Publications by authors named "Gemma Poke"

Article Synopsis
  • * A study identified 25 individuals with new variations in the MSL2 gene, who exhibited NDD symptoms such as developmental delays, coordination problems, and autism spectrum disorder, along with other health concerns.
  • * iPSCs from affected individuals showed reduced MSL2 levels and changes in gene expression, leading to the characterization of a new MSL2-related disorder with unique clinical markers and a specific DNA episignature for diagnosis.
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Article Synopsis
  • Glutamine synthetase (GS), encoded by the GLUL gene, converts glutamate to glutamine and plays a crucial role in neurotransmitter production and ammonia detoxification in the brain.
  • *Variations in the GLUL gene can lead to severe developmental delays and neurological disorders in infants due to improper regulation of GS levels.
  • *Research indicates that certain genetic mutations can result in a stable but non-regulated form of GS, highlighting the need for careful control of glutamine metabolism during brain development.
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  • * The study presented data on five new patients and analyzed previous reports, identifying critical gene regions within 20q that may be responsible for observed syndromic features, which include two main regions containing disease-related genes.
  • * Researchers suggest that GDF5 is the main gene associated with the syndrome linked to 20q11.2 deletions, while TOP1 may play a role in the second critical region at 20q12, noting the need for further
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Background: PHACTR1 (phosphatase and actin regulators) plays a key role in cortical migration and synaptic activity by binding and regulating G-actin and PPP1CA. This study aimed to expand the genotype and phenotype of patients with variants in and analyse the impact of variants on protein-protein interaction.

Methods: We identified seven patients with variants by trio-based whole-exome sequencing.

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Background: The complexities of mitochondrial disease make epidemiological studies challenging, yet this information is important in understanding the healthcare burden and addressing service and educational needs. Existing studies are limited to quaternary centres or focus on a single genotype or phenotype and estimate disease prevalence at 12.5 per 100 000.

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Background And Objectives: We aimed to determine the population-based cumulative incidence and prevalence of developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) and intellectual disability and epilepsy (ID+E) in children. We analyzed the cumulative incidence of specific epilepsy syndromes.

Methods: Children younger than 16 years with a DEE or ID+E were ascertained using EEG records from 2000 to 2016 in the Wellington region of New Zealand.

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Verheij syndrome (VRJS) is a rare craniofacial spliceosomopathy presenting with craniofacial dysmorphism, multiple congenital anomalies and variable neurodevelopmental delay. It is caused by single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in PUF60 or interstitial deletions of the 8q24.3 region.

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Objective: To establish the epidemiological, clinical, pathological and genetic characteristics of epidermolysis bullosa (EB) in New Zealand (NZ).

Methods: Participants were recruited through the Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association of New Zealand (DEBRA NZ). Dedicated EB nurse medical records, Genetic Health Service NZ (GHSNZ) records and, where available, public hospital records were manually reviewed for relevant clinical data.

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Objectives: To determine the impact of genetic muscle disorders and identify the sociodemographic, illness, and symptom factors influencing quality of life.

Methods: Adults (aged 16-90 years) with a confirmed clinical or molecular diagnosis of a genetic muscle disorder identified as part of a nationwide prevalence study were invited to complete an assessment of the impact of their condition. Quality of life was measured using the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire.

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ANKRD17 is an ankyrin repeat-containing protein thought to play a role in cell cycle progression, whose ortholog in Drosophila functions in the Hippo pathway as a co-factor of Yorkie. Here, we delineate a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by de novo heterozygous ANKRD17 variants. The mutational spectrum of this cohort of 34 individuals from 32 families is highly suggestive of haploinsufficiency as the underlying mechanism of disease, with 21 truncating or essential splice site variants, 9 missense variants, 1 in-frame insertion-deletion, and 1 microdeletion (1.

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Serine biosynthesis disorders comprise a spectrum of very rare autosomal recessive inborn errors of metabolism with wide phenotypic variability. Neu-Laxova syndrome represents the most severe expression and is characterized by multiple congenital anomalies and pre- or perinatal lethality. Here, we present the mutation spectrum and a detailed phenotypic analysis in 15 unrelated families with severe types of serine biosynthesis disorders.

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Perry syndrome is a rare neurological condition characterised clinically by depression, sleep disturbance, central hypoventilation and parkinsonism. Perry syndrome is a TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) proteinopathy associated with mutated dynactin-1 protein, inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. Several pathogenic mutations in exon 2 in the dynactin 1 gene have been identified; p.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Genetic ataxias are caused by mutations in many genes, making diagnosis tricky; whole-exome sequencing (WES) has improved diagnosis but has an unclear limit on its success rate.
  • - A study expanded from 76 to 260 patients analyzed both rare coding variations and larger genetic changes, finding a stable diagnostic detection rate of 47% in new cases, with a slight improvement in previously sequenced patients.
  • - Overall, the combined results showed a 52% diagnostic rate, suggesting that while WES has advanced, it may still reach a plateau, indicating a need for more comprehensive genetic analyses to uncover the full spectrum of causes behind cerebellar ataxias.
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Background: Mutations in the Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor Type 1 ( gene cause spinocerebellar ataxia type 29 (SCA29), a rare congenital-onset autosomal dominant non-progressive cerebellar ataxia. The Māori, indigenous to New Zealand, are an understudied population for genetic ataxias.

Case Presentation: We investigated the genetic origins of spinocerebellar ataxia in a family of Māori descent consisting of two affected sisters and their unaffected parents.

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Pathogenic variants in GNB5 cause an autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental disorder with neonatal sinus bradycardia. Seizures or epilepsy occurred in 10 of 22 previously reported cases, including 6 children from one family. We delineate the epileptology of GNB5 encephalopathy.

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GNB5 loss-of-function pathogenic variants cause IDDCA, a rare autosomal recessive human genetic disease characterized by infantile onset of intellectual disability, sinus bradycardia, hypotonia, visual abnormalities, and epilepsy. We generated human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) from skin fibroblasts of a patient with the homozygous c.136delG frameshift variant, and a GNB5 knock-out (KO) line by CRISPR/Cas9 editing.

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Family communication about genetic information enables informed medical and reproductive decision-making. The literature suggests that a significant proportion of genetically at-risk family members remain uninformed about genetic risk information as a result of non-disclosure. This study explored the experiences of New Zealand families communicating about a diagnosis of type 1 myotonic dystrophy (DM1).

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Coffin-Siris syndrome (CSS) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous developmental disorder, linked to disruption of the BAF chromatin-remodeling complex. Recently, de novo missense and truncating variants have been reported in DPF2 in patients sharing some of the common features of CSS. Here we report a further individual harboring a novel de novo missense DPF2 variant, c.

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Background: Previous epidemiological studies of genetic muscle disorders have relied on medical records to identify cases and may be at risk of selection biases or have focused on selective population groups.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine age-standardised prevalence of genetic muscle disorders through a nationwide, epidemiological study across the lifespan using the capture-recapture method.

Methods: Adults and children with a confirmed clinical or molecular diagnosis of a genetic muscle disorder, resident in New Zealand on April 1, 2015 were identified using multiple overlapping sources.

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Multiple self-healing squamous epithelioma (MSSE, Ferguson-Smith disease) and Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) are allelic conditions associated with pathogenic variants in the transforming growth factor beta receptor 1 gene (TGFBR1). We describe a patient with a novel missense variant in this gene: c.664G > A, p.

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SH3 and cysteine-rich domain-containing protein 3 (STAC3) is an essential component of the skeletal muscle excitation-contraction coupling (ECC) machinery, though its role and function are not yet completely understood. Here, we report 18 patients carrying a homozygous p.(Trp284Ser) STAC3 variant in addition to a patient compound heterozygous for the p.

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Episodic ataxia is a heterogenous group of uncommon neurological disorders characterised by recurrent episodes of vertigo, dysarthria, and ataxia for which a variety of different genetic variations have been implicated. Episodic ataxia type two (EA2) is the most common and also has the largest number of identified causative genetic variants. Treatment with acetazolamide is effective in improving symptoms, so accurate diagnosis is essential.

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The overgrowth syndromes are important to diagnose, not just for accurate genetic counseling, but also for knowledge surrounding cancer surveillance and prognosis. There has been a recent expansion in the number of genes associated with a mendelian overgrowth phenotype, so this review updates previous classifications of overgrowth syndromes. We also describe a clinical and molecular approach to the investigation of individuals presenting with overgrowth.

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Hydatidiform mole is an aberrant human pregnancy characterized by early embryonic arrest and excessive trophoblastic proliferation. Recurrent hydatidiform moles are defined by the occurrence of at least two hydatidiform moles in the same patient. Fifty to eighty percent of patients with recurrent hydatidiform moles have biallelic pathogenic variants in NLRP7 or KHDC3L.

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