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Yang Q, Zhang Q, Yi S, Zhang S, Yi S, Zhou X, Qin Z, Chen B, Luo J. Novel germline variants in KMT2C in Chinese patients with Kleefstra syndrome-2. Front Neurol 2024; 15:1340458. [PMID: 38356881 PMCID: PMC10864639 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1340458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Kleefstra syndrome (KLEFS) refers to a rare inherited neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability (ID), language and motor delays, behavioral abnormalities, abnormal facial appearance, and other variable clinical features. KLEFS is subdivided into two subtypes: Kleefstra syndrome-1 (KLEFS1, OMIM: 610253), caused by a heterozygous microdeletion encompassing the Euchromatic Histone Lysine Methyltransferase 1 (EHMT1) gene on chromosome 9q34.3 or pathogenic variants in the EHMT1 gene, and Kleefstra syndrome-2 (KLEFS2, OMIM: 617768), caused by pathogenic variants in the KMT2C gene. More than 100 cases of KLEFS1 have been reported with pathogenic variants in the EHMT1 gene. However, only 13 patients with KLEFS2 have been reported to date. In the present study, five unrelated Chinese patients were diagnosed with KLEFS2 caused by KMT2C variants through whole-exome sequencing (WES). We identified five different variants of the KMT2C gene in these patients: c.9166C>T (p.Gln3056*), c.9232_9247delCAGCGATCAGAACCGT (p.Gln3078fs*13), c.5068dupA (p.Arg1690fs*10), c.10815_10819delAAGAA (p.Lys3605fs*7), and c.6911_6912insA (p.Met2304fs*8). All five patients had a clinical profile similar to that of patients with KLEFS2. To analyze the correlation between the genotype and phenotype of KLEFS2, we examined 18 variants and their associated phenotypes in 18 patients with KLEFS2. Patients carrying KMT2C variants presented with a wide range of phenotypic defects and an extremely variable phenotype. We concluded that the core phenotypes associated with KMT2C variants were intellectual disability, facial dysmorphisms, language and motor delays, behavioral abnormalities, hypotonia, short stature, and weight loss. Additionally, sex may be one factor influencing the outcome. Our findings expand the phenotypic and genetic spectrum of KLEFS2 and help to clarify the genotype-phenotype correlation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Yang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Birth Defects Research and Prevention, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Birth Defects Prevention, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
- Department of Genetic and Metabolic Central Laboratory, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Birth Defects Research and Prevention, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Birth Defects Prevention, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
- Department of Genetic and Metabolic Central Laboratory, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Sheng Yi
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Birth Defects Research and Prevention, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Birth Defects Prevention, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
- Department of Genetic and Metabolic Central Laboratory, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Shujie Zhang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Birth Defects Research and Prevention, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Birth Defects Prevention, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
- Department of Genetic and Metabolic Central Laboratory, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Shang Yi
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Birth Defects Research and Prevention, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Birth Defects Prevention, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
- Department of Genetic and Metabolic Central Laboratory, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Xunzhao Zhou
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Birth Defects Research and Prevention, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Birth Defects Prevention, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
- Department of Genetic and Metabolic Central Laboratory, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Zailong Qin
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Birth Defects Research and Prevention, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Birth Defects Prevention, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
- Department of Genetic and Metabolic Central Laboratory, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Biyan Chen
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Birth Defects Research and Prevention, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Birth Defects Prevention, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
- Department of Genetic and Metabolic Central Laboratory, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Jingsi Luo
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Birth Defects Research and Prevention, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Birth Defects Prevention, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
- Department of Genetic and Metabolic Central Laboratory, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
- Guangxi Clinical Research Center for Pediatric Diseases, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
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Wolf A, Yitzhaky A, Hertzberg L. SMAD genes are up-regulated in brain and blood samples of individuals with schizophrenia. J Neurosci Res 2023. [PMID: 36977612 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder, with heritability around 80%, but a not fully understood pathophysiology. Signal transduction through the mothers against decapentaplegic (SMADs) are eight different proteins involved in the regulation of inflammatory processes, cell cycle, and tissue patterning. The literature is not consistent regarding the differential expression of SMAD genes among subjects with schizophrenia. In this article, we performed a systematic meta-analysis of the expression of SMAD genes in 423 brain samples (211 schizophrenia vs. 212 healthy controls), integrating 10 datasets from two public repositories, following the PRISMA guidelines. We found a statistically significant up-regulation of SMAD1, SMAD4, SMAD5, and SMAD7, and a tendency for up-regulation of SMAD3 and SMAD9 in brain samples of patients with schizophrenia. Overall, six of the eight genes showed a tendency for up-regulation, and none of them was found to have a tendency for down-regulation. SMAD1 and SMAD4 were up-regulated also in blood samples of 13 individuals with schizophrenia versus eight healthy controls, suggesting the SMAD genes' potential role as biomarkers of schizophrenia. Furthermore, SMAD genes' expression levels were significantly correlated with those of Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor-1 (S1PR1), which is known to regulate inflammatory processes. Our meta-analysis supports the involvement of SMAD genes in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia through their role in inflammatory processes, as well as demonstrates the importance of gene expression meta-analysis for improving our understanding of psychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ammie Wolf
- The Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Assif Yitzhaky
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Libi Hertzberg
- The Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Shalvata Mental Health Center, 13 Aliat Hanoar St., Hod Hasharon, 45100, Israel
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Chen CH, Huang A, Huang YS, Fang TH. Identification of a Rare Novel KMT2C Mutation That Presents with Schizophrenia in a Multiplex Family. J Pers Med 2021; 11:jpm11121254. [PMID: 34945726 PMCID: PMC8707139 DOI: 10.3390/jpm11121254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a complex genetic disorder involving many common variants with modest effects and rare mutations with high penetrance. Rare mutations associated with schizophrenia are highly heterogeneous and private for affected individuals and families. Identifying such mutations can help establish the molecular diagnosis, elucidate the pathogenesis, and provide helpful genetic counseling for affected patients and families. We performed a whole-exome sequencing analysis to search for rare pathogenic mutations co-segregating with schizophrenia transmitted in a dominant inheritance in a two-generation multiplex family. We identified a rare missense mutation H1574R (Histidine1574Arginine, rs199796552) of KMT2C (lysine methyltransferase 2C) co-segregating with affected members in this family. The mutation is a novel deleterious mutation of KMT2C, not reported before in the literature. The KMT2C encodes a histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4)-specific methyltransferase and involves epigenetic regulation of brain gene expression. Mutations of KMT2C have been found in neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Kleefstra syndrome, intellectual disability, and autism spectrum disorders. Our finding suggests that schizophrenia might be one of the clinical phenotype spectra of KMT2C mutations, and KMT2C might be a novel risk gene for schizophrenia. Nevertheless, the co-segregation of this mutation with schizophrenia in this family might also be due to chance; functional assays of this mutation are needed to address this issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Hsiang Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan;
- Department and Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan;
- Correspondence:
| | - Ailing Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, Yuli Branch, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Hualien 981, Taiwan;
| | - Yu-Shu Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan;
| | - Ting-Hsuan Fang
- Department and Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan;
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Gibbons AS, Hoyer D, Dean B. SMAD4 protein is decreased in the dorsolateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices in schizophrenia. World J Biol Psychiatry 2021; 22:70-77. [PMID: 32081064 DOI: 10.1080/15622975.2020.1733081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Signal transduction through the mothers against decapentaplegic (SMAD) is a family of signal transduction factors that mediate signalling of the transforming growth factor B (TGFB)-superfamily of cell regulatory proteins. A recent transcriptomic analysis of post-mortem, cortical tissue from subjects with schizophrenia found decreased mRNA expression of SMAD2 and SMAD4 in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) associated with the disorder. To expand this initial finding, we sought to determine whether SMAD2 and SMAD4 protein were also altered in the cortex from subjects with schizophrenia. METHODS Western blotting was used to measure SMAD2 and SMAD4 protein levels in DLPFC and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) taken post-mortem from subjects with schizophrenia (n = 20) and matched control (n = 20) subjects. RESULTS Compared to controls, levels of SMAD4 were 25% lower in the DLPFC and 38% lower in the ACC from subjects with schizophrenia. By contrast, SMAD2 levels were not altered in either DLPFC or ACC. CONCLUSIONS Our finding of lower SMAD4 protein in the cortex suggests there are likely to be abnormalities in cortical TGFB-superfamily signalling in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Gibbons
- The Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,The Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Daniel Hoyer
- The Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Brian Dean
- The Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
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Long Q, Wang R, Feng M, Zhao X, Liu Y, Ma X, Yu L, Li S, Guo Z, Zhu Y, Teng Z, Zeng Y. Construction and Analysis of a Diagnostic Model Based on Differential Expression Genes in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:762683. [PMID: 34955918 PMCID: PMC8695921 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.762683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common and severe psychiatric disorder with a heavy burden on the individual and society. However, the prevalence varies significantly owing to the lack of auxiliary diagnostic biomarkers. To identify the shared differential expression genes (DEGs) with potential diagnostic value in both the hippocampus and whole blood, a systematic and integrated bioinformatics analysis was carried out. Methods: Two datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GSE53987 and GSE98793) were downloaded and analyzed separately. A weighted gene co-expression network analysis was performed to construct the co-expression gene network of DEGs from GSE53987, and the most disease-related module was extracted. The shared DEGs from the module and GSE98793 were identified using a Venn diagram. Functional pathway prediction was used to identify the most disease-related DEGs. Finally, several DEGs were chosen, and their potential diagnostic value was determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results: After weighted gene co-expression network analysis, the most MDD-related module (MEgrey) was identified, and 623 DEGs were extracted from this module. The intersection between MEgrey and GSE98793 was calculated, and 163 common DEGs were identified. The co-expression network of 163 DEGs from these was then reconstructed. All hub genes were identified based on the connective degree of the reconstructed co-expression network. Based on the results of functional pathway enrichment, 17 candidate hub genes were identified. Finally, logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves showed that three candidate hub genes (CEP350, SMAD5, and HSPG2) had relatively high auxiliary value in the diagnosis of MDD. Conclusion: Our results showed that the combination of CEP350, SMAD5, and HSPG2 has a relatively high diagnostic value for MDD. Pathway enrichment analysis also showed that these genes may play an important role in the pathogenesis of MDD. These results suggest a potentially important role for this gene combination in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Long
- Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yuxi, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Institute for Health Sciences, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Maoyang Feng
- First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Xinling Zhao
- Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yuxi, China
| | - Yilin Liu
- Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yuxi, China
| | - Xiao Ma
- Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yuxi, China
| | - Lei Yu
- Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yuxi, China
| | - Shujun Li
- Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yuxi, China
| | - Zeyi Guo
- Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yuxi, China
| | - Yun Zhu
- Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yuxi, China
| | - Zhaowei Teng
- First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, China
| | - Yong Zeng
- Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yuxi, China
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Liu H, Barnes J, Pedrosa E, Herman NS, Salas F, Wang P, Zheng D, Lachman HM. Transcriptome analysis of neural progenitor cells derived from Lowe syndrome induced pluripotent stem cells: identification of candidate genes for the neurodevelopmental and eye manifestations. J Neurodev Disord 2020; 12:14. [PMID: 32393163 PMCID: PMC7212686 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-020-09317-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lowe syndrome (LS) is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the X-linked gene OCRL, which codes for an inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase that plays a key role in endosome recycling, clathrin-coated pit formation, and actin polymerization. It is characterized by congenital cataracts, intellectual and developmental disability, and renal proximal tubular dysfunction. Patients are also at high risk for developing glaucoma and seizures. We recently developed induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines from three patients with LS who have hypomorphic variants affecting the 3' end of the gene, and their neurotypical brothers to serve as controls. METHODS In this study, we used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to obtain transcriptome profiles in LS and control neural progenitor cells (NPCs). RESULTS In a comparison of the patient and control NPCs (n = 3), we found 16 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at the multiple test adjusted p value (padj) < 0.1, with nine at padj < 0.05. Using nominal p value < 0.05, 319 DEGs were detected. The relatively small number of DEGs could be due to the fact that OCRL is not a transcription factor per se, although it could have secondary effects on gene expression through several different mechanisms. Although the number of DEGs passing multiple test correction was small, those that were found are quite consistent with some of the known molecular effects of OCRL protein, and the clinical manifestations of LS. Furthermore, using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), we found that genes increased expression in the patient NPCs showed enrichments of several gene ontology (GO) terms (false discovery rate < 0.25): telencephalon development, pallium development, NPC proliferation, and cortex development, which are consistent with a condition characterized by intellectual disabilities and psychiatric manifestations. In addition, a significant enrichment among the nominal DEGs for genes implicated in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was found (e.g., AFF2, DNER, DPP6, DPP10, RELN, CACNA1C), as well as several that are strong candidate genes for the development of eye problems found in LS, including glaucoma. The most notable example is EFEMP1, a well-known candidate gene for glaucoma and other eye pathologies. CONCLUSION Overall, the RNA-seq findings present several candidate genes that could help explain the underlying basis for the neurodevelopmental and eye problems seen in boys with LS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hequn Liu
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Jesse Barnes
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Erika Pedrosa
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Nathaniel S. Herman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Franklin Salas
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Ping Wang
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Deyou Zheng
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
- Dominick P Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
- Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Herbert M. Lachman
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
- Dominick P Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
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