0000000000349572
AUTHOR
Bernhard U. Zabel
X-inactivation pattern in three cases of X/autosome translocation.
We describe an X/15 translocation which was balanced in a phenotypically normal mother [46,X,t(X;15)(p22;q15)] and unbalanced in her phenotypically abnormal daughter [46,X,der(X),t(X;15)(p22;q15)mat]. A third case involves a balanced X/21 translocation in a girl with a multiple congenital anomaly-retardation syndrome [46,X,t(X;21)(p11;p11?)]. 5-BrdU acridine orange banding on lymphocytes revealed late replication of the normal X chromosome in the mother and of the normal or abnormal X chromosome in the two other cases. Our findings are only partially consistent with previous observations. All X-inactivation patterns can be explained by random inactivation and subsequent selection against sp…
Human toll-like receptor 4 mutations are associated with susceptibility to invasive meningococcal disease in infancy.
Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is required for efficient recognition of bacterial infections. We investigated an association between 2 TLR4 mutations (Asp 299 Gly and Thr 399 Ile) and meningococcal disease in 197 patients and 214 healthy controls by allele-specific real time polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing. Although the allele frequency was not higher in the overall patient population, a significantly higher frequency in the 40 patients younger than 12 months of age (P = 0.007) was observed. We conclude that TLR4 mutations represent a risk factor for meningococcal disease in this age group.
Age-Dependent Association of Human Mannose-Binding Lectin Mutations With Susceptibility to Invasive Meningococcal Disease in Childhood
Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is an important factor of the innate immune system, and MBL-initiated complement activation is an important early defense mechanism against various bacterial infections, including invasive meningococcal disease.In a pediatric cohort (ages 2-215 months) with invasive meningococcal disease, we investigated the overall and age-stratified frequency of 3 MBL exon 1 variations (C154T, G161A, G170A), previously shown to result in markedly decreased MBL plasma concentrations, by allele specific fluorescent hybridization probe real-time PCR assays and direct sequencing. Healthy age-matched volunteers with the same ethnic background and no history of meningococcal disease…