Dual IGF1R/IR inhibitors in combination with GD2-CAR T-cells display a potent anti-tumor activity in diffuse midline glioma H3K27M-mutant.

Background: Diffuse midline gliomas (DMG) H3K27M-mutant, including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), are pediatric brain tumors associated with grim prognosis. Although GD2-CAR T-cells demonstrated significant anti-tumor activity against DMG H3K27M-mutant in vivo, a multimodal approach may be needed to more effectively treat patients. We investigated GD2 expression in DMG/DIPG and other pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGG) and sought to identify chemical compounds that would enhance GD2-CAR T-cell anti-tumor efficacy.

Integration of Multiple Platforms for the Analysis of Multifluorescent Marking Technology Applied to Pediatric GBM and DIPG.

The intratumor heterogeneity represents one of the most difficult challenges for the development of effective therapies to treat pediatric glioblastoma (pGBM) and diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). These brain tumors are composed of heterogeneous cell subpopulations that coexist and cooperate to build a functional network responsible for their aggressive phenotype. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms sustaining such network will be crucial for the identification of new therapeutic strategies.

Expanding the phenotypic spectrum of truncating POGZ mutations: Association with CNS malformations, skeletal abnormalities, and distinctive facial dysmorphism.

Exome sequencing has led to the comprehension of the molecular bases of several forms of neurodevelopmental disorders, a clinically heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). De novo mutations in POGZ has been causally linked to isolated ASD and syndromic ID, only recently. Here we report on a 15 year-old girl in whom exome sequencing allowed to identify a de novo POGZ truncating mutation as the molecular cause underlying a complex phenotype apparently not fitting any recognized syndrome.

Keppen-Lubinsky syndrome is caused by mutations in the inwardly rectifying K+ channel encoded by KCNJ6.

Keppen-Lubinsky syndrome (KPLBS) is a rare disease mainly characterized by severe developmental delay and intellectual disability, microcephaly, large prominent eyes, a narrow nasal bridge, a tented upper lip, a high palate, an open mouth, tightly adherent skin, an aged appearance, and severe generalized lipodystrophy. We sequenced the exomes of three unrelated individuals affected by KPLBS and found de novo heterozygous mutations in KCNJ6 (GIRK2), which encodes an inwardly rectifying potassium channel and maps to the Down syndrome critical region between DIRK1A and DSCR4. In particular, two individuals shared an in-frame heterozygous deletion of three nucleotides (c.

Analysis of CTNS gene transcripts in nephropathic cystinosis.

Nephropathic cystinosis (NC) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations of the CTNS gene that encodes for a cystine transmembrane transporter. Several mutations have been described in the coding and promoter regions of the CTNS gene in affected individuals. We selected three patients with NC from two unrelated families, in whom sequence analysis of the CTNS gene detected only one or no mutations.

Mutational spectrum of the CTNS gene in Italy.

Classic nephropathic or infantile cystinosis (NC) is an autosomal recessive disorder; the gene coding for the integral membrane protein cystinosin, which is responsible for membrane transport of cystine (CTNS), was cloned. Mutation analysis of the CTNS gene of Caucasian patients revealed a common 57-kb deletion, and several other mutations spread throughout the entire gene. In the present study, we report the CTNS mutations identified in 42 of 46 Italian families with NC.

Novel COL6A1 splicing mutation in a family affected by mild Bethlem myopathy.

Bethlem myopathy is an early-onset benign myopathy characterized by proximal muscular weakness and multiple flexion contractures. It is a dominantly inherited disorder associated with mutations in the three COL6 genes encoding type VI collagen. We detected a g-->a substitution at +1 position of COL6A1 intron 3 in a four-generation Italian family affected by a mild form of Bethlem myopathy.