Pathogenic variants in SQOR encoding sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase are a potentially treatable cause of Leigh disease

J Inherit Metab Dis. 2020 Sep;43(5):1024-1036. doi: 10.1002/jimd.12232. Epub 2020 Apr 15. ABSTRACT Hydrogen sulfide, a signaling molecule formed mainly from cysteine, is catabolized by sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase (gene SQOR). Toxic hydrogen sulfide exposure inhibits complex IV. We describe children of two families with pathogenic variants in SQOR. Exome sequencing identified variants; SQOR enzyme activity was […]

Maternal Hypertension-Related Genotypes and Congenital Heart Defects

Am J Hypertens. 2021 Feb 18;34(1):82-91. doi: 10.1093/ajh/hpaa116. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Maternal hypertension has been associated with congenital heart defect occurrence in several studies. We assessed whether maternal genotypes associated with this condition were also associated with congenital heart defect occurrence. METHODS: We used data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study to identify non-Hispanic white […]

Determining the incidence of rare diseases

Hum Genet. 2020 May;139(5):569-574. doi: 10.1007/s00439-020-02135-5. Epub 2020 Feb 13. ABSTRACT Extremely rare diseases are increasingly recognized due to wide-spread, inexpensive genomic sequencing. Understanding the incidence of rare disease is important for appreciating its health impact and allocating recourses for research. However, estimating incidence of rare disease is challenging because the individual contributory alleles are, […]

Mortality in a neonate with molybdenum cofactor deficiency illustrates the need for a comprehensive rapid precision medicine system

Cold Spring Harb Mol Case Stud. 2020 Feb 3;6(1):a004705. doi: 10.1101/mcs.a004705. Print 2020 Feb. ABSTRACT Neonatal encephalopathy with seizures is a presentation in which rapid whole-genome sequencing (rWGS) has shown clinical utility and improved outcomes. We report a neonate who presented on the third day of life with seizures refractory to antiepileptic medications and neurologic […]

Primary Cilia and Brain Wiring, Connecting the Dots

Dev Cell. 2019 Dec 16;51(6):661-663. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2019.11.017. ABSTRACT Primary cilia function as cellular signaling hubs, integrating multiple signaling pathways. Patients with the ciliopathy Joubert syndrome have been suggested to have axonal tract defects. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Guo et al. (2019) demonstrate a ciliary signaling requirement for axonal tract development and connectivity through […]

Combination of whole exome sequencing and animal modeling identifies TMPRSS9 as a candidate gene for autism spectrum disorder

Hum Mol Genet. 2020 Feb 1;29(3):459-470. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddz305. ABSTRACT Autism spectrum disorders are associated with some degree of developmental regression in up to 30% of all cases. Rarely, however, is the regression so extreme that a developmentally advanced young child would lose almost all ability to communicate and interact with her surroundings. We applied trio […]

Autism risk in offspring can be assessed through quantification of male sperm mosaicism

Nat Med. 2020 Jan;26(1):143-150. doi: 10.1038/s41591-019-0711-0. Epub 2019 Dec 23. ABSTRACT De novo mutations arising on the paternal chromosome make the largest known contribution to autism risk, and correlate with paternal age at the time of conception. The recurrence risk for autism spectrum disorders is substantial, leading many families to decline future pregnancies, but the […]

Gene-by-gene interactions associated with the risk of conotruncal heart defects

Mol Genet Genomic Med. 2020 Jan;8(1):e1010. doi: 10.1002/mgg3.1010. Epub 2019 Dec 18. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The development of conotruncal heart defects (CTDs) involves a complex relationship among genetic variants and maternal lifestyle factors. In this article, we focused on the interactions between 13 candidate genes within folate, homocysteine, and transsulfuration pathways for potential association with CTD […]

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