Publications by authors named "Benkirane M"

Introduction: Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) has been associated with a severe, complex autosomal recessive spastic paraplegia (HSP79) [1] [2] [3] [4]. More recently, UCHL1 loss of function (LoF) variants have been associated to an autosomal dominant disease characterized by late-onset spastic ataxia, neuropathy, and frequent optic atrophy [5].

Methods: Routine clinical care whole-genome (WGS) and exome (ES) sequencing.

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Article Synopsis
  • The research links the TUBA4A gene to familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS) and fronto-temporal dementia (FTD), identifying pathogenic variants in patients with these conditions.* -
  • A study of 448 patients with cerebellar ataxia revealed ultra-rare, likely harmful TUBA4A variants not found in public databases, indicating a potential genetic cause for this condition.* -
  • Analysis showed a significant presence of TUBA4A mutations in inherited ataxia cases compared to controls, with experiments on patient-derived fibroblasts revealing disruptions in microtubule organization linked to the mutations.*
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Unintegrated retroviral DNA is transcriptionally silenced by host chromatin silencing factors. Here, we used the proteomics of isolated chromatin segments method to reveal viral and host factors associated with unintegrated HIV-1DNA involved in its silencing. By gene silencing using siRNAs, 46 factors were identified as potential repressors of unintegrated HIV-1DNA.

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Replication of genetic material involves the creation of characteristic termini. Determining these termini is important to refine our understanding of the mechanisms involved in maintaining the genomes of cellular organisms and viruses. Here we describe a computational approach combining direct and indirect readouts to detect termini from next-generation short-read sequencing.

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Not only does Marseillevirus bear the name of the city where it was identified, it also encompasses its values and what makes Marseille a wonderful city. Marseillevirus is unique and intriguing. As such, Bryson et al.

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Purpose: Nonerythrocytic αII-spectrin (SPTAN1) variants have been previously associated with intellectual disability and epilepsy. We conducted this study to delineate the phenotypic spectrum of SPTAN1 variants.

Methods: We carried out SPTAN1 gene enrichment analysis in the rare disease component of the 100,000 Genomes Project and screened 100,000 Genomes Project, DECIPHER database, and GeneMatcher to identify individuals with SPTAN1 variants.

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Distinguishing the self from the non-self by the immune system is essential to avoid inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Maharana et al. (2022) reveal a mechanism for hiding self-immunostimulatory RNA involving a three-variable equation: SAMHD1 and its exonuclease activity, single-stranded RNA, and RNA-protein condensate.

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AB variant is the rarest form of GM2 gangliosidosis, neurodegenerative diseases caused by lysosomal accumulation of GM2 gangliosides. Less than thirty cases are referenced in the literature, and to date, no late-onset form has been described. Our proband is a 22-year-old male with spinocerebellar ataxia and lower limbs motor deficiency.

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Cerebellar ataxia, neuropathy and vestibular areflexia syndrome (CANVAS) is an inherited late-onset neurological disease caused by bi-allelic AAGGG pentanucleotide expansions within intron 2 of RFC1. Despite extensive studies, the pathophysiological mechanism of these intronic expansions remains elusive. We screened by clinical exome sequencing two unrelated patients presenting with late-onset ataxia.

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Phosphoinositides are lipids that play a critical role in processes such as cellular signalling, ion channel activity and membrane trafficking. When mutated, several genes that encode proteins that participate in the metabolism of these lipids give rise to neurological or developmental phenotypes. PI4KA is a phosphoinositide kinase that is highly expressed in the brain and is essential for life.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to improve the diagnosis of inherited ataxia and related disorders through molecular sequencing, given the complexity and variety of symptoms associated with these diseases.
  • - Researchers analyzed 366 patients with undiagnosed ataxia using clinical exome-capture sequencing and established a molecular diagnosis in 46% of cases, uncovering previously unrecognized variants.
  • - They highlighted that many patients presented with milder symptoms due to unique genetic variations like hypomorphic variants and specific mechanisms such as C-terminal truncations, identifying PEX10 and FASTKD2 as genes involved in these mild disease presentations.
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Mitochondrial complex I (CI) deficiencies (OMIM 252010) are the commonest inherited mitochondrial disorders in children. Acyl-CoA dehydrogenase 9 (ACAD9) is a flavoenzyme involved chiefly in CI assembly and possibly in fatty acid oxidation. Biallelic pathogenic variants result in CI dysfunction, with a phenotype ranging from early onset and sometimes fatal mitochondrial encephalopathy with lactic acidosis to late-onset exercise intolerance.

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Chikungunya is an infectious disease caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an alphavirus transmitted to humans by Aedes mosquitoes, and for which there is no licensed vaccine nor antiviral treatments. By using a loss-of-function genetic screen, we have recently identified the FHL1 protein as an essential host factor for CHIKV tropism and pathogenesis. FHL1 is highly expressed in muscles cells and fibroblasts, the main CHIKV-target cells.

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Article Synopsis
  • CANVAS is a genetic condition that affects balance and coordination, caused by changes in a specific gene called RFC1.
  • Researchers studied 163 patients in France with different types of ataxia and found that 15 had the CANVAS condition, but only in the group with late-onset ataxia.
  • The study suggests that doctors should check for the RFC1 gene changes mostly in patients with unexplained late-onset ataxia and nerve issues, not so much in those suspected of having a different condition called MSA-C.
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Background: STUB1 has been first associated with autosomal recessive (SCAR16, MIM# 615768) and later with dominant forms of ataxia (SCA48, MIM# 618093). Pathogenic variations in STUB1 are now considered a frequent cause of cerebellar ataxia.

Objective: We aimed to improve the clinical, radiological, and molecular delineation of SCAR16 and SCA48.

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SAMHD1 is a host restriction factor that functions to restrict both retroviruses and DNA viruses, based on its nuclear deoxynucleotide triphosphate (dNTP) hydrolase activity that limits availability of intracellular dNTP pools. In the present study, we demonstrate that SAMHD1 expression was increased following human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection, with only a modest effect on infectious virus production. SAMHD1 was rapidly phosphorylated at residue T592 after infection by cellular cyclin-dependent kinases, especially Cdk2, and by the viral kinase pUL97, resulting in a significant fraction of phosho-SAMHD1 being relocalized to the cytoplasm of infected fibroblasts, in association with viral particles and dense bodies.

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Erythrophagocytosis by blast cells is due to hyperactivation of blast cells. Erythrophagocytosis is associated with T cell myeloid hemopathies (8;16). This study shows an exceptional case of erythrophagocytosis by blast cells in a patient with acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia without cytogenetic abnormalities.

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Kaposi´s sarcoma is a tumor characterized by purple or brownish lesions affecting the skin. It is most commonly associated with human herpes virus type 8 (HHV-8) infection and may be secondary to malignant hemopathy, including lymphomas. We here report a new case of a very rare combination: Kaposi´s disease-multiple myeloma.

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DNA replication is an extremely complex process, involving thousands of replication forks progressing along chromosomes. These forks are frequently slowed down or stopped by various obstacles, such as secondary DNA structures, chromatin-acting proteins or a lack of nucleotides. This slowing down, known as replicative stress, plays a central role in tumour development.

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Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory skin disease. HS appears to be a primary abnormality in the pilosebaceous-apocrine unit. In this work, we characterized hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) isolated from HS patients and more precisely the outer root sheath cells (ORSCs).

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The aim of the present study was to understand the biology of unintegrated HIV-1 DNA and reveal the mechanisms involved in its transcriptional silencing. We found that histones are loaded on HIV-1 DNA after its nuclear import and before its integration in the host genome. Nucleosome positioning analysis along the unintegrated and integrated viral genomes revealed major differences in nucleosome density and position.

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KAP1 (KRAB-associated protein 1) is best known as a co-repressor responsible for inducing heterochromatin formation, notably at transposable elements. However, it has also been observed to bind the transcription start site of actively expressed genes. To address this paradox, we characterized the protein interactome of KAP1 in the human K562 erythro-leukaemia cell line.

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ATP8A2-related disorders are autosomal recessive conditions that associate encephalopathy with or without hypotonia, psychomotor delay, abnormal movements, chorea, tremor, optic atrophy and cerebellar atrophy (CARMQ4). Through a multi-centric collaboration, we identified six point mutations (one splice site and five missense mutations) involving ATP8A2 in six individuals from five families. Two patients from one family with the homozygous p.

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