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Guy A. Rouleau

Bio: Guy A. Rouleau is an academic researcher from Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital. The author has contributed to research in topics: Genome-wide association study & Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The author has an hindex of 129, co-authored 884 publications receiving 65892 citations. Previous affiliations of Guy A. Rouleau include Utrecht University & University of Helsinki.


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that SYN1 is a novel predisposing gene to ASDs, in addition to epilepsy, and the hypothesis that a disturbance of synaptic homeostasis underlies the pathogenesis of both diseases is strengthened.
Abstract: Several genes predisposing to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) with or without epilepsy have been identified, many of which are implicated in synaptic function. Here we report a Q555X mutation in synapsin 1 (SYN1), an X-linked gene encoding for a neuron-specific phosphoprotein implicated in the regulation of neurotransmitter release and synaptogenesis. This nonsense mutation was found in all affected individuals from a large French-Canadian family segregating epilepsy and ASDs. Additional mutations in SYN1 (A51G, A550T and T567A) were found in 1.0 and 3.5% of French-Canadian individuals with autism and epilepsy, respectively. The majority of these SYN1 mutations were clustered in the proline-rich D-domain which is substrate of multiple protein kinases. When expressed in synapsin I (SynI) knockout (KO) neurons, all the D-domain mutants failed in rescuing the impairment in the size and trafficking of synaptic vesicle pools, whereas the wild-type human SynI fully reverted the KO phenotype. Moreover, the nonsense Q555X mutation had a dramatic impact on phosphorylation by MAPK/Erk and neurite outgrowth, whereas the missense A550T and T567A mutants displayed impaired targeting to nerve terminals. These results demonstrate that SYN1 is a novel predisposing gene to ASDs, in addition to epilepsy, and strengthen the hypothesis that a disturbance of synaptic homeostasis underlies the pathogenesis of both diseases.

209 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
Kevin P. Kenna1, Perry T.C. van Doormaal2, Annelot M. Dekker2, Nicola Ticozzi3, Brendan J. Kenna1, Frank P. Diekstra2, Wouter van Rheenen2, Kristel R van Eijk2, Ashley R. Jones4, Pamela Keagle1, Aleksey Shatunov4, William Sproviero4, Bradley N. Smith4, Michael A van Es2, Simon Topp4, Aoife Kenna1, Jack W. Miller4, Claudia Fallini1, Cinzia Tiloca3, Russell L. McLaughlin5, Caroline Vance4, Claire Troakes4, Claudia Colombrita3, Gabriele Mora, Andrea Calvo6, Federico Verde3, Safa Al-Sarraj4, Andrew T. King4, Daniela Calini, Jacqueline de Belleroche7, Frank Baas8, Anneke J. van der Kooi8, Marianne de Visser8, Anneloor L.M.A. ten Asbroek8, Peter C. Sapp1, Diane McKenna-Yasek1, Meraida Polak9, Seneshaw Asress9, José Luis Muñoz-Blanco10, Tim M. Strom, Thomas Meitinger11, Karen E. Morrison12, Giuseppe Lauria, Kelly L. Williams13, P. Nigel Leigh14, Garth A. Nicholson15, Garth A. Nicholson13, Ian P. Blair13, Claire S. Leblond16, Patrick A. Dion16, Guy A. Rouleau16, Hardev Pall17, Hardev Pall18, Pamela J. Shaw19, Martin R Turner19, Kevin Talbot19, Franco Taroni, Kevin B. Boylan20, Marka van Blitterswijk20, Rosa Rademakers20, Jesús Esteban-Pérez, Alberto García-Redondo, Phillip Van Damme21, Wim Robberecht21, Adriano Chiò6, Cinzia Gellera, Carsten Drepper22, Michael Sendtner22, Antonia Ratti3, Jonathan D. Glass9, Jesus S. Mora23, Nazli Basak24, Orla Hardiman5, Albert C. Ludolph25, Peter M. Andersen26, Jochen H. Weishaupt25, Robert H. Brown1, Ammar Al-Chalabi4, Vincenzo Silani3, Christopher Shaw4, Leonard H. van den Berg2, Jan H. Veldink2, John Landers1 
TL;DR: In a new screening strategy, gene-burden analyses trained with established ALS genes are performed and a significant association between loss-of-function (LOF) NEK1 variants and FALS risk is identified.
Abstract: To identify genetic factors contributing to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we conducted whole-exome analyses of 1,022 index familial ALS (FALS) cases and 7,315 controls. In a new screening strategy, we performed gene-burden analyses trained with established ALS genes and identified a significant association between loss-of-function (LOF) NEK1 variants and FALS risk. Independently, autozygosity mapping for an isolated community in the Netherlands identified a NEK1 p.Arg261His variant as a candidate risk factor. Replication analyses of sporadic ALS (SALS) cases and independent control cohorts confirmed significant disease association for both p.Arg261His (10,589 samples analyzed) and NEK1 LOF variants (3,362 samples analyzed). In total, we observed NEK1 risk variants in nearly 3% of ALS cases. NEK1 has been linked to several cellular functions, including cilia formation, DNA-damage response, microtubule stability, neuronal morphology and axonal polarity. Our results provide new and important insights into ALS etiopathogenesis and genetic etiology.

208 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The findings suggest that the -463 G/A polymorphism of the MPO gene influences the risk of CAD, and this effect may be mediated by the effect of this polymorphism on the transcription level of theMPO gene.

208 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that TARDBP mutations may predispose to ALS in approximately 2% of the individuals followed in this study, further suggesting that mutations in the TARD BP gene have an important role in the pathogenesis of ALS.
Abstract: Aims and background: Mutations in the TARDBP gene, which encodes the TAR DNA binding protein (TDP-43), have been described in individuals with familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We screened the TARDBP gene in 285 French sporadic ALS patients to assess the frequency of TARDBP mutations in ALS. Results: Six individuals had potentially deleterious mutations of which three were novel including a Y374X truncating mutation and P363A and A382P missense mutations. This suggests that TARDBP mutations may predispose to ALS in approximately 2% of the individuals followed in this study. Conclusion: Our findings, combined with those from other collections, brings the total number of mutations in unrelated ALS patients to 17, further suggesting that mutations in the TARDBP gene have an important role in the pathogenesis of ALS.

199 citations


Cited by
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28 Jul 2005
TL;DR: PfPMP1)与感染红细胞、树突状组胞以及胎盘的单个或多个受体作用,在黏附及免疫逃避中起关键的作�ly.
Abstract: 抗原变异可使得多种致病微生物易于逃避宿主免疫应答。表达在感染红细胞表面的恶性疟原虫红细胞表面蛋白1(PfPMP1)与感染红细胞、内皮细胞、树突状细胞以及胎盘的单个或多个受体作用,在黏附及免疫逃避中起关键的作用。每个单倍体基因组var基因家族编码约60种成员,通过启动转录不同的var基因变异体为抗原变异提供了分子基础。

18,940 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jun 1990-Cell
TL;DR: A model for the genetic basis of colorectal neoplasia that includes the following salient features is presented, which may be applicable to other common epithelial neoplasms, in which tumors of varying stage are more difficult to study.

11,576 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A unified analytic framework to discover and genotype variation among multiple samples simultaneously that achieves sensitive and specific results across five sequencing technologies and three distinct, canonical experimental designs is presented.
Abstract: Recent advances in sequencing technology make it possible to comprehensively catalogue genetic variation in population samples, creating a foundation for understanding human disease, ancestry and evolution. The amounts of raw data produced are prodigious and many computational steps are required to translate this output into high-quality variant calls. We present a unified analytic framework to discover and genotype variation among multiple samples simultaneously that achieves sensitive and specific results across five sequencing technologies and three distinct, canonical experimental designs. Our process includes (1) initial read mapping; (2) local realignment around indels; (3) base quality score recalibration; (4) SNP discovery and genotyping to find all potential variants; and (5) machine learning to separate true segregating variation from machine artifacts common to next-generation sequencing technologies. We discuss the application of these tools, instantiated in the Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK), to deep whole-genome, whole-exome capture, and multi-sample low-pass (~4×) 1000 Genomes Project datasets.

10,056 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
04 Mar 1993-Nature
TL;DR: Tight genetic linkage between FALS and a gene that encodes a cytosolic, Cu/Zn-binding superoxide dismutase (SOD1), a homodimeric metalloenzyme that catalyzes the dismutation of the toxic superoxide anion O–2 to O2 and H2O2 is reported.
Abstract: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative disorder of motor neurons in the cortex, brainstem and spinal cord. Its cause is unknown and it is uniformly fatal, typically within five years. About 10% of cases are inherited as an autosomal dominant trait, with high penetrance after the sixth decade. In most instances, sporadic and autosomal dominant familial ALS (FALS) are clinically similar. We have previously shown that in some but not all FALS pedigrees the disease is linked to a genetic defect on chromosome 21q (refs 8, 9). Here we report tight genetic linkage between FALS and a gene that encodes a cytosolic, Cu/Zn-binding superoxide dismutase (SOD1), a homodimeric metalloenzyme that catalyzes the dismutation of the toxic superoxide anion O2.- to O2 and H2O2 (ref. 10). Given this linkage and the potential role of free radical toxicity in other neurodenegerative disorders, we investigated SOD1 as a candidate gene in FALS. We identified 11 different SOD1 missense mutations in 13 different FALS families.

6,733 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is found that ras-gene mutations occurred in 58 percent of adenomas larger than 1 cm and in 47 percent of carcinomas, which are consistent with a model of colorectal tumorigenesis in which the steps required for the development of cancer often involve the mutational activation of an oncogene coupled with the loss of several genes that normally suppress tumors.
Abstract: Because most colorectal carcinomas appear to arise from adenomas, studies of different stages of colorectal neoplasia may shed light on the genetic alterations involved in tumor progression. We looked for four genetic alterations (ras-gene mutations and allelic deletions of chromosomes 5, 17, and 18) in 172 colorectal-tumor specimens representing various stages of neoplastic development. The specimens consisted of 40 predominantly early-stage adenomas from 7 patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, 40 adenomas (19 without associated foci of carcinoma and 21 with such foci) from 33 patients without familial polyposis, and 92 carcinomas resected from 89 patients. We found that ras-gene mutations occurred in 58 percent of adenomas larger than 1 cm and in 47 percent of carcinomas. However, ras mutations were found in only 9 percent of adenomas under 1 cm in size. Sequences on chromosome 5 that are linked to the gene for familial adenomatous polyposis were not lost in adenomas from the patients with polyposis but were lost in 29 to 35 percent of adenomas and carcinomas, respectively, from other patients. A specific region of chromosome 18 was deleted frequently in carcinomas (73 percent) and in advanced adenomas (47 percent) but only occasionally in earlier-stage adenomas (11 to 13 percent). Chromosome 17p sequences were usually lost only in carcinomas (75 percent). The four molecular alterations accumulated in a fashion that paralleled the clinical progression of tumors. These results are consistent with a model of colorectal tumorigenesis in which the steps required for the development of cancer often involve the mutational activation of an oncogene coupled with the loss of several genes that normally suppress tumorigenesis.

6,309 citations