S. Hadj-Rabia

Interleukin-36-Receptor Antagonist Deficiency and Generalized Pustular Psoriasis

BACKGROUND Generalized pustular psoriasis is a life-threatening disease of unknown cause. It is characterized by sudden, repeated episodes of high-grade fever, generalized rash, and disseminated pustules, with hyperleukocytosis and elevated serum levels of C-reactive protein, which may be associated with plaque-type psoriasis. METHODS We performed homozygosity mapping and direct sequencing in nine Tunisian multiplex families with autosomal recessive generalized pustular psoriasis. We assessed the effect of mutations on protein expression and conformation, stability, and function. RESULTS We identified significant linkage to an interval of 1.2 megabases on chromosome 2q13-q14.1 and a homozygous missense mutation in IL36RN, encoding an interleukin-36-receptor antagonist (interleukin-36Ra), an antiinflammatory cytokine. This mutation predicts the substitution of a proline residue for leucine at amino acid position 27 (L27P). Homology-based structural modeling of human interleukin-36Ra suggests that the proline at position 27 affects both the stability of interleukin-36Ra and its interaction with its receptor, interleukin-1 receptor-like 2 (interleukin-1 receptor-related protein 2). Biochemical analyses showed that the L27P variant was poorly expressed and less potent than the nonvariant interleukin-36Ra in inhibiting a cytokine-induced response in an interleukin-8 reporter assay, leading to enhanced production of inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-8 in particular) by keratinocytes from the patients. CONCLUSIONS Aberrant interleukin-36Ra structure and function lead to unregulated secretion of inflammatory cytokines and generalized pustular psoriasis. (Funded by Agence Nationale de la Recherche and Société Française de Dermatologie.).

Mutant WD-repeat protein in triple-A syndrome

Triple-A syndrome (MIM 231550; also known as Allgrove syndrome) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH)-resistant adrenal insufficiency, achalasia of the oesophageal cardia and alacrima. Whereas several lines of evidence indicate that triple-A syndrome results from the abnormal development of the autonomic nervous system, late-onset progressive neurological symptoms (including cerebellar ataxia, peripheral neuropathy and mild dementia) suggest that the central nervous system may be involved in the disease as well. Using fine-mapping based on linkage disequilibrium in North African inbred families, we identified a short ancestral haplotype on chromosome 12q13 (<1 cM), sequenced a BAC contig encompassing the triple-A minimal region and identified a novel gene (AAAS) encoding a protein of 547 amino acids that is mutant in affected individuals. We found five homozygous truncating mutations in unrelated patients and ascribed the founder effect in North African families to a single splice-donor site mutation that occurred more than 2,400 years ago. The predicted product of AAAS, ALADIN (for alacrima-achalasia-adrenal insufficiency neurologic disorder), belongs to the WD-repeat family of regulatory proteins, indicating a new disease mechanism involved in triple-A syndrome. The expression of the gene in both neuroendocrine and cerebral structures points to a role in the normal development of the peripheral and central nervous systems.

Pediatric Mastocytosis Is a Clonal Disease Associated with D816V and Other Activating c-KIT Mutations

Adult mastocytosis is an incurable clonal disease associated with c-KIT mutations, mostly in exon 17 (D816V). In contrast, pediatric mastocytosis often spontaneously regresses and is considered a reactive disease. Previous studies on childhood mastocytosis assessed only a few patients and focused primarily on codon 816 mutations, with various results. In this study, we analyzed the entire c-KIT sequence from cutaneous biopsies of 50 children with mastocytosis (ages 0-16 years). A mutation of codon 816 (exon 17) was found in 42% of cases, and mutations outside exon 17 were observed in 44%. Unexpectedly, half of the mutations were located in the fifth Ig loop of c-KITs extracellular domain, which is encoded by exons 8 and 9. All mutations identified in this study were somatic and caused a constitutive activation of c-KIT. There was no clear phenotype-genotype correlation, no clear relationship between the mutations and familial versus spontaneous disease, and no significant change in the relative expression of the c-KIT GNNK+ and GNNK isoforms. These findings strongly support the idea that, although pediatric mastocytosis can spontaneously regress, it is a clonal disease most commonly associated with activating mutations in c-KIT.

Only four genes (EDA1, EDAR, EDARADD, and WNT10A) account for 90% of hypohidrotic/anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia cases.

Hypohidrotic and anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED/EDA) is a rare genodermatosis characterized by abnormal development of sweat glands, teeth, and hair. Three disease‐causing genes have been hitherto identified, namely, (1) EDA1 accounting for X‐linked forms, (2) EDAR, and (3) EDARADD, causing both autosomal dominant and recessive forms. Recently, WNT10A gene was identified as responsible for various autosomal recessive forms of ectodermal dysplasias, including onycho‐odonto‐dermal dysplasia (OODD) and Schöpf‐Schulz‐Passarge syndrome. We systematically studied EDA1, EDAR, EDARADD, and WNT10A genes in a large cohort of 65 unrelated patients, of which 61 presented with HED/EDA. A total of 50 mutations (including 32 novel mutations) accounted for 60/65 cases in our series. These four genes accounted for 92% (56/61 patients) of HED/EDA cases: (1) the EDA1 gene was the most common disease‐causing gene (58% of cases), (2)WNT10A and EDAR were each responsible for 16% of cases. Moreover, a novel disease locus for dominant HED/EDA mapped to chromosome 14q12–q13.1. Although no clinical differences between patients carrying EDA1, EDAR, or EDARADD mutations could be identified, patients harboring WNT10A mutations displayed distinctive clinical features (marked dental phenotype, no facial dysmorphism), helping to decide which gene should be first investigated in HED/EDA. Hum Mutat 31:1–8, 2010.

Subcutaneous fat necrosis of the newborn: a systematic evaluation of risk factors, clinical manifestations, complications and outcome of 16 children

Background  Subcutaneous fat necrosis (SFN) of the newborn is a rare acute transient hypodermatitis that develops within the first weeks of life in term infants. It often follows a difficult delivery. Prognosis is generally good except for the development of hypercalcaemia in severe cases. Only several case reports or small patients series have been published.

Propranolol for treatment of ulcerated infantile hemangiomas

BACKGROUND Ulcerated infantile hemangiomas (IH) are a therapeutic challenge. Propranolol, a nonselective beta-blocker, was recently introduced as a novel treatment for IH. OBJECTIVE To evaluate our experience of propranolol in the management of ulcerated IH. METHODS A national, multicenter, retrospective, observational study was conducted. Data were collected from the medical charts of patients treated from 2008 to 2009 and supplemented by information obtained from parents during targeted telephone interviews. RESULTS Thirty-three infants with propranolol-treated ulcerated IH were included. The average time to complete ulceration healing was 4.3 weeks in 30 of 33 patients and was significantly faster for head-and-neck locations (P = .0354). The mean time to complete pain control was 14.5 days. Parents rated treatment as very effective for 27 of 31 patients and very well tolerated for 29 of 31 cases. LIMITATIONS This was a retrospective uncontrolled study. CONCLUSION Propranolol appears to be an effective and well-tolerated treatment for ulcerated IH.

Dento-Craniofacial Phenotypes and underlying Molecular Mechanisms in Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia (HED): a Review:

The hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasias (HED) belong to a large and heterogenous nosological group of polymalfomative syndromes characterized by dystrophy or agenesis of ectodermal derivatives. Molecular etiologies of HED consist of mutations of the genes involved in the Ectodysplasin (EDA)-NF-κB pathway. Besides the classic ectodermal signs, craniofacial and bone manifestations are associated with the phenotypic spectrum of HED. The dental phenotype of HED consists of various degrees of oligodontia with other dental abnormalities, and these are important in the early diagnosis and identification of persons with HED. Phenotypic dental markers of heterozygous females for EDA gene mutation—moderate oligodontia, conical incisors, and delayed dental eruption—are important for individuals giving reliable genetic counseling. Some dental ageneses observed in HED are also encountered in non-syndromic oligodontia. These clinical similarities may reflect possible interactions between homeobox genes implicated in early steps of odontogenesis and the Ectodysplasin (EDA)-NF-κB pathway. Craniofacial dysmorphologies and bone structural anomalies are also associated with the phenotypic spectrum of persons with HED patients. The corresponding molecular mechanisms involve altered interactions between the EDA-NF-κB pathway and signaling molecules essential in skeletogenic neural crest cell differentiation, migration, and osteoclastic differentiation. Regarding oral treatment of persons with HED, implant-supported prostheses are used with a relatively high implant survival rate. Recently, groundbreaking experimental approaches with recombinant EDA or transgenesis of EDA-A1 were developed from the perspective of systemic treatment and appear very promising. All these clinical observations and molecular data allow for the specification of the craniofacial phenotypic spectrum in HED and provide a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of this syndrome.

Mortality associated with neurofibromatosis 1: a cohort study of 1895 patients in 1980-2006 in France.

BackgroundNeurofibromatosis 1 (NF1), a common autosomal dominant disorder, was shown in one study to be associated with a 15-year decrease in life expectancy. However, data on mortality in NF1 are limited. Our aim was to evaluate mortality in a large retrospective cohort of NF1 patients seen in France between 1980 and 2006.MethodsConsecutive NF1 patients referred to the National French Referral Center for Neurofibromatoses were included. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated as the ratio of observed over expected numbers of deaths. We studied factors associated with death and causes of death.ResultsBetween 1980 and 2006, 1895 NF1 patients were seen. Median follow-up was 6.8 years (range, 0.4-20.6). Vital status was available for 1226 (65%) patients, of whom 1159 (94.5%) survived and 67 (5.5%) died. Overall mortality was significantly increased in the NF1 cohort (SMR, 2.02; CI, 1.6-2.6; P < 10-4). The excess mortality occurred among patients aged 10 to 20 years (SMR, 5.2; CI, 2.6-9.3; P < 10-4) and 20 to 40 years (SMR, 4.1; 2.8-5.8; P < 10-4). Significant excess mortality was found in both males and females. In the 10-20 year age group, females had a significant increase in mortality compared to males (SMR, 12.6; CI, 5.7-23.9; and SMR, 1.8; CI, 0.2-6.4; respectively). The cause of death was available for 58 (86.6%) patients; malignant nerve sheath tumor was the main cause of death (60%).ConclusionsWe found significantly increased SMRs indicating excess mortality in NF1 patients compared to the general population. The definitive diagnosis of NF1 in all patients is a strength of our study, and the high rate of death related to malignant transformation is consistent with previous work. The retrospective design and hospital-based recruitment are limitations of our study. Mortality was significantly increased in NF1 patients aged 10 to 40 years and tended to be higher in females than in males.

The Rapp-Hodgkin syndrome results from mutations of the TP63 gene

The Rapp–Hodgkin syndrome (RHS, MIM 129400) corresponds to a rare form of anhydrotic ectodermal dysplasia, which shares some features with the ectrodactyly, ectodermal dysplasia and cleft lip/palate syndrome (EEC, MIM 604292) resulting from TP63 mutations. We report here, in two unrelated patients with RHS, the identification of two distinct TP63 mutations, corresponding to a novel frameshift mutation (1709DelA, exon 14) located downstream the sterile alpha motif (SAM) domain and to a missense mutation (R279H, exon 7) within the DNA binding domain. Functional analysis of the R279H mutation, which had previously been reported in several EEC families, shows that this mutation disrupted the dominant negative activity of the ΔNp63α and γ isoforms on the transcriptional activity of TP53. This report shows, on a molecular basis, that RHS is also an EEC-like syndrome resulting from mutations of the TP63 gene, and highlights the wide phenotypic spectrum associated to TP63 mutations.

Insight into IKBKG/NEMO Locus: Report of New Mutations and Complex Genomic Rearrangements Leading to Incontinentia Pigmenti Disease

Incontinentia pigmenti (IP) is an X‐linked‐dominant Mendelian disorder caused by mutation in the IKBKG/NEMO gene, encoding for NEMO/IKKgamma, a regulatory protein of nuclear factor kappaB (NF‐kB) signaling. In more than 80% of cases, IP is due to recurrent or nonrecurrent deletions causing loss‐of‐function (LoF) of NEMO/IKKgamma. We review how the local architecture of the IKBKG/NEMO locus with segmental duplication and a high frequency of repetitive elements favor de novo aberrant recombination through different mechanisms producing genomic microdeletion. We report here a new microindel (c.436_471delinsT, p.Val146X) arising through a DNA‐replication‐repair fork‐stalling‐and‐template‐switching and microhomology‐mediated‐end‐joining mechanism in a sporadic IP case. The LoF mutations of IKBKG/NEMO leading to IP include small insertions/deletions (indel) causing frameshift and premature stop codons, which account for 10% of cases. We here present 21 point mutations previously unreported, which further extend the spectrum of pathologic variants: 14/21 predict LoF because of premature stop codon (6/14) or frameshift (8/14), whereas 7/21 predict a partial loss of NEMO/IKKgamma activity (two splicing and five missense). We review how the analysis of IP‐associated IKBKG/NEMO hypomorphic mutants has contributed to the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanism of IP disease and has provided important information on affected NF‐kB signaling. We built a locus‐specific database listing all IKBKG/NEMO variants, accessible at http://IKBKG.lovd.nl.