Sherin Shaaban

HOXB1 Founder Mutation in Humans Recapitulates the Phenotype of Hoxb1−/− Mice

Members of the highly conserved homeobox (HOX) gene family encode transcription factors that confer cellular and tissue identities along the antero-posterior axis of mice and humans. We have identified a founder homozygous missense mutation in HOXB1 in two families from a conservative German American population. The resulting phenotype includes bilateral facial palsy, hearing loss, and strabismus and correlates extensively with the previously reported Hoxb1(-/-) mouse phenotype. The missense variant is predicted to result in the substitution of a cysteine for an arginine at amino acid residue 207 (Arg207Cys), which corresponds to the highly conserved Arg5 of the homeodomain. Arg5 interacts with thymine in the minor groove of DNA through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic attraction. Molecular modeling and an in vitro DNA-protein binding assay predict that the mutation would disrupt these interactions, destabilize the HOXB1:PBX1:DNA complex, and alter HOXB1 transcriptional activity.

Expansion of the CHN1 Strabismus Phenotype

PURPOSE Hyperactivating CHN1 mutations have been described in individuals with Duane retraction syndrome with or without vertical gaze abnormalities. This was a study of five family members with distinctive ocular dysmotility patterns that co-segregated with a novel hyperactivating CHN1 mutation. METHODS Participating members of a family segregating pleomorphic incomitant strabismus underwent ophthalmic examinations, and several underwent high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the orbits and brain stem. Participant DNA was extracted and amplified for haplotype analysis encompassing the CHN1 region on chromosome 2q31.1, and mutation analysis of the CHN1 gene, which encodes the Rac-GAP signaling protein α2-chimaerin. In vitro functional studies of the co-inherited mutation were performed, including a Rac-GTP activation assay, quantification of α2-chimaerin translocation, and co-immunoprecipitation. RESULTS All five clinically affected family members exhibited monocular or binocular supraduction deficits, three in the absence of Duane retraction syndrome. MRI in four affected individuals demonstrated small or absent abducens nerves in all four, small oculomotor nerve in one, and small optic nerves in three. Superior oblique muscle volume was also decreased in three of the individuals, supporting trochlear nerve hypoplasia. Strabismus segregated with the CHN1 locus and affected individuals harbored a c.443A>T CHN1 mutation (p.Y148F). In vitro, this novel mutation behaved similarly to previously reported CHN1 mutations underlying familial Duane syndrome, hyperactivating α2-chimaerin by enhancing its dimerization and membrane association and lowering total intracellular Rac-GTP. CONCLUSIONS Analysis of the current pedigree expands the phenotypic spectrum of hyperactivating CHN1 mutations to include vertical strabismus and supraduction deficits in the absence of Duane retraction syndrome.

Chromosomes 4q28.3 and 7q31.2 as New Susceptibility Loci for Comitant Strabismus

PURPOSE This study was designed to localize chromosomal susceptibility loci for comitant strabismus among Japanese families by genome-wide linkage analyses. METHODS Fifty-five Japanese families, with at least two members with comitant strabismus (esotropia and/or exotropia), were subject to full ophthalmic examination, careful ocular history, and review of medical records. DNA was obtained and genotyping was performed with PCR amplification of 400 microsatellite markers. Parametric and nonparametric linkage (NPL) analyses scores were calculated. Linkage analysis was performed for the whole set of families (55 families), and then a second analysis was performed for two subgroups with the phenotypes, esotropia and exotropia. RESULTS A multipoint parametric heterogeneity logarithm of the odds (HLOD) score of 3.62 was obtained at marker D4S1575 under a dominant model, with a NPL score of 2.68 (P=0.001). Testing under different penetrances and disease allele frequencies revealed two other susceptibility loci at 7q31.2 under a recessive model (HLOD scores=3.93 and 4.40 at 125.2 cM and 107.28 cM, respectively). Analysis of the subgroups revealed new susceptibility loci for esotropia; one locus at 8q24.21 is worthy of further investigation. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests multiple susceptibility loci for comitant strabismus. The loci at chromosomes 4q28.3 and 7q31.2 show a significant evidence of linkage.

A defect in myoblast fusion underlies Carey-Fineman-Ziter syndrome

Multinucleate cellular syncytial formation is a hallmark of skeletal muscle differentiation. Myomaker, encoded by Mymk (Tmem8c), is a well-conserved plasma membrane protein required for myoblast fusion to form multinucleated myotubes in mouse, chick, and zebrafish. Here, we report that autosomal recessive mutations in MYMK (OMIM 615345) cause Carey-Fineman-Ziter syndrome in humans (CFZS; OMIM 254940) by reducing but not eliminating MYMK function. We characterize MYMK-CFZS as a congenital myopathy with marked facial weakness and additional clinical and pathologic features that distinguish it from other congenital neuromuscular syndromes. We show that a heterologous cell fusion assay in vitro and allelic complementation experiments in mymk knockdown and mymkinsT/insT zebrafish in vivo can differentiate between MYMK wild type, hypomorphic and null alleles. Collectively, these data establish that MYMK activity is necessary for normal muscle development and maintenance in humans, and expand the spectrum of congenital myopathies to include cell-cell fusion deficits.

Expanding the phenotypic spectrum of ECEL1-related congenital contracture syndromes.

Using a combination of homozygosity mapping and whole‐exome sequencing (WES), we identified a novel missense c.1819G>A mutation (G607S) in the endothelin‐converting enzyme‐like 1 (ECEL1) gene in a consanguineous pedigree of Turkish origin presenting with a syndrome of camptodactyly, scoliosis, limited knee flexion, significant refractive errors and ophthalmoplegia. ECEL1 mutations were recently reported to cause recessive forms of distal arthrogryposis. This report expands on the molecular basis and the phenotypic spectrum of ECEL1‐associated congenital contracture syndromes.

Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies a Susceptibility Locus for Comitant Esotropia and Suggests a Parent-of-Origin Effect

Purpose To identify genetic variants conferring susceptibility to esotropia. Esotropia is the most common form of comitant strabismus, has its highest incidence in European ancestry populations, and is believed to be inherited as a complex trait. Methods White European American discovery cohorts with nonaccommodative (826 cases and 2991 controls) or accommodative (224 cases and 749 controls) esotropia were investigated. White European Australian and United Kingdom cohorts with nonaccommodative (689 cases and 1448 controls) or accommodative (66 cases and 264 controls) esotropia were tested for replication. We performed a genome-wide case–control association study using a mixed linear additive model. Meta-analyses of discovery and replication cohorts were then conducted. Results A significant association with nonaccommodative esotropia was discovered (odds ratio [OR] = 1.41, P = 2.84 × 10−09) and replicated (OR = 1.23, P = 0.01) at rs2244352 [T] located within intron 1 of the WRB (tryptophan rich basic protein) gene on chromosome 21 (meta-analysis OR = 1.33, P = 9.58 × 10−11). This single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is differentially methylated, and there is a statistically significant skew toward paternal inheritance in the discovery cohort. Meta-analysis of the accommodative discovery and replication cohorts identified an association with rs912759 [T] (OR = 0.59, P = 1.89 × 10−08), an intergenic SNP on chromosome 1p31.1. Conclusions This is the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify significant associations in esotropia and suggests a parent-of-origin effect. Additional cohorts will permit replication and extension of these findings. Future studies of rs2244352 and WRB should provide insight into pathophysiological mechanisms underlying comitant strabismus.