Elucidating the molecular pathogenesis of glioma: integrated germline and somatic profiling of a familial glioma case series.
Neuro Oncol. 2018 Nov 12;20(12):1625-1633. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noy119. PMID: 30165405; PMCID: PMC6231201. Abstract Key points: 1. Familial and sporadic gliomas display highly comparable molecular landscapes. 2. Germline and somatic molecular events target common core pathways involved in gliomagenesis. 3. Carriage of germline glioma risk variants is not associated with somatic events in the same gene. PMID: 30165405 | […]
A Screen Using iPSC-Derived Hepatocytes Reveals NAD+ as a Potential Treatment for mtDNA Depletion Syndrome
Cell Rep. 2018 Nov 6;25(6):1469-1484.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.10.036. ABSTRACT Patients with mtDNA depletion syndrome 3 (MTDPS3) often die as children from liver failure caused by severe reduction in mtDNA content. The identification of treatments has been impeded by an inability to culture and manipulate MTDPS3 primary hepatocytes. Here we generated DGUOK-deficient hepatocyte-like cells using induced pluripotent […]
Copy-number variants in clinical genome sequencing: deployment and interpretation for rare and undiagnosed disease
Genet Med. 2019 May;21(5):1121-1130. doi: 10.1038/s41436-018-0295-y. Epub 2018 Oct 8. ABSTRACT PURPOSE: Current diagnostic testing for genetic disorders involves serial use of specialized assays spanning multiple technologies. In principle, genome sequencing (GS) can detect all genomic pathogenic variant types on a single platform. Here we evaluate copy-number variant (CNV) calling as part of a clinically […]
Heterozygous WNT1 variant causing a variable bone phenotype
Am J Med Genet A. 2018 Nov;176(11):2419-2424. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.40347. Epub 2018 Sep 24. ABSTRACT Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a family of heritable disorders of bone fragility. Most individuals with OI have mutations in the genes encoding type I collagen; at least 17 other genes have been associated with OI. Biallelic loss-of-function mutations in WNT1 cause […]
Developmental phosphoproteomics identifies the kinase CK2 as a driver of Hedgehog signaling and a therapeutic target in medulloblastoma
Sci Signal. 2018 Sep 11;11(547):eaau5147. doi: 10.1126/scisignal.aau5147. ABSTRACT A major limitation of targeted cancer therapy is the rapid emergence of drug resistance, which often arises through mutations at or downstream of the drug target or through intrinsic resistance of subpopulations of tumor cells. Medulloblastoma (MB), the most common pediatric brain tumor, is no exception, and […]
Genetic variants in components of the NALCN-UNC80-UNC79 ion channel complex cause a broad clinical phenotype (NALCN channelopathies)
Hum Genet. 2018 Sep;137(9):753-768. doi: 10.1007/s00439-018-1929-5. Epub 2018 Aug 23. ABSTRACT NALCN is a conserved cation channel, which conducts a permanent sodium leak current and regulates resting membrane potential and neuronal excitability. It is part of a large ion channel complex, the “NALCN channelosome”, consisting of multiple proteins including UNC80 and UNC79. The predominant neuronal […]
De novo truncating variants in the intronless IRF2BPL are responsible for developmental epileptic encephalopathy
Genet Med. 2019 Apr;21(4):1008-1014. doi: 10.1038/s41436-018-0143-0. Epub 2018 Aug 31. ABSTRACT PURPOSE: Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) are severe clinical conditions characterized by stagnation or decline of cognitive and behavioral abilities preceded, accompanied or followed by seizures. Because DEEs are clinically and genetically heterogeneous, next-generation sequencing, especially exome sequencing (ES), is becoming a first-tier strategy […]
Paroxysmal motor disorders: expanding phenotypes lead to coalescing genotypes
Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2018 Jul 17;5(8):996-1010. doi: 10.1002/acn3.597. eCollection 2018 Aug. ABSTRACT Paroxysmal movement disorders encompass varied motor phenomena. Less recognized features and wide phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity are impediments to straightforward molecular diagnosis. We describe a family with episodic ataxia type 1, initially mis-characterized as paroxysmal dystonia to illustrate this diagnostic challenge. We […]
Urea Cycle Dysregulation Generates Clinically Relevant Genomic and Biochemical Signatures
Cell. 2018 Sep 6;174(6):1559-1570.e22. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.07.019. Epub 2018 Aug 9. ABSTRACT The urea cycle (UC) is the main pathway by which mammals dispose of waste nitrogen. We find that specific alterations in the expression of most UC enzymes occur in many tumors, leading to a general metabolic hallmark termed “UC dysregulation” (UCD). UCD elicits nitrogen […]
Biallelic Mutations in ADPRHL2, Encoding ADP-Ribosylhydrolase 3, Lead to a Degenerative Pediatric Stress-Induced Epileptic Ataxia Syndrome
Am J Hum Genet. 2018 Sep 6;103(3):431-439. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2018.07.010. Epub 2018 Aug 9. ABSTRACT ADP-ribosylation, the addition of poly-ADP ribose (PAR) onto proteins, is a response signal to cellular challenges, such as excitotoxicity or oxidative stress. This process is catalyzed by a group of enzymes referred to as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs). Because the accumulation of […]