has been mapped to a 1.4-cM interval on chromosome 3q28-q29 flanked by markers D3S3669 and D3S3562 (ref. 3). We established a PAC contig covering the entire OPA1 candidate region of approximately 1 Mb and a sequence skimming approach allowed us to identify a gene encoding a polypeptide of 960 amino acids with homology to dynamin-related GTPases. The gene comprises 28 coding exons and spans more than 40 kb of genomic sequence. Upon sequence analysis, we identified mutations in seven independent families with ADOA. The mutations include missense and nonsense alterations, deletions and insertions, which all segregate with the disease in these families. Because most mutations probably represent null alleles, dominant inheritance of the disease may result from haploinsufficiency of OPA1. OPA1 is widely expressed and is most abundant in the retina. The presence of consensus signal peptide sequences suggests that the product of the gene OPA1 is targeted to mitochondria and may exert its function in mitochondrial biogenesis and stabilization of mitochondrial membrane integrity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy and deafness (DIDMOAD) caused by mutations in a novel gene (wolframin) coding for a predicted transmembrane protein.

Wolfram syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by juvenile diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, optic atrophy and a number of neurological symptoms including deafness, ataxia and peripheral neuropathy. Mitochondrial DNA deletions have been described in a few patients and a locus has been mapped to 4p16 by linkage analysis. Susceptibility to psychiatric illness is reported to be high in affected individuals and increased in heterozygous carriers in Wolfram syndrome families. We screened four candidate genes in a refined critical linkage interval covered by an unfinished genomic sequence of 600 kb. One of these genes, subsequently named wolframin, codes for a predicted transmembrane protein which was expressed in various tissues, including brain and pancreas, and carried loss-of-function mutations in both alleles in Wolfram syndrome patients.

Adolescent↗

The zebrafish mutation m865 affects formation of dopaminergic neurons and neuronal survival, and maps to a genetic interval containing the sepiapterin reductase locus.

The zebrafish mutation m865 was isolated during a large-scale mutagenesis screen aimed at identifying genes involved in the development and maintenance of subgroups of neurons in the zebrafish central nervous system. The phenotype of m865 mutant embryos shows defects in the development of dopaminergic neurons in the pretectum and of retinal amacrine cells, as well as abnormal caudal dopaminergic cluster in the diencephalon. The effects of the mutation appear not to be restricted to dopaminergic neurons, as development of other neurotransmitter systems (serotonergic and cholinergic) is impaired as well. Furthermore, increased apoptosis is localized to the m865 mutant retina and in the optic tectum starting at 24hpf, and may lead to the observed reduced size of the mutant head and eye. Early patterning is not affected in m865 mutant embryos, and expression of genes known to play a role in dopaminergic cell differentiation is normal except for reduced expression of nurr1 in the mutant retina. Thus the m865 mutation does not specifically affect dopaminergic neuron development. m865 was genetically mapped to linkage group 5, and the critical genomic interval could be narrowed down to a region of 110 kb, containing four candidate genes. For one of these candidate genes, sepiapterin reductase (spr), a requirement for neuronal survival has previously been implicated, including dopaminergic neurons. Identification of the mutated gene should lead to a more detailed understanding of the defects observed in m865 mutant embryos, and potentially could enhance the understanding of the development and maintenance of specific dopaminergic neuronal populations.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

Novel light microscopy imaging techniques in nephrology.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: As more genomes are sequenced, the difficult task of characterizing the gene products of these genomes becomes the compelling mission of biological sciences. The melding of whole organ physiology with transgenic animal models, gene transfer methods and RNA silencing promises to form the next wave of scientific inquiry. A host of new microscopy imaging technologies enables researchers to directly visualize gene products, probe alterations in cell function in transgenic animals and map tissue organization. This review will describe these microscopy imaging techniques, their advantages, imaging properties and limitations. RECENT FINDINGS: New optical methods such as two-photon confocal microscopy, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, and total internal fluorescence reflectance microscopy are increasingly being applied to extend our understanding of whole organ and renal epithelial function. Two-photon confocal microscopy has been used to image directly into the kidney of living animals. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer has been used to directly visualize transcription factor complexes within the nucleus while total internal fluorescence reflectance microscopy has permitted direct observation of protein delivery to the plasma membrane. SUMMARY: The application of these optical techniques along with the ability to label virtually any protein with a fluorescent tag will enable researchers to study cellular processes and whole organ function in vivo. Light microscopy methods will allow an advance from semi-quantitative to quantitative approaches to problems of relevance to physiologists studying issues related to renal function.

Animals↗

Automated high resolution optical mapping using arrayed, fluid-fixed DNA molecules.

New mapping approaches construct ordered restriction maps from fluorescence microscope images of individual, endonuclease-digested DNA molecules. In optical mapping, molecules are elongated and fixed onto derivatized glass surfaces, preserving biochemical accessibility and fragment order after enzymatic digestion. Measurements of relative fluorescence intensity and apparent length determine the sizes of restriction fragments, enabling ordered map construction without electrophoretic analysis. The optical mapping system reported here is based on our physical characterization of an effect using fluid flows developed within tiny, evaporating droplets to elongate and fix DNA molecules onto derivatized surfaces. Such evaporation-driven molecular fixation produces well elongated molecules accessible to restriction endonucleases, and notably, DNA polymerase I. We then developed the robotic means to grid DNA spots in well defined arrays that are digested and analyzed in parallel. To effectively harness this effect for high-throughput genome mapping, we developed: (i) machine vision and automatic image acquisition techniques to work with fixed, digested molecules within gridded samples, and (ii) Bayesian inference approaches that are used to analyze machine vision data, automatically producing high-resolution restriction maps from images of individual DNA molecules. The aggregate significance of this work is the development of an integrated system for mapping small insert clones allowing biochemical data obtained from engineered ensembles of individual molecules to be automatically accumulated and analyzed for map construction. These approaches are sufficiently general for varied biochemical analyses of individual molecules using statistically meaningful population sizes.

Animals↗

Analysis of Streptococcus mutans proteins modulated by culture under acidic conditions.

Streptococcus mutans, a major etiological agent of dental caries, causes demineralization of the tooth tissue due to the formation of acids from dietary carbohydrates. Dominant among the virulence determinants of this organism are aciduricity and acidogenicity, the abilities to grow at low pH and to produce acid, respectively. The mechanisms underlying the ability of S. mutans to survive and proliferate at low pH are currently under investigation. In this study we cultured S. mutans at pH 5.2 or 7.0 and extracted soluble cellular proteins. These were analyzed using high-resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and replicate maps of proteins expressed under each of the two conditions were generated. Proteins with modulated expression at low pH, as judged by a change in the relative integrated optical density, were excised and digested with trypsin by using an in-gel protocol. Tryptic digests were analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry to generate peptide mass fingerprints, and these were used to assign putative functions according to their homology with the translated sequences in the S. mutans genomic database. Thirty individual proteins exhibited altered expression as a result of culture of S. mutans at low pH. Up-regulated proteins (n = 18) included neutral endopeptidase, phosphoglucomutase, 60-kDa chaperonin, cell division proteins, enolase, lactate dehydrogenase, fructose bisphosphate aldolase, acetoin reductase, superoxide dismutase, and lactoylglutathione lyase. Proteins down-regulated at pH 5.2 (n = 12) included protein translation elongation factors G, Tu, and Ts, DnaK, small-subunit ribosomal protein S1P, large-subunit ribosomal protein L12P, and components of both phosphoenolpyruvate:protein phosphotransferase and multiple sugar binding transport systems. The identification of proteins differentially expressed following growth at low pH provides new information regarding the mechanisms of survival and has identified new target genes for mutagenesis studies to further assess their physiological significance.

Bacterial Proteins↗

New insights into genetic comorbidity mechanisms: type 2 diabetes and primary open-angle glaucoma.

AIMS: To investigate the shared genetic mechanisms between type 2 diabetes (T2D) and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Using large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) data, we performed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) level analysis to detect pleiotropic variants and loci, paired eQTL mapping analysis and gene-level analysis to identify candidate pleiotropic genes. In addition, Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis was performed to assess causal associations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used POAG GWAS data from Finngen (9565 cases and 430 250 controls) and T2D GWAS data from 55 555 European ancestry samples. We used Linkage Disequilibrium SCore (LDSC) regression to assess the genetic association between T2D and POAG and further used PLeiotropic Analysis under the COmposite null hypothesis (PLACO) to identify shared genetic variants between paired traits. Finally, we further used MR analysis to explore the causal association between T2D and POAG at the genetic level. RESULTS: The LDSC results and MR analysis revealed that the T2D effect was significantly higher than that of the POAG (OR=1.09, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.14, p=1.50×10-3). The PLACO property analysis determined that the T2D sum POAG shared 178 individual SNPs, separate localisation of 79 individual causes. The five most popular choices are based on the effectiveness of CCND2, SVEP1, ST6GAL1, TCF7L2 and HMGA2. expression quantitative trait loci mapping further revealed 36 genes with regulatory roles in optic nerve-related brain tissues. Functional enrichment analyses indicated that these pleiotropic genes are involved in neurodevelopmental, neuroprotective and metabolic pathways, with tissue-specific enrichment observed in neural, pancreatic, adipose and retinal tissues. It is possible to present the main comorbid mechanisms of T2D and POAG. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides new insights into the aetiology and pathogenesis of T2D and POAG at the genetic level.

Humans↗