Publications by authors named "Hagar Mor Shaked"

Purpose: This study aims to comprehensively delineate the phenotypic spectrum of ACTL6B-related disorders, previously associated with both autosomal recessive and autosomal dominant neurodevelopmental disorders. Molecularly, the role of the nucleolar protein ACTL6B in contributing to the disease has remained unclear.

Methods: We identified 105 affected individuals, including 39 previously reported cases, and systematically analysed detailed clinical and genetic data for all individuals.

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Rab35 (Ras-associated binding protein) is a small GTPase that regulates endosomal membrane trafficking and functions in cell polarity, cytokinesis, and growth factor signaling. Altered Rab35 function contributes to progression of glioblastoma, defects in primary cilia formation, and altered cytokinesis. Here, we report a pediatric patient with global developmental delay, hydrocephalus, a Dandy-Walker malformation, axial hypotonia with peripheral hypertonia, visual problems, and conductive hearing impairment.

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Article Synopsis
  • Next-generation sequencing and data exchange platforms have greatly improved molecular diagnoses for families by using a semi-automated genematching algorithm focused on genotype and phenotype matching.
  • The study involved analyzing rare homozygous variants from a database of about 12,000 exomes and calculating phenotype similarity scores to identify correlations between affected individuals.
  • The approach successfully identified 33,792 genotype-matched pairs across unique genes, highlighting the effectiveness of this method in isolating candidates for disease-related genes and improving the understanding of variants of uncertain significance.
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Neurodevelopmental disorders with intellectual disability (ND/ID) are a heterogeneous group of diseases driving lifelong deficits in cognition and behavior with no definitive cure. X-linked intellectual disability disorder 105 (XLID105, #300984; OMIM) is a ND/ID driven by hemizygous variants in the gene encoding a protein deubiquitylase with a role in cell proliferation and neural development. Currently, only four genetically diagnosed individuals from two unrelated families have been described with limited clinical data.

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Severe insulin resistance syndromes result from primary insulin signaling defects, adipose tissue abnormalities or other complex syndromes. Mutations in TBC1D4 lead to partial insulin signaling defects, characterized mainly by postprandial insulin resistance. We describe an individual with severe insulin-resistant diabetes unresponsive to multiple therapies, in whom exome and genome analyses identified a complex rearrangement in TBC1D4.

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Over two dozen spliceosome proteins are involved in human diseases, also referred to as spliceosomopathies. WW domain-binding protein 4 (WBP4) is part of the early spliceosomal complex and has not been previously associated with human pathologies in the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database. Through GeneMatcher, we identified ten individuals from eight families with a severe neurodevelopmental syndrome featuring variable manifestations.

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Cholesterol is essential in the brain from the earliest stages of embryonic development. Disruption of cholesterol synthesis pathways that leads to cholesterol deficiency underlies a few syndromes, including desmosterolosis and Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome. In both syndromes, brain anomalies can occur.

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Article Synopsis
  • Over two dozen proteins involved in the spliceosome are linked to human diseases, known as spliceosomopathies; WBP4 is a newly identified protein associated with severe neurodevelopmental syndromes.
  • Researchers identified eleven patients from eight families affected by hypotonia, developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, and various organ abnormalities, confirming that mutations in WBP4 are a key factor.
  • Genetic analyses revealed loss-of-function variants leading to a complete loss of WBP4 protein, affecting RNA splicing in genes related to the nervous and musculoskeletal systems, highlighting the need for further studies on the disease mechanisms.
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Inosine 5' monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) is a critical regulatory enzyme in purine nucleotide biosynthesis that is inhibited by the downstream product GTP. Multiple point mutations in the human isoform IMPDH2 have recently been associated with dystonia and other neurodevelopmental disorders, but the effect of the mutations on enzyme function has not been described. Here, we report the identification of two additional missense variants in IMPDH2 from affected individuals and show that all of the disease-associated mutations disrupt GTP regulation.

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Article Synopsis
  • Inborn-Errors of Metabolism (IEM) are genetic disorders caused by mutations in genes related to metabolic pathways, with some lacking specific biochemical markers.
  • Integrating next-generation sequencing (NGS), especially whole exome sequencing (WES), into IEM diagnostics enhances accuracy, supports genetic counseling, and broadens treatment options.
  • For example, supplementing amino acids has shown positive effects on patients with deficiencies in aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs), improving both biochemical and clinical outcomes.
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NUSAP1 encodes a cell cycle-dependent protein with key roles in mitotic progression, spindle formation, and microtubule stability. Both over- and under-expression of NUSAP1 lead to dysregulation of mitosis and impaired cell proliferation. Through exome sequencing and Matchmaker Exchange, we identified two unrelated individuals with the same recurrent, de novo heterozygous variant (NM_016359.

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Inosine 5' monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) is a critical regulatory enzyme in purine nucleotide biosynthesis that is inhibited by the downstream product GTP. Multiple point mutations in the human isoform IMPDH2 have recently been associated with dystonia and other neurodevelopmental disorders, but the effect of the mutations on enzyme function has not been described. Here, we report identification of two additional affected individuals with missense variants in and show that all of the disease-associated mutations disrupt GTP regulation.

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Sphingolipids are a diverse family of lipids with critical structural and signalling functions in the mammalian nervous system, where they are abundant in myelin membranes. Serine palmitoyltransferase, the enzyme that catalyses the rate-limiting reaction of sphingolipid synthesis, is composed of multiple subunits including an activating subunit, SPTSSA. Sphingolipids are both essential and cytotoxic and their synthesis must therefore be tightly regulated.

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The yield of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) is well established in structurally normal fetuses (0.4-1.4%).

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Bi-allelic variants in COLEC11 and MASP1 have been associated with 3MC syndrome, a clinical entity made of up four rare autosomal recessive disorders: Carnevale, Mingarelli, Malpuech, and Michels syndromes, characterized by variable expression of facial dysmorphia, cleft lip/palate, postnatal growth deficiency, hearing loss, cognitive impairment, craniosynostosis, radioulnar synostosis, and genital and vesicorenal anomalies. More recently, bi-allelic variants in COLEC10 have been described to be associated with 3MC syndrome. Syndromic features seen in 3MC syndrome are thought to be due to disruption of the chemoattractant properties that influence neural crest cell migration.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Researchers found a new mutation in the Kv1.1 gene linked to neurological issues like epilepsy and ataxia in a young girl, and noted that treatments with standard medications were initially ineffective.
  • - The study aimed to understand how this specific mutation affects the function of the Kv1.1 channel by comparing it to the normal version, revealing that the mutation causes reduced potassium current and altered function.
  • - Findings suggest that mutations in the Kv1.1 channel are associated with severe epilepsy, and highlight the effectiveness of certain medications, like acetazolamide, in treating conditions related to this channel's dysfunction.
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Complex chromosomal rearrangements (CCRs), a class of structural variants (SVs) involving more than two chromosome breaks, were classically thought to be extremely rare. As advanced technologies become more available, it has become apparent that CCRs are more common than formerly thought, and are a substantial cause of genetic disorders. We attempted a novel approach for solving the mechanism of challenging CCRs, which involve repetitive sequences, by precisely identifying sequence-level changes and their order.

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The circadian clock, which drives a wide range of bodily rhythms in synchrony with the day-night cycle, is based on a molecular oscillator that ticks with a period of approximately 24 h. Timed proteasomal degradation of clock components is central to the fine-tuning of the oscillator's period. FBXL3 is a protein that functions as a substrate-recognition factor in the E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, and was originally shown in mice to mediate degradation of CRY proteins and thus contribute to the mammalian circadian clock mechanism.

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  • Nuclear deubiquitinase BAP1 is a crucial part of protein complexes that help regulate gene transcription by reversing the ubiquitination of histone 2A, and its loss can lead to cancer.
  • This study identified 11 rare, de novo germline BAP1 variants associated with a unique neurodevelopmental disorder, where most of these variants demonstrated a loss-of-function effect.
  • Functional analyses showed these variants impaired histone modifications, leading to significant changes in chromatin states and contributing to dysregulation of genes essential for development.
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Malignant infantile osteopetrosis (MIOP) is the autosomal recessive, severe form of osteopetrosis. This rare genetic syndrome usually presents soon after birth and is often fatal if left untreated. Early diagnosis is key for proper management but clinical presentation is diverse, and oftentimes diagnosis may be challenging.

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Exome and genome sequencing were used to identify the genetic etiology of a severe neurodevelopmental disorder in two unrelated Ashkenazi Jewish families with three affected individuals. The clinical findings included a prenatal presentation of microcephaly, polyhydramnios and clenched hands while postnatal findings included microcephaly, severe developmental delay, dysmorphism, neurologic deficits, and death in infancy. A shared rare homozygous, missense variant (c.

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Biallelic pathogenic variants in (), encoding the E3 ubiquitin ligase parkin, lead to early-onset Parkinson's disease. Structural variants, including duplications or deletions, are common in due to their location within the fragile site FRA6E. These variants are readily detectable by copy number variation analysis.

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Adaptor molecules lack enzymatic and transcriptional activities. Instead, they exert their function by linking multiple proteins into intricate complexes, allowing for transmitting and fine-tuning of signals. Many adaptor molecules play a crucial role in T-cell signaling, following engagement of the T-cell receptor (TCR).

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