Disruption of common ocular developmental pathways in patient-derived optic vesicle models of microphthalmia.

Genetic perturbations influencing early eye development can result in microphthalmia, anophthalmia, and coloboma (MAC). Over 100 genes are associated with MAC, but little is known about common disease mechanisms. In this study, we generated induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived optic vesicles (OVs) from two unrelated microphthalmia patients and healthy controls.

Restoration of functional PAX6 in aniridia patient iPSC-derived ocular tissue models using repurposed nonsense suppression drugs.

Congenital aniridia is a rare, pan-ocular disease causing severe sight loss, with only symptomatic intervention offered to patients. Approximately 40% of aniridia patients present with heterozygous nonsense variants in , resulting in haploinsufficiency. Translational readthrough-inducing drugs (TRIDs) have the ability to weaken the recognition of in-frame premature termination codons (PTCs), permitting full-length protein to be translated.

Efficient embryoid-based method to improve generation of optic vesicles from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Animal models have provided many insights into ocular development and disease, but they remain suboptimal for understanding human oculogenesis. Eye development requires spatiotemporal gene expression patterns and disease phenotypes can differ significantly between humans and animal models, with patient-associated mutations causing embryonic lethality reported in some animal models. The emergence of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) technology has provided a new resource for dissecting the complex nature of early eye morphogenesis through the generation of three-dimensional (3D) cellular models.

Identification of 4 novel human ocular coloboma genes ANK3, BMPR1B, PDGFRA, and CDH4 through evolutionary conserved vertebrate gene analysis.

Purpose: Ocular coloboma arises from genetic or environmental perturbations that inhibit optic fissure (OF) fusion during early eye development. Despite high genetic heterogeneity, 70% to 85% of patients remain molecularly undiagnosed. In this study, we have identified new potential causative genes using cross-species comparative meta-analysis.

Translational readthrough of ciliopathy genes BBS2 and ALMS1 restores protein, ciliogenesis and function in patient fibroblasts.

Background: Ciliary dysfunction underlies a range of genetic disorders collectively termed ciliopathies, for which there are no treatments available. Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is characterised by multisystemic involvement, including rod-cone dystrophy and renal abnormalities. Together with Alström syndrome (AS), they are known as the 'obesity ciliopathies' due to their common phenotype.

Generation of two human iPSC lines from patients with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (UCLi014-A) and autosomal recessive Leber congenital amaurosis (UCLi015-A), associated with RDH12 variants.

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines were generated from two patients with RDH12 variants. UCLi014-A is from a patient with heterozygous frameshift mutation c.759del p.

Generation of human iPSC line (UCLi013-A) from a patient with microphthalmia and aniridia, carrying a heterozygous missense mutation c.372C>A p.(Asn124Lys) in PAX6.

A human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) line (UCLi013-A) was generated from fibroblast cells of a 34-year-old donor with multiple ocular conditions including severe microphthalmia and aniridia. The patient had a heterozygous missense mutation in PAX6 c.372C>A, p.

Generation of two human control iPS cell lines (UCLi016-A and UCLi017-A) from healthy donors with no known ocular conditions.

Two human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines (UCLi016-A and UCLi017-A) were generated from fibroblast cells of 23- and 34-year-old healthy male donors with no known ocular conditions. Fibroblast cells were derived from skin biopsies and reprogrammed using integration free episomal reprogramming. The established iPSC lines were found to express pluripotency markers, exhibit differentiation potential in vitro and display a normal karyotype.

The Use of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells as a Model for Developmental Eye Disorders.

Approximately one-third of childhood blindness is attributed to developmental eye disorders, of which 80% have a genetic cause. Eye morphogenesis is tightly regulated by a highly conserved network of transcription factors when disrupted by genetic mutations can result in severe ocular malformation. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are an attractive tool to study early eye development as they are more physiologically relevant than animal models, can be patient-specific and their use does not elicit the ethical concerns associated with human embryonic stem cells.

Clinical and molecular characterization of non-syndromic retinal dystrophy due to c.175G>A mutation in ceroid lipofuscinosis neuronal 3 (CLN3).

Purpose: Mutation of the CLN3 gene, associated with juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, has recently been associated with late-onset, non-syndromic retinal dystrophy. Herein we describe the multimodal imaging, immunological and systemic features of an adult with compound heterozygous CLN3 mutations.

Methods: A 50-year-old female with non-syndromic retinal dystrophy from the age of 36 years underwent multimodal retinal imaging, electroretinography, neuroimaging, immunological studies and genetic testing.

PLTP activity inversely correlates with CAAD: effects of PON1 enzyme activity and genetic variants on PLTP activity.

Recent studies have failed to demonstrate a causal cardioprotective effect of HDL cholesterol levels, shifting focus to the functional aspects of HDL. Phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) is an HDL-associated protein involved in reverse cholesterol transport. This study sought to determine the genetic and nongenetic predictors of plasma PLTP activity (PLTPa), and separately, to determine whether PLTPa predicted carotid artery disease (CAAD).

Effects of dietary components on high-density lipoprotein measures in a cohort of 1,566 participants.

Background: Recent data suggest that an increased level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is not causally protective against heart disease, shifting focus to other sub-phenotypes of HDL. Prior work on the effects of dietary intakes has focused largely on HDL-C. The goal of this study was to identify the dietary intakes that affect HDL-related measures: HDL-C, HDL-2, HDL-3, and apoA1 using data from a carotid artery disease case-control cohort.

HDL-3 is a superior predictor of carotid artery disease in a case-control cohort of 1725 participants.

Background: Recent data suggest that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels are likely not in the causative pathway of atheroprotection, shifting focus from HDL-C to its subfractions and associated proteins. This study's goal was to determine which HDL phenotype was the better predictor of carotid artery disease (CAAD).

Methods And Results: HDL-2 and HDL-3 were measured in 1725 participants of European ancestry in a prevalent case-control cohort study of CAAD.

Dietary cholesterol increases paraoxonase 1 enzyme activity.

HDL-associated paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity has been consistently associated with cardiovascular and other diseases. Vitamins C and E intake have previously been positively associated with PON1 in a subset of the Carotid Lesion Epidemiology and Risk (CLEAR) cohort. The goal of this study was to replicate these findings and determine whether other nutrient intake affected PON1 activity.

Additional Common Polymorphisms in the PON Gene Cluster Predict PON1 Activity but Not Vascular Disease.

Background. Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) enzymatic activity has been consistently predictive of cardiovascular disease, while the genotypes at the four functional polymorphisms at PON1 have not. The goal of this study was to identify additional variation at the PON gene cluster that improved prediction of PON1 activity and determine if these variants predict carotid artery disease (CAAD).

Calcium entry in Trypanosoma brucei is regulated by phospholipase A2 and arachidonic acid.

In contrast with mammalian cells, little is known about the control of Ca2+ entry into primitive protozoans. Here we report that Ca2+ influx in pathogenic Trypanosoma brucei can be regulated by phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and the subsequent release of arachidonic acid (AA). Several PLA2 inhibitors blocked Ca2+ entry; 3-(4-octadecyl)-benzoylacrylic acid (OBAA; IC50 0.