Search results for "abnormalities"

NKX2-1 New Mutation Associated With Myoclonus, Dystonia, and Pituitary Involvement

2018

Background: NKX2-1 related disorders (also known as brain-lung-thyroid syndrome or benign hereditary chorea 1) are associated with a wide spectrum of symptoms. The core features are various movement disorders, characteristically chorea, less frequently myoclonus, dystonia, ataxia; thyroid disease; and lung involvement. The full triad is present in 50% of affected individuals. Numerous additional symptoms may be associated, although many of these were reported only in single cases. Pituitary dysfunction was ambiguously linked to NKX2-1 haploinsufficiency previously. Case Presentation: We examined two members of a family with motor developmental delay, mixed movement disorder (myoclonus, dyst…

Esophageal atresia and Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome in one of the naturally conceived discordant newborn twins: first report

2018

Key Clinical Message Recent studies report a high incidence of monozygotic twinning in Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome. A phenotypical discordance in monozygotic twins is rare. Twinning and Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome show higher incidence in children born after assisted reproductive techniques. We report on the first observation of esophageal atresia and Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome in one of the naturally conceived discordant monozygotic twins.

Metformin decreases progerin expression and alleviates pathological defects of Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome cells

2016

Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare genetic disorder that causes systemic accelerated aging in children. This syndrome is due to a mutation in the LMNA gene that leads to the production of a truncated and toxic form of lamin A called progerin. Because the balance between the A-type lamins is controlled by the RNA-binding protein SRSF1, we have hypothesized that its inhibition may have therapeutic effects for HGPS. For this purpose, we evaluated the antidiabetic drug metformin and demonstrated that 48 h treatment with 5 mmol/l metformin decreases SRSF1 and progerin expression in mesenchymal stem cells derived from HGPS induced pluripotent stem cells (HGPS MSCs). The effect …

Pathological modelling of pigmentation disorders associated with Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) revealed an impaired melanogenesis pathw…

2018

AbstractHutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) is a rare genetic disorder that leads to premature aging. In this study, we used induced pluripotent stem cells to investigate the hypopigmentation phenotypes observed in patients with progeria. Accordingly, two iPS cell lines were derived from cells from HGPS patients and differentiated into melanocytes. Measurements of melanin content revealed a lower synthesis of melanin in HGPS melanocytes as compared to non-pathologic cells. Analysis of the melanosome maturation process by electron microscopy revealed a lower percentage of mature, fully pigmented melanosomes. Finally, a functional rescue experiment revealed the direct role of progerin…

The Coat-Hanger Angle Sign

2016

An infant boy, the second child of healthy parents, was born at 35.5 weeks of gestation by cesarean delivery performed in emergency because of fetal bradycardia and polyhydramnios. At birth his weight was 2770 g (62nd percentile), length 48.3 cm (69th percentile), and head circumference 33.5 cm (64th percentile). Findings of a phys- ical examination showed a broad forehead, a depressed nasal bridge, anteverted nares, a long and protruding philtrum, a high arched palate, retrognathia, joint contractures, and an umbilical hernia. The Apgar score was 6/8 at 1/5 minutes. Because of progressive respiratory distress he required hos- pitalization and noninvasive support ventilation for the first 3…

Rett Syndrome Mutant Neural Cells Lacks MeCP2 Immunoreactive Bands.

2016

Dysfunctions of MeCP2 protein lead to various neurological disorders such as Rett syndrome and Autism. The exact functions of MeCP2 protein is still far from clear. At a molecular level, there exist contradictory data. MeCP2 protein is considered a single immunoreactive band around 75 kDa by western-blot analysis but several reports have revealed the existence of multiple MeCP2 immunoreactive bands above and below the level where MeCP2 is expected. MeCP2 immunoreactive bands have been interpreted in different ways. Some researchers suggest that multiple MeCP2 immunoreactive bands are unidentified proteins that cross-react with the MeCP2 antibody or degradation product of MeCP2, while others…

Multicenter validation study for the certification of a CFTR gene scanning method using next generation sequencing technology.

2018

AbstractBackground:Many European laboratories offer molecular genetic analysis of theCFTRgene using a wide range of methods to identify mutations causative of cystic fibrosis (CF) and CFTR-related disorders (CFTR-RDs). Next-generation sequencing (NGS) strategies are widely used in diagnostic practice, and CE marking is now required for most in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests in Europe. The aim of this multicenter study, which involved three European laboratories specialized in CF molecular analysis, was to evaluate the performance of Multiplicom’s CFTR MASTR Dx kit to obtain CE-IVD certification.Methods:A total of 164 samples, previously analyzed with well-established “reference” methods for t…

2018

Amino acid usage in a proteome depends mostly on its taxonomy, as it does the codon usage in transcriptomes. Here, we explore the level of variation in the codon usage of a specific amino acid, glutamine, in relation to the number of consecutive glutamine residues. We show that CAG triplets are consistently more abundant in short glutamine homorepeats (polyQ, four to eight residues) than in shorter glutamine stretches (one to three residues), leading to the evolutionary growth of the repeat region in a CAG-dependent manner. The length of orthologous polyQ regions is mostly stable in primates, particularly the short ones. Interestingly, given a short polyQ the CAG usage is higher in unstable…

P14ARF: The Absence that Makes the Difference

2020

P14ARF is a tumor suppressor encoded by the CDKN2a locus that is frequently inactivated in human tumors. P14ARF protein quenches oncogene stimuli by inhibiting cell cycle progression and inducing apoptosis. P14ARF functions can be played through interactions with several proteins. However, the majority of its activities are notoriously mediated by the p53 protein. Interestingly, recent studies suggest a new role of p14ARF in the maintenance of chromosome stability. Here, we deepened this new facet of p14ARF which we believe is relevant to its tumor suppressive role in the cell. To this aim, we generated a monoclonal HCT116 cell line expressing the p14ARF cDNA cloned in the piggyback vector …

Polyphosphate Reverses the Toxicity of the Quasi-Enzyme Bleomycin on Alveolar Endothelial Lung Cells In Vitro

2021

Simple Summary Bleomycin (BLM) is a medication introduced used to treat various types of cancer, including testicular cancer, ovarian cancer, and Hodgkin’s disease. Its most serious side effect is pulmonary fibrosis and impaired lung function. Using A549 human lung cells it is shown that, in parallel to an increased cell toxicity and DNA damage, BLM causes a marked enlargement of the cell nucleus. This effect is abolished by inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), if this physiological polymer is administered together with BLM. The detoxification of BLM is–most likely–caused by the upregulation of the gene encoding the BLM hydrolase which inactivates BLM in vitro and in vivo. This study contribute…