EYS mutations and implementation of minigene assay for variant classification in EYS-associated retinitis pigmentosa in northern Sweden.

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of inherited retinal degenerations. The ortholog of Drosophila eyes shut/spacemaker, EYS on chromosome 6q12 is a major genetic cause of recessive RP worldwide, with prevalence of 5 to 30%. In this study, by using targeted NGS, MLPA and Sanger sequencing we uncovered the EYS gene as one of the most common genetic cause of autosomal recessive RP in northern Sweden accounting for at least 16%.

PTBP1 acts as a dominant repressor of the aberrant tissue-specific splicing of ISCU in hereditary myopathy with lactic acidosis.

Background: Hereditary myopathy with lactic acidosis (HML) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by an intron mutation in the iron-sulfur cluster assembly (ISCU) gene. The mutation results in aberrant splicing, where part of the intron is retained in the final mRNA transcript, giving rise to a truncated nonfunctional ISCU protein. Using an ISCU mini-gene system, we have previously shown that PTBP1 can act as a repressor of the mis-splicing of ISCU, where overexpression of PTBP1 resulted in a decrease of the incorrect splicing.

ATP-binding cassette subfamily A, member 4 intronic variants c.4773+3A>G and c.5461-10T>C cause Stargardt disease due to defective splicing.

Purpose: Inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) represent a group of progressive conditions affecting the retina. There is a great genetic heterogeneity causing IRDs, and to date, more than 260 genes are associated with IRDs. Stargardt disease, type 1 (STGD1) or macular degeneration with flecks, STGD1 represents a disease with early onset, central visual impairment, frequent appearance of yellowish flecks and mutations in the ATP-binding cassette subfamily A, member 4 (ABCA4) gene.

The High Level of Aberrant Splicing of ISCU in Slow-Twitch Muscle May Involve the Splicing Factor SRSF3.

Hereditary myopathy with lactic acidosis (HML) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by an intronic one-base mutation in the iron-sulfur cluster assembly (ISCU) gene, resulting in aberrant splicing. The incorrectly spliced transcripts contain a 100 or 86 bp intron sequence encoding a non-functional ISCU protein, which leads to defects in several Fe-S containing proteins in the respiratory chain and the TCA cycle. The symptoms in HML are restricted to skeletal muscle, and it has been proposed that this effect is due to higher levels of incorrectly spliced ISCU in skeletal muscle compared with other energy-demanding tissues.

The defective splicing caused by the ISCU intron mutation in patients with myopathy with lactic acidosis is repressed by PTBP1 but can be derepressed by IGF2BP1.

Hereditary myopathy with lactic acidosis (HML) is caused by an intron mutation in the iron-sulfur cluster assembly gene ISCU, which leads to the activation of cryptic splice sites and the retention of part of intron 4. This incorrect splicing is more pronounced in muscle than in other tissues, resulting in a muscle-specific phenotype. In this study, we identified five nuclear factors that interact with the sequence harboring the mutation and analyzed their effect on the splicing of the ISCU gene.

A high-penetrance form of late-onset torsion dystonia maps to a novel locus (DYT21) on chromosome 2q14.3-q21.3.

The primary dystonias are a genetically heterogeneous group of disorders that can be subdivided in pure dystonias, dystonia-plus syndromes, and paroxymal dystonia. Four pure autosomal dominant dystonia loci have been mapped to date, DYT1, 6, 7, and 13, with varying penetrance. We report the mapping of a novel locus for a late-onset form of pure torsion dystonia in a family from northern Sweden.

Tissue-specific splicing of ISCU results in a skeletal muscle phenotype in myopathy with lactic acidosis, while complete loss of ISCU results in early embryonic death in mice.

Hereditary myopathy with lactic acidosis (HML) is caused by an intron mutation in the iron-sulphur cluster assembly gene (ISCU) leading to incorporation of intron sequence into the mRNA. This results in a deficiency of Fe-S cluster proteins, affecting the TCA cycle and the respiratory chain. The proteins involved in the Fe-S machinery are evolutionary conserved and shown to be fundamental in all organisms examined.

A family with a hereditary form of torsion dystonia from northern Sweden treated with bilateral pallidal deep brain stimulation.

To evaluate pallidal DBS in a non-DYT1 form of hereditary dystonia. We present the results of pallidal DBS in a family with non-DYT1 dystonia where DYT5 to 17 was excluded. The dystonia is following an autosomal dominant pattern.

Nerve growth factor R221W responsible for insensitivity to pain is defectively processed and accumulates as proNGF.

We have previously identified a homozygous missense (R221W) mutation in the NGFB gene in patients with loss of deep pain perception. NGF is important not only for the survival of sensory neurons but also for the sympathetic neurons and cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain; however, it is the sensory neurons that are mainly affected in patients with mutant NGFB. In this report, we describe the effects of the mutation on the function of NGF protein and the molecular mechanisms that may underlie the pain insensitivity phenotype in these patients.

Myopathy with lactic acidosis is linked to chromosome 12q23.3-24.11 and caused by an intron mutation in the ISCU gene resulting in a splicing defect.

We describe the mapping and identification of the gene for hereditary myopathy with lactic acidosis (HML). HML is characterized by low physical performance, resulting in physical exertion that causes early exhaustion, dyspnoea and palpitations. Using an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance, we mapped the trait to chromosome 12q23.

Orthopedic aspects of familial insensitivity to pain due to a novel nerve growth factor beta mutation.

Background: Congenital insensitivity to pain is a rare hereditary sensory neuropathy.

Patients: We present 6 patients from a family with a mutation in the nerve growth factor beta gene (NGFB).

Results: 3 patients were homozygous with a mutilating arthropathy starting early in life, and 3 patients were presumably heterozygous with a milder course starting in adulthood.

Exclusion of the juvenile myoclonic epilepsy gene EFHC1 as the cause of migraine on chromosome 6, but association to two rare polymorphisms in MEP1A and RHAG.

Migraine is a complex, multifactorial disorder for which several loci have been identified in the human genome. We have previously reported linkage to a 10 Mb-region on chromosome 6p12.2-p21.

Identification and characterization of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 7 (SCA7) isoform SCA7b in mice.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is a neurodegenerative disease primarily affecting the cerebellum, brainstem and retina. The disease is caused by a polyglutamine expansion in ataxin-7, a protein with largely unknown function. To improve our knowledge of the expression and function of wild-type and expanded ataxin-7, we looked for alternative SCA7 transcripts in mice.

A role for both wild-type and expanded ataxin-7 in transcriptional regulation.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is a neurodegenerative disease primarily affecting the brainstem, retina and Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. The disease is caused by a polyglutamine expansion in ataxin-7, a protein found in two complexes TFTC and STAGA, involved in transcriptional regulation. Transcriptional dysregulation has been implicated in the pathology of several polyglutamine diseases.

A mutation in the nerve growth factor beta gene (NGFB) causes loss of pain perception.

Identification of genes associated with pain insensitivity syndromes can increase the understanding of the pathways involved in pain and contribute to the understanding of how sensory pathways relate to other neurological functions. In this report we describe the mapping and identification of the gene responsible for loss of deep pain perception in a large family from northern Sweden. The loss of pain perception in this family is characterized by impairment in the sensing of deep pain and temperature but with normal mental abilities and with most other neurological responses intact.

The CTLA4 region as a general autoimmunity factor: an extended pedigree provides evidence for synergy with the HLA locus in the etiology of type 1 diabetes mellitus, Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease.

We have identified a large family in the northern part of Sweden with multiple cases of autoimmune diseases, namely type 1 diabetes (T1D), Graves' disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). The family members affected by any of these diseases share a region of 2.4 Mb that comprises among others the CTLA4 gene.

Expression of ataxin-7 in CNS and non-CNS tissue of normal and SCA7 individuals.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is a neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting the cerebellum, brain stem and retina. The disease is caused by an expanded polyglutamine tract in the protein ataxin-7. In this study we analyzed the expression pattern of ataxin-7 in CNS and non-CNS tissue from three SCA7 patients and age-matched controls.

Cloning and expression analysis of the murine homolog of the spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) gene.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by the expansion of a polyglutamine tract in the protein ataxin-7, a protein of unknown function. In order to analyze the expression pattern of wild type ataxin-7 in detail, the murine SCA7 gene homolog was cloned and the expression pattern in mice analyzed. The SCA7 mouse and human gene exhibit a high degree of identity at both DNA (88.