Publications by authors named "Simon T Cliffe"

Familial hepatic veno-occlusive disease with immunodeficiency (VODI, OMIM: 235550), a rare form of severe combined immune deficiency, was first described in Australian Lebanese patients as being associated with homozygous mutations in SP110, a gene encoding a PML nuclear body-associated protein. We present the first case of confirmed VODI in the United States, and identify the first novel missense mutation in SP110. The 3-year-old daughter of Hispanic parents without known consanguinity presented at age 5 months with fever, hepatomegaly, and pancytopenia.

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Background: Mutations in the SP110 gene result in infantile onset of the autosomal recessive primary immunodeficiency disease veno-occlusive disease with immunodeficiency syndrome (VODI), which is characterized by hypogammaglobulinemia, T-cell dysfunction, and a high frequency of hepatic veno-occlusive disease.

Objectives: We sought to further characterize the clinical features, B-lineage cellular immunologic findings, and molecular pathogenesis of this disorder in 9 patients with new diagnoses, including 4 novel mutations from families of Italian, Hispanic, and Arabic ethnic origin.

Methods: Methods used include clinical review; Sanger DNA sequencing of the SP110 gene; determination of transfected mutant protein function by using immunofluorescent studies in Hep-2 cells; quantitation of B-cell subsets by means of flow cytometry; assessments of B-cell function after stimulation with CD40 ligand, IL-21, or both; and differential gene expression array studies of EBV-transformed B cells.

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H syndrome and pigmented hypertrichosis with insulin dependent diabetes (PHID) are allelic autosomal recessive syndromes reported in the last year to be caused by mutations in the SLC29A3 gene, which encodes the equilibrative nucleoside transporter hENT3. Herein, we report three new patients from a single family who present with phenotypes that associate features of both PHID and H syndrome. Genetic analysis of the SLC29A3 gene revealed that two affected sisters are compound heterozygotes for the previously reported mutations p.

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Saethre-Chotzen syndrome (SCS) is a rare autosomal dominant syndrome involving craniosynostosis, craniofacial abnormalities, and syndactyly. A recent Scandinavian study reported an increased risk of breast cancer in individuals with a clinical diagnosis of SCS. Because of the potential importance of this finding, we organized a multicenter study enrolling people with TWIST1 mutation confirmed SCS to determine if an increased risk of cancer is present.

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Pigmented hypertrichotic dermatosis with insulin-dependent diabetes (PHID) syndrome is a recently described autosomal recessive disorder associated with predominantly antibody negative, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. In order to identify the genetic basis of PHID and study its relationship with glucose metabolism, we performed homozygosity mapping in five unrelated families followed by candidate gene sequencing. Five loss-of-function mutations were identified in the SLC29A3 gene which encodes a member of a highly conserved protein family that transports nucleosides, nucleobases and nucleoside analogue drugs, hENT3.

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Objectives: We present the first prenatal diagnosis of familial hepatic veno-occlusive disease with immunodeficiency (VODI). Homozygous mutations in the gene SP110 are the genetic basis of VODI. The proband in this report presented at three months of age with hepatomegaly hepatic failure and was found to have hypogammaglobulinemia.

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We describe mutations in the PML nuclear body protein Sp110 in the syndrome veno-occlusive disease with immunodeficiency, an autosomal recessive disorder of severe hypogammaglobulinemia, combined T and B cell immunodeficiency, absent lymph node germinal centers, absent tissue plasma cells and hepatic veno-occlusive disease. This is the first report of the involvement of a nuclear body protein in a human primary immunodeficiency and of high-penetrance genetic mutations in hepatic veno-occlusive disease.

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