Showing papers by "Per Hoffmann published in 2011"

Excitation-induced ataxin-3 aggregation in neurons from patients with Machado-Joseph disease.

Abstract: Machado-Joseph disease (MJD; also called spinocerebellar ataxia type 3) is a dominantly inherited late-onset neurodegenerative disorder caused by expansion of polyglutamine (polyQ)-encoding CAG repeats in the MJD1 gene (also known as ATXN3). Proteolytic liberation of highly aggregation-prone polyQ fragments from the protective sequence of the MJD1 gene product ataxin 3 (ATXN3) has been proposed to trigger the formation of ATXN3-containing aggregates, the neuropathological hallmark of MJD. ATXN3 fragments are detected in brain tissue of MJD patients and transgenic mice expressing mutant human ATXN3(Q71), and their amount increases with disease severity, supporting a relationship between ATXN3 processing and disease progression. The formation of early aggregation intermediates is thought to have a critical role in disease initiation, but the precise pathogenic mechanism operating in MJD has remained elusive. Here we show that L-glutamate-induced excitation of patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons initiates Ca(2+)-dependent proteolysis of ATXN3 followed by the formation of SDS-insoluble aggregates. This phenotype could be abolished by calpain inhibition, confirming a key role of this protease in ATXN3 aggregation. Aggregate formation was further dependent on functional Na(+) and K(+) channels as well as ionotropic and voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels, and was not observed in iPSCs, fibroblasts or glia, thereby providing an explanation for the neuron-specific phenotype of this disease. Our data illustrate that iPSCs enable the study of aberrant protein processing associated with late-onset neurodegenerative disorders in patient-specific neurons.

Genome-wide association study in German patients with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Abstract: The heritability of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is approximately 0.8. Despite several larger scale attempts, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have not led to the identification of significant results. We performed a GWAS based on 495 German young patients with ADHD (according to DSM-IV criteria; Human660W-Quadv1; Illumina, San Diego, CA) and on 1,300 population-based adult controls (HumanHap550v3; Illumina). Some genes neighboring the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the lowest P-values (best P-value: 8.38 × 10(-7)) have potential relevance for ADHD (e.g., glutamate receptor, metabotropic 5 gene, GRM5). After quality control, the 30 independent SNPs with the lowest P-values (P-values ≤ 7.57 × 10(-5) ) were chosen for confirmation. Genotyping of these SNPs in up to 320 independent German families comprising at least one child with ADHD revealed directionally consistent effect-size point estimates for 19 (10 not consistent) of the SNPs. In silico analyses of the 30 SNPs in the largest meta-analysis so far (2,064 trios, 896 cases, and 2,455 controls) revealed directionally consistent effect-size point estimates for 16 SNPs (11 not consistent). None of the combined analyses revealed a genome-wide significant result. SNPs in previously described autosomal candidate genes did not show significantly lower P-values compared to SNPs within random sets of genes of the same size. We did not find genome-wide significant results in a GWAS of German children with ADHD compared to controls. The second best SNP is located in an intron of GRM5, a gene located within a recently described region with an infrequent copy number variation in patients with ADHD.

Association of a Rare Variant with Mismatch Negativity in a Region Between KIAA0319 and DCDC2 in Dyslexia

Abstract: It has been repeatedly shown that mismatch negativity (MMN), an event related potential measurement, reveals differences between dyslexic children and age-matched controls. MMN reflects the automatic detection of deviance between a stream of incoming sounds presented to the passive listener, and deficits in MMN (i.e. attenuated amplitudes) have been especially reported in dyslexia for detecting differences between speech sounds (e.g./ba/vs./da/). We performed an association analysis in 200 dyslexic children. This analysis focused on two MMN components, an early MMN (188–300 ms) and a late MMN (300–710 ms), and the dyslexia candidate genes KIAA0319 and DCDC2 on chromosome 6. Additionally, we imputed rare variants located in this region based on the 1000 genomes project. We identified four rare variants that were significantly associated with the late MMN component. For three of these variants, which were in high LD to each other, genotyping confirmed the association signal. Our results point to an association between late MMN and rare variants in a candidate gene region for dyslexia.

Common variation at 10p12.31 near MLLT10 influences meningioma risk

Abstract: To identify susceptibility loci for meningioma, we conducted a genome-wide association study of 859 affected individuals (cases) and 704 controls with validation in two independent sample sets totaling 774 cases and 1,764 controls. We identified a new susceptibility locus for meningioma at 10p12.31 (MLLT10, rs11012732, odds ratio = 1.46, P(combined) = 1.88 x 10(-14)). This finding advances our understanding of the genetic basis of meningioma development.

Mapping for Dyslexia and Related Cognitive Trait Loci Provides Strong Evidence for Further Risk Genes on Chromosome 6p21

Abstract: In a genome-wide linkage scan, we aimed at mapping risk loci for dyslexia in the German population. Our sample comprised 1,030 individuals from 246 dyslexia families which were recruited through a single-proband sib pair study design and a detailed assessment of dyslexia and related cognitive traits. We found evidence for a major dyslexia locus on chromosome 6p21. The cognitive trait rapid naming (objects/colors) produced a genome-wide significant LOD score of 5.87 (P = 1.00 × 10−7) and the implicated 6p-risk region spans around 10 Mb. Although our finding maps close to DYX2, where the dyslexia candidate genes DCDC2 and KIAA0319 have already been identified, our data point to the presence of an additional risk gene in this region and are highlighting the impact of 6p21 in dyslexia and related cognitive traits. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the 20q13 amplicon genes in relation to breast cancer risk and clinical outcome

Abstract: The 20q13 region is frequently amplified/overexpressed in breast tumours. However, the nature of this amplification/overexpression is unknown. Here, we investigated genetic variation in five 20q13 amplicon genes (MYBL2, AURKA, ZNF217, STK4 and PTPN1) and its impact on breast cancer (BC) susceptibility and clinical outcome. As a novel finding, four polymorphisms in STK4 (rs6017452, rs7271519) and AURKA (rs2273535, rs8173) associated with steroid hormone receptor status both in a Swedish population-based cohort of 783 BC cases and in a Polish familial/early onset cohort of 506 BC cases. In the joint analysis, the minor allele carriers of rs6017452 had more often hormone receptor positive tumours (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.40-0.81), while homozygotes for the minor allele of rs7271519, rs2273535 and rs8173 had more often hormone receptor negative tumours (2.26, 1.30-3.39; 2.39, 1.14-5.01; 2.39, 1.19-4.80, respectively) than homozygotes for the common allele. BC-specific survival analysis of AURKA suggested that the Swedish carriers of the minor allele of rs16979877, rs2273535 and rs8173 might have a worse survival compared with the major homozygotes. The survival probabilities associated with the AURKA genotypes depended on the tumour phenotype. In the Swedish case-control study, associations with BC susceptibility were observed in a dominant model for three MYBL2 promoter polymorphisms (rs619289, P = 0.02; rs826943, P = 0.03 and rs826944, P = 0.02), two AURKA promoter polymorphisms (rs6064389, P = 0.04 and rs16979877, P = 0.02) and one 3'UTR polymorphism in ZNF217 (rs1056948, P = 0.01). In conclusion, our data confirmed the impact of the previously identified susceptibility locus and provided preliminary evidence for novel susceptibility variants in BC. We provided evidence for the first time that genetic variants at 20q13 may affect hormone receptor status in breast tumours and influence tumour aggressiveness and survival of the patients. Future studies are needed to confirm the prognostic value of our findings in the clinic.

De novo duplication of 18p11.21-18q12.1 in a female with anorectal malformation.

Abstract: De Novo Duplication of 18p11.21–18q12.1 in a Female With Anorectal Malformation Charlotte Schramm, Markus Draaken, Enrika Bartels, Thomas M. Boemers, Eberhard Schmiedeke, Sabine Grasshoff-Derr, Stefanie M€arzheuser, Stuart Hosie, Stefan Holland-Cunz, Friederike Baudisch, Lutz Priebe, Per Hoffmann, Alexander M. Zink, Hartmut Engels, Felix F. Brockschmidt, Stefan Aretz, Markus M. N€othen, Michael Ludwig, and Heiko Reutter* Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany Department of Genomics, Life and Brain Center, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany Department of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Urology, Children’s Hospital, Cologne, Germany Department of Pediatric Surgery and Urology, Center for Child and Adolescent Health, Hospital Bremen-Mitte, Bremen, Germany Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital W€urzburg, W€urzburg, Germany Department of Pediatric Surgery, Campus Virchow Clinic, Charit e University Hospital Berlin, Berlin, Germany Department of Pediatric Surgery, Klinikum Schwabing, Technische Universit€at M€unchen, M€unchen, Germany Department of Pediatric Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany Department of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany Department of Neonatology, Children’s Hospital, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

Autosomal-dominant non-syndromic anal atresia: sequencing of candidate genes, array-based molecular karyotyping, and review of the literature

Abstract: Anorectal malformations (ARM) range from mild anal to severe anorectal anomalies. Approximately 50% are estimated to be non-syndromic with multiple familial cases reported that suggest underlying genetic factors. These, however, still await identification. We report a familial case of non-syndromic ARM with a mother and her two children being affected. Mother and daughter had mild ARM that had only been diagnosed after the index patient was born with a more severe form and ultrashort Hirschsprung’s disease. To reveal the genetic cause in our family genome-wide array analysis was carried out to ascertain microaberrations characterized by loss or gain of genomic material. In addition, sequence analysis of four major Hirschsprung’s disease genes (RET, EDNRB, EDN3, and GDNF) and the HLXB9 gene was performed to identify a mutation common to all three family members; however, these analyses did not reveal any causal genetic alteration. To demonstrate the frequency of familial non-syndromic cases, we performed a literature search revealing 59 families with at least two affected members. Sufficient description of ARM phenotype and affection status of relatives to surely classify them as familial non-syndromic forms was given for 22 families. The present family suggests that mild ARM may be overlooked in patients with non-specific clinical symptoms and that the incidence of ARM may thus be higher than previously estimated. With the new possibilities of whole exome sequencing, even small families hold the possibility to identify causal defects.

Promoter variants determine γ-aminobutyric acid homeostasis-related gene transcription in human epileptic hippocampi.

Abstract: The functional consequences of single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with episodic brain disorders such as epilepsy and depression are unclear. Allelic associations with generalized epilepsies have been reported for single nucleotide polymorphisms rs1883415 (ALDH5A1; succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase) and rs4906902 (GABRB3; GABAA β3), both of which are present in the 5' regulatory region of genes involved in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) homeostasis. To address their allelic association with episodic brain disorders and allele-specific impact on the transcriptional regulation of these genes in human brain tissue, DNA and messenger RNA (mRNA) isolated from hippocampi were obtained at epilepsy surgery of 146 pharmacoresistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) patients and from 651 healthy controls. We found that the C allele of rs1883415 is accumulated to a greater extentin mTLE versus controls. By real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses, individuals homozygous for the C allele showed higher ALDH5A1 mRNA expression. The rs4906902 G allele of the GABRB3 gene was overrepresented in mTLE patients with depression; individuals homozygous for the G allele showed reduced GABRB3 mRNA expression. Bioinformatic analyses suggest that rs1883415 and rs4906902 alter the DNA binding affinity of the transcription factors Egr-3 in ALDH5A1 and MEF-2 in GABRB3 promoters, respectively. Using in vitro luciferase transfection assays, we observed that, in both cases, the transcription factors regulate gene expression depending on the allelic variant in the same direction as in the human hippocampi. Our data suggest that distinct promoter variants may sensitize individuals for differential, potentially stimulus-induced alterations of GABA homeostasis-relevant gene expression. This might contribute to the episodic onset of symptoms and point to new targets for pharmacotherapies.