Background： Leber congenital amaurosis （LCA） is a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous retinal dystrophy. To date, 22 genes are known to be responsible for LCA, and some specific phenotypic features co...Background： Leber congenital amaurosis （LCA） is a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous retinal dystrophy. To date, 22 genes are known to be responsible for LCA, and some specific phenotypic features could provide significant prognostic information for a potential genetic etiology. This study is to identify gene variants responsible for LCA in a Chinese family using direct Sanger sequencing, with the help of phenotype-genotype correlations. Methods： A Chinese family with six members including two individuals affected with t.CA was studied. All pa- tients underwent a complete ophthalmic examination. Based on phenotype-genotype correlation, direct Sanger sequencing was performed to identify the candidate gene on all family members and normal controls. Targeted next-generation sequencing was used to exclude other known LCA genes. Results： By Sanger sequencing, we identified two novel missense variants in the retinol dehydrogenase 12 （RDH12） gene： a c. 164C〉A transversion predicting a p.T55K substitution, and a c.535C〉G transversion predicting a p.H179D substitution. The two affected subjects carried both RDH12 variants, while their parents and offspring carried only one of heterozygous variants, showing complete cosegregation of the variants. The compound heterozygous variants were not present in 600 normal controls Besides, the RDH12 variants were confirmed by targeted next-generation sequencing. Conclusions： The RDH12 compound heterozygous variants might be the cause of the LCA family. Our study adds to the molecular spectrum of RDH12-related retinopathy and offers an effective example of the power of phenotype-genotype correlations in molecular diagnosis of LCA.展开更多
Mammalian AlkB homologue 2(ALKBH2)is the primary housekeeping DNA demethylase,effectively repairing endogenously formed methylated lesions in double-stranded DNA.Our previous studies demonstrated that a hydrophobicβ-...Mammalian AlkB homologue 2(ALKBH2)is the primary housekeeping DNA demethylase,effectively repairing endogenously formed methylated lesions in double-stranded DNA.Our previous studies demonstrated that a hydrophobicβ-hairpin motif of ALKBH2 could play crucial roles in base-pair stability interrogation and damaged base flipping.Using chemical cross-linking strategy,we obtained two crystal structures of human ALKBH2 mutant bound to duplex DNA.The structural analysis suggests that theβ-hairpin motif is flexible in conformation and is likely to slide along the DNA duplex in local regions to search for damaged base.This study provides a new mechanistic insight into DNA damage detection by ALKBH2.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81300741)
文摘Background： Leber congenital amaurosis （LCA） is a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous retinal dystrophy. To date, 22 genes are known to be responsible for LCA, and some specific phenotypic features could provide significant prognostic information for a potential genetic etiology. This study is to identify gene variants responsible for LCA in a Chinese family using direct Sanger sequencing, with the help of phenotype-genotype correlations. Methods： A Chinese family with six members including two individuals affected with t.CA was studied. All pa- tients underwent a complete ophthalmic examination. Based on phenotype-genotype correlation, direct Sanger sequencing was performed to identify the candidate gene on all family members and normal controls. Targeted next-generation sequencing was used to exclude other known LCA genes. Results： By Sanger sequencing, we identified two novel missense variants in the retinol dehydrogenase 12 （RDH12） gene： a c. 164C〉A transversion predicting a p.T55K substitution, and a c.535C〉G transversion predicting a p.H179D substitution. The two affected subjects carried both RDH12 variants, while their parents and offspring carried only one of heterozygous variants, showing complete cosegregation of the variants. The compound heterozygous variants were not present in 600 normal controls Besides, the RDH12 variants were confirmed by targeted next-generation sequencing. Conclusions： The RDH12 compound heterozygous variants might be the cause of the LCA family. Our study adds to the molecular spectrum of RDH12-related retinopathy and offers an effective example of the power of phenotype-genotype correlations in molecular diagnosis of LCA.
基金financially supported by the Hundred Talents Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,Key Project of Chinese National Programs for Fundamental Research and Development(2009CB918502)
文摘Mammalian AlkB homologue 2(ALKBH2)is the primary housekeeping DNA demethylase,effectively repairing endogenously formed methylated lesions in double-stranded DNA.Our previous studies demonstrated that a hydrophobicβ-hairpin motif of ALKBH2 could play crucial roles in base-pair stability interrogation and damaged base flipping.Using chemical cross-linking strategy,we obtained two crystal structures of human ALKBH2 mutant bound to duplex DNA.The structural analysis suggests that theβ-hairpin motif is flexible in conformation and is likely to slide along the DNA duplex in local regions to search for damaged base.This study provides a new mechanistic insight into DNA damage detection by ALKBH2.
