A Novel Silent Mutation in the L1CAM Gene causing Fetal Hydrocephalus
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ABSTRACT: To explore the genetic cause of a Chinese woman with fetal hydrocephalus X-linked hydrocephalus (XLH), a genetic disorder, has an incidence of 1/30,000 male births. The great proportion of XLH is ascribed to loss of function mutations of L1 cell adhesion molecule gene (L1CAM), but silent mutations in L1CAM with pathogenic potential were rare, and were usually ignored especially in WES detection. In the present study, we describe a novel silent L1CAM mutation in a Chinese pregnant woman reporting continuous five times pregnancies with fetal hydrocephalus. After fetal blood sampling, we found c.453G>T (p.Gly151=) in L1CAM gene of the fetus by whole exome sequencing (WES), RT-PCR of the mRNA from cord blood mononuclear cells and subsequent sequence analysis identified the mutation created a potential 5' splice site consensus sequence, which would result in an in-frame deletion of 72 bp from exon 5 and 24 amino acids of the L1CAM protein. Heterozygous mutations were confirmed in analyzing DNA and mRNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the woman, and, a severe L1 syndrome was confirmed by fetal ultrasound scan and MRI. Our study first indicated c.453G>T (p.Gly151=) in L1CAM could be disease causing for hydrocephalus, which would aid in genetic counseling for the prenatal diagnosis of hydrocephalus. Meanwhile, it suggested some silent mutations detected in WES should not be ignored, splicing predictions of these mutations were necessary.
Project description:Emerging data indicate that B-cells play a key role in cancer suppression, particularly when aggregated in tertiary lymphoid-like structures (TLS). Here, we used single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing of endometrial cancers (ECs) and found L1-cell adhesion molecule L1CAM to be significantly associated with TLS. Immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of L1CAM was restricted to the germinal centre (GC) of mature TLS, where it co-localised with follicular dendritic cell (FDC) marker CD21. Tumours surrounded by L1CAM-positive TLS were identified across all molecular EC subgroups, but enriched in mismatch repair deficient (MMRd) and polymerase-epsilon mutant (POLEmut) EC, especially when TP53 mutations were also present. Importantly, L1CAM-positive TLS appeared an independent favourable predictor of EC recurrence and death, and significantly improved the current prognostic molecular EC classification based on clinicopathological and molecular factors. Our data suggest a pivotal role of TLS in predicting outcome of EC patients, and establishes L1CAM as a simple and widely available biomarker of TLS in clinical care.
Project description:Integrated multi-omics investigation of novel rat models of acquired hydrocephalus, Blood or bacteria in CSF trigger similar choroid plexus (ChP) immune-secretory responses, Crosstalk between ChP immune and epithelial cells drives CSF hypersecretion and ventriculomegaly, Repurposed systemic immunomodulators ameliorate acquired hydrocephalus, Identification of a druggable hub of ChP function relevant for multiple neurological diseases.
Project description:Integrated multi-omics investigation of novel rat models of acquired hydrocephalus, Blood or bacteria in CSF trigger similar choroid plexus (ChP) immune-secretory responses, Crosstalk between ChP immune and epithelial cells drives CSF hypersecretion and ventriculomegaly, Repurposed systemic immunomodulators ameliorate acquired hydrocephalus, Identification of a druggable hub of ChP function relevant for multiple neurological diseases.
Project description:Wilson’s disease (WD) is a relevant human genetic disease caused by mutations in the ATP7B gene, whose product is a liver enzyme responsible for copper export into bile and blood. Interestingly, the spectrum of ATP7B mutations is vast and can influence clinical presentation (a variable spectrum of hepatic and neural manifestations), though the reason for this is not well understood. Here we describe the successful generation of iPSCs from a Chinese patient with Wilson’s disease that bears the R778L Chinese hotspot mutation in the ATP7B gene.
Project description:Routine karyotyping combined with CMA testing should be provided for fetuses with omphalocele. WES is an option if karyotype and CMA tests are normal. In addition, if conventional karyotype, CMA detection and WES detection are normal, then further molecular biology methods can be used to rule out disease phenotypes like BWS syndrome. We analyzed the ultrasonographic features, genetic characteristics, and maternal and fetal outcomes of fetuses with omphalocele and provide a reference for perinatal management of such cases.
Project description:Gene expression is a key determinant of phenotypes that made Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells, with their human-like glycosylation profile and high protein titers, one of the most widely used cells for the production of therapeutic proteins and biopharmaceuticals. Engineering CHO gene expression thus holds a key to improve drug quality and cost effective production. However, the success of engineering gene expression or ectopic activation of silent genes to optimize desired pathways requires accurate annotation of the underlying regulatory elements and the transcription start site (TSS). Unfortunately, to date, most TSSs of CHO-expressed genes and the ~50% of hamster genes that are silent in CHO were computationally predicted and are frequently inaccurate. To oust this hurdle, we report revised TSSs annotations for 15,308 Chinese Hamster genes and 4,145 non-coding RNAs based on experimental data from CHO K1 cells and 10 hamster tissues. In the example of the glycosyltransferase gene Mgat3, we further demonstrate how accurate annotations readily facilitate activating silent genes by CRISPRa. Together, we envision that our annotation and data from the Chinese Hamster will provide a rich resource for the CHO community, improve genome engineering efforts and additionally aid comparative and evolutionary studies.