Eriko Nishi

Various types of LRP5 mutations in four patients with osteoporosis- pseudoglioma syndrome: Identification of a 7.2-kb microdeletion using oligonucleotide tiling microarray

Osteoporosis‐pseudoglioma syndrome (OPS; OMIM 259770) is an autosomal‐recessive genetic disorder characterized by severe osteoporosis and visual disturbance from childhood. Biallelic mutations in the low‐density lipoprotein receptor‐related protein 5 gene (LRP5) have been frequently detected, while a subset of patients had only one or no detectable mutation. We report on the clinical and molecular findings of four unrelated Japanese patients with the syndrome. The four patients had typical skeletal and ocular phenotypes of OPS, namely severe juvenile osteoporosis and early‐onset visual disturbance, with or without mental retardation. We undertook standard PCR‐based sequencing for LRP5 and found four missense mutations (p.L145F, p.T244M, p.P382L, and p.T552M), one nonsense mutation (p.R1534X), and one splice site mutation (c.1584+1G>A) among four OPS patients. Although three patients had two heterozygous mutations, one had only one heterozygous splice site mutation. In this patient, RT‐PCR from lymphocytic RNA demonstrated splice error resulting in 63‐bp insertion between exons 7 and 8. Furthermore, the patient was found to have only mutated RT‐PCR fragment, implying that a seemingly normal allele did not express LRP5 mRNA. We then conducted custom‐ designed oligonucleotide tiling microarray analyses targeted to a 600‐kb genome region harboring LRP5 and discovered a 7.2‐kb microdeletion encompassing exons 22 and 23 of LRP5. We found various types of LRP5 mutations, including an exon‐level deletion that is undetectable by standard PCR‐based mutation screening. Oligonucleotide tiling microarray seems to be a powerful tool in identifying cryptic structural mutations.

The Spectrum of ZEB2 Mutations Causing the Mowat-Wilson Syndrome in Japanese Populations

Mowat–Wilson syndrome (MWS) is a multiple congenital anomaly syndrome characterized by moderate or severe intellectual disability, a characteristic facial appearance, microcephaly, epilepsy, agenesis or hypoplasia of the corpus callosum, congenital heart defects, Hirschsprung disease, and urogenital/renal anomalies. It is caused by de novo heterozygous loss of function mutations including nonsense mutations, frameshift mutations, and deletions in ZEB2 at 2q22. ZEB2 encodes the zinc finger E‐box binding homeobox 2 protein consisting of 1,214 amino acids. Herein, we report 13 nonsense and 27 frameshift mutations from 40 newly identified MWS patients in Japan. Although the clinical findings of all the Japanese MWS patients with nonsense and frameshift mutations were quite similar to the previous review reports of MWS caused by nonsense mutations, frameshift mutations and deletions of ZEB2, the frequencies of microcephaly, Hirschsprung disease, and urogenital/renal anomalies were small. Patients harbored mutations spanning the region between the amino acids 55 and 1,204 in wild‐type ZEB2. There was no obvious genotype–phenotype correlation among the patients. A transfection study demonstrated that the cellular level of the longest form of the mutant ZEB2 protein harboring the p.D1204Rfs*29 mutation was remarkably low. The results showed that the 3′‐end frameshift mutation of ZEB2 causes MWS due to ZEB2 instability.

Surgical intervention for esophageal atresia in patients with trisomy 18

Trisomy 18 is a common chromosomal aberration syndrome involving growth impairment, various malformations, poor prognosis, and severe developmental delay in survivors. Although esophageal atresia (EA) with tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) is a potentially fatal complication that can only be rescued through surgical correction, no reports have addressed the efficacy of surgical intervention for EA in patients with trisomy 18. We reviewed detailed clinical information of 24 patients with trisomy 18 and EA who were admitted to two neonatal intensive care units in Japan and underwent intensive treatment including surgical interventions from 1982 to 2009. Nine patients underwent only palliative surgery, including six who underwent only gastrostomy or both gastrostomy and jejunostomy (Group 1) and three who underwent gastrostomy and TEF division (Group 2). The other 15 patients underwent radical surgery, including 10 who underwent single‐stage esophago‐esophagostomy with TEF division (Group 3) and five who underwent two‐stage operation (gastrostomy followed by esophago‐esophagostomy with TEF division) (Group 4). No intraoperative death or anesthetic complications were noted. Enteral feeding was accomplished in 17 patients, three of whom were fed orally. Three patients could be discharged home. The 1‐year survival rate was 17%: 27% in those receiving radical surgery (Groups 3 and 4); 0% in those receiving palliative surgery (Groups 1 and 2). Most causes of death were related to cardiac complications. EA is not an absolute poor prognostic factor in patients with trisomy 18 undergoing radical surgery for EA and intensive cardiac management.

A novel heterozygous MAP2K1 mutation in a patient with Noonan syndrome with multiple lentigines

Noonan syndrome with multiple lentigines (NSML), formerly referred to as LEOPARD syndrome, is a rare autosomal‐dominant condition, characterized by multiple lentigines, electrocardiographic conduction abnormalities, ocular hypertelorism, pulmonary stenosis, abnormal genitalia, growth retardation, and sensorineural deafness. To date, PTPN11, RAF1, and BRAF have been reported to be causal for NSML. We report on a 13‐year‐old Japanese boy, who was diagnosed with NSML. He was found to have a novel heterozygous missense variant (c.305A > G; p.E102G) in MAP2K1, a gene mostly causal for cardio‐facio‐cutaneous syndrome (CFCS). He manifested fetal macrosomia, and showed hypotonia and poor sucking in the neonatal period. He had mild developmental delay, and multiple lentigines appearing at approximately age 3 years, as well as flexion deformity of knees bilaterally, subtle facial characteristics including ocular hypertelorism, sensorineural hearing loss, and precocious puberty. He lacked congenital heart defects or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, frequently observed in patients with NSML, mostly caused by PTPN11 mutations. He also lacked congenital heart defects, characteristic facial features, or intellectual disability, frequently observed in those with CFCS caused by MAP2K1 or MAP2K2 mutations. This may be the first patient clinically diagnosed with NSML, caused by a mutation in MAP2K1.

Exome sequencing-based identification of mutations in non-syndromic genes among individuals with apparently syndromic features

In a clinical setting, the number of organ systems involved is crucial for the differential diagnosis of congenital genetic disorders. When more than one organ system is involved, a syndromic diagnosis is suspected. In this report, we describe three patients with apparently syndromic features. Exome sequencing identified non‐syndromic gene mutations as a potential cause of part of their phenotype. The first patient (Patient 1) is a girl with cleft lip/palate, meningoencephalocele, tetralogy of Fallot, and developmental delay. The second and third patients (Patients 2 and 3) are brothers with developmental delay, deafness, and low bone mineral density. Exome sequencing revealed the presence of a CDH1 mutation in Patient 1 and a PLS3 mutation in Patients 2 and 3. CDH1 mutations are known to be associated with non‐syndromic cleft lip/palate, while PLS3 mutations are associated with osteoporosis. Thus, these variants may explain a part of the complex phenotype of the patients, although the effects of these missense variants need to be evaluated by functional assays in order to prove pathogenicity. On the basis of these findings, we emphasize the importance of scrutinizing non‐syndromic gene mutations even in individuals with apparently syndromic features.

ARCN1 Mutations Cause a Recognizable Craniofacial Syndrome Due to COPI-Mediated Transport Defects

Cellular homeostasis is maintained by the highly organized cooperation of intracellular trafficking systems, including COPI, COPII, and clathrin complexes. COPI is a coatomer protein complex responsible for intracellular protein transport between the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus. The importance of such intracellular transport mechanisms is underscored by the various disorders, including skeletal disorders such as cranio-lenticulo-sutural dysplasia and osteogenesis imperfect, caused by mutations in the COPII coatomer complex. In this article, we report a clinically recognizable craniofacial disorder characterized by facial dysmorphisms, severe micrognathia, rhizomelic shortening, microcephalic dwarfism, and mild developmental delay due to loss-of-function heterozygous mutations in ARCN1, which encodes the coatomer subunit delta of COPI. ARCN1 mutant cell lines were revealed to have endoplasmic reticulum stress, suggesting the involvement of ER stress response in the pathogenesis of this disorder. Given that ARCN1 deficiency causes defective type I collagen transport, reduction of collagen secretion represents the likely mechanism underlying the skeletal phenotype that characterizes this condition. Our findings demonstrate the importance of COPI-mediated transport in human development, including skeletogenesis and brain growth.

Exome Sequencing Identification of EP300 Mutation in a Proband with Coloboma and Imperforate Anus: Possible Expansion of the Phenotypic Spectrum of Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome

Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RSTS) is a multisystem developmental disorder characterized by facial dysmorphisms, broad thumbs and halluces, growth retardation, and intellectual disability. In about 8% of RSTS cases, mutations are found in EP300. Previously, the EP300 mutation has been shown to cause the highly variable RSTS phenotype. Using exome sequencing, we identified a de novo EP300 frameshift mutation in a proband with coloboma, facial asymmetry and imperforate anus with minimal RSTS features. Previous molecular studies have demonstrated the importance of EP300 in oculogenesis, supporting the possibility that EP300 mutation may cause ocular coloboma. Since a wide phenotypic spectrum is well known in EP300-associated RSTS cases, the atypical phenotype identified in our proband may be an example of rare manifestations of RSTS.

Phenotype‐genotype correlations of PIGO deficiency with variable phenotypes from infantile lethality to mild learning difficulties

Inherited GPI (glycosylphosphatidylinositol) deficiencies (IGDs), a recently defined group of diseases, show a broad spectrum of symptoms. Hyperphosphatasia mental retardation syndrome, also known as Mabry syndrome, is a type of IGDs. There are at least 26 genes involved in the biosynthesis and transport of GPI‐anchored proteins; however, IGDs constitute a rare group of diseases, and correlations between the spectrum of symptoms and affected genes or the type of mutations have not been shown. Here, we report four newly identified and five previously described Japanese families with PIGO (phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis class O) deficiency. We show how the clinical severity of IGDs correlates with flow cytometric analysis of blood, functional analysis using a PIGO‐deficient cell line, and the degree of hyperphosphatasia. The flow cytometric analysis and hyperphosphatasia are useful for IGD diagnosis, but the expression level of GPI‐anchored proteins and the degree of hyperphosphatasia do not correlate, although functional studies do, with clinical severity. Compared with PIGA (phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis class A) deficiency, PIGO deficiency shows characteristic features, such as Hirschsprung disease, brachytelephalangy, and hyperphosphatasia. This report shows the precise spectrum of symptoms according to the severity of mutations and compares symptoms between different types of IGD.

Loss-of-function mutations and global rearrangements in GPC3 in patients with Simpson–Golabi–Behmel syndrome

Simpson–Golabi–Behmel syndrome is a congenital malformation syndrome associated with mutations in GPC3, which is located in the Xq26 region. Three new loss-of-function mutations and a global X-chromosome rearrangement involving GPC3 were identified. A female sibling of the patient, who presented with a cleft palate and hepatoblastoma, carries the same chromosomal rearrangement and a paradoxical pattern of X-chromosome inactivation. These findings support variable GPC3 alterations, with a possible mechanism in female patients.

Discordant clinical phenotype in monozygotic twins with Alagille syndrome: Possible influence of non-genetic factors.

Alagille syndrome is a multisystem developmental disorder characterized by bile duct paucity, congenital heart disease, vertebral anomalies, posterior embryotoxon, and characteristic facial features. Alagille syndrome is typically the result of germline mutations in JAG1 or NOTCH2 and is one of several human diseases caused by Notch signaling abnormalities. A wide phenotypic spectrum has been well documented in Alagille syndrome. Therefore, monozygotic twins with Alagille syndrome provide a unique opportunity to evaluate potential phenotypic modifiers such as environmental factors or stochastic effects of gene expression. In this report, we describe an Alagille syndrome monozygotic twin pair with discordant placental and clinical findings. We propose that environmental factors such as prenatal hypoxia may have played a role in determining the phenotypic severity.