Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder that causes a range of developmental problems including cognitive and behavioral impairment and learning disabilities. FXS is caused by full mutations (FM) of the gene expansions to over 200 repeats, with hypermethylation of the cytosine-guanine-guanine (CGG) tandem repeated region in its promoter, resulting in transcriptional silencing and loss of gene function. Female carriers of FM are typically less impaired than males.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is rare in childhood, but it is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Genetic causes of HCM are mostly related to sarcomeric genes abnormalities; however, syndromic, metabolic, and mitochondrial disorders play an important role in its etiopathogenesis in pediatric patients. We here describe a new case of apparently isolated HCM due to mitochondrial assembly factor gene NDUFAF1 biallelic variants (c.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with both genetic and environmental factors contributing to its pathogenesis. While early-onset AD has well-established genetic determinants, the genetic basis for late-onset AD remains less clear. This study investigates a large Italian family with late-onset autosomal dominant AD, identifying a novel rare missense variant in GRIN2C gene associated with the disease, and evaluates the functional impact of this variant.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlacental insufficiency often correlates with fetal growth restriction (FGR), a condition that has both short- and long-term effects on the health of the newborn. In our study, we analyzed placental tissue from infants with FGR and from infants classified as small for gestational age (SGA) or appropriate for gestational age (AGA), performing comprehensive analyses that included transcriptomics and metabolomics. By examining villus tissue biopsies and 3D trophoblast organoids, we identified significant metabolic changes in placentas associated with FGR.
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