A Dobyns potpourri 2

Tsai MH, Muir AM, Wang WJ, Kang YN, Yang KC, Chao NH, Wu MF, Chang YC, Porter BE, Jansen LA, Sebire G, Deconinck N, Fan WL, Su SC, Chung WH, Almanza Fuerte EP, Mehaffey MG; University of Washington Center for Mendelian Genomics, Ng CC, Chan CK, Lim KS, Leventer RJ, Lockhart PJ, Riney K, Damiano JA, Hildebrand MS, Mirzaa GM, Dobyns WB, Berkovic SF, Scheffer IE, Tsai JW, Mefford HC. Pathogenic Variants in CEP85L Cause Sporadic and Familial Posterior Predominant Lissencephaly. Neuron. 2020 Feb 10. pii: S0896-6273(20)30053-2. doi:

10.1016/j.neuron.2020.01.027. [Epub ahead of print]

Abstract

Lissencephaly (LIS), denoting a "smooth brain," is characterized by the absence of normal cerebral convolutions with abnormalities of cortical thickness. Pathogenic variants in over 20 genes are associated with LIS. The majority of posterior predominant LIS is caused by pathogenic variants in LIS1 (also known as PAFAH1B1), although a significant fraction remains without a known genetic etiology. We now implicate CEP85L as an important cause of posterior predominant LIS, identifying 13 individuals with rare, heterozygous CEP85L variants, including 2 families with autosomal dominant inheritance. We show that CEP85L is a centrosome protein localizing to the pericentriolar material, and knockdown of Cep85l causes a neuronal migration defect in mice. LIS1 also localizes to the centrosome, suggesting that this organelle is key to the mechanism of posterior predominant LIS.

Nambot S, Faivre L, Mirzaa G, Thevenon J, Bruel AL, Mosca-Boidron AL, Masurel-Paulet A, Goldenberg A, Le Meur N, Charollais A, Mignot C, Petit F, Rossi M, Metreau J, Layet V, Amram D, Boute-Bénéjean O, Bhoj E, Cousin MA, Kruisselbrink TM, Lanpher BC, Klee EW, Fiala E, Grange DK, Meschino WS, Hiatt SM, Cooper GM, Olivié H, Smith WE, Dumas M, Lehman A; CAUSES Study, Inglese C, Nizon M, Guerrini R, Vetro A, Kaplan ES, Miramar D, Van Gils J, Fergelot P, Bodamer O, Herkert JC, Pajusalu S, Õunap K, Filiano JJ, Smol T, Piton A, Gérard B, Chantot-Bastaraud S, Bienvenu T, Li D, Juusola J, Devriendt K, Bilan F, Poé C, Chevarin M, Jouan T, Tisserant E, Rivière JB, Tran Mau-Them F, Philippe C, Duffourd Y, Dobyns WB, Hevner R, Thauvin-Robinet C. De novo TBR1 variants cause a neurocognitive phenotype with ID and autistic traits: report of 25 new individuals and review of the literature. Eur J Hum Genet. 2020 Jan 31. doi:

10.1038/s41431-020-0571-6. [Epub ahead of print]

Abstract

TBR1, a T-box transcription factor expressed in the cerebral cortex, regulates the expression of several candidate genes for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Although TBR1 has been reported as a high-confidence risk gene for ASD and intellectual disability (ID) in functional and clinical reports since 2011, TBR1 has only recently been recorded as a human disease gene in the OMIM database. Currently, the neurodevelopmental disorders and structural brain anomalies associated with TBR1 variants are not well characterized. Through international data sharing, we collected data from 25 unreported individuals and compared them with data from the literature. We evaluated structural brain anomalies in seven individuals by analysis of MRI images, and compared these with anomalies observed in TBR1 mutant mice. The phenotype included ID in all individuals, associated to autistic traits in 76% of them. No recognizable facial phenotype could be identified. MRI analysis revealed a reduction of the anterior commissure and suggested new features including dysplastic hippocampus and subtle neocortical dysgenesis. This report supports the role of TBR1 in ID associated with autistic traits and suggests new structural brain malformations in humans. We hope this work will help geneticists to interpret TBR1 variants and diagnose ASD probands.

Mak CCY, Doherty D, Lin AE, Vegas N, Cho MT, Viot G, Dimartino C, Weisfeld-Adams JD, Lessel D, Joss S, Li C, Gonzaga-Jauregui C, Zarate YA, Ehmke N, Horn D, Troyer C, Kant SG, Lee Y, Ishak GE, Leung G, Barone Pritchard A, Yang S, Bend EG, Filippini F, Roadhouse C, Lebrun N, Mehaffey MG, Martin PM, Apple B, Millan F, Puk O, Hoffer MJV, Henderson LB, McGowan R, Wentzensen IM, Pei S, Zahir FR, Yu M, Gibson WT, Seman A, Steeves M, Murrell JR, Luettgen S, Francisco E,

Strom TM, Amlie-Wolf L, Kaindl AM, Wilson WG, Halbach S, Basel-Salmon L, Lev-El N, Denecke J, Vissers LELM, Radtke K, Chelly J, Zackai E, Friedman JM, Bamshad MJ, Nickerson DA; University of Washington Center for Mendelian Genomics, Reid RR, Devriendt K, Chae JH, Stolerman E, McDougall C, Powis Z, Bienvenu T, Tan TY, Orenstein N, Dobyns WB, Shieh JT, Choi M, Waggoner D, Gripp KW, Parker MJ, Stoler J, Lyonnet S, Cormier-Daire V, Viskochil D, Hoffman TL, Amiel J, Chung BHY, Gordon CT. MN1 C-terminal truncation syndrome is a novel neurodevelopmental and craniofacial disorder with partial rhombencephalosynapsis. Brain. 2020 Jan

1;143(1):55-68. doi: 10.1093/brain/awz379.

Abstract

MN1 encodes a transcriptional co-regulator without homology to other proteins, previously implicated in acute myeloid leukaemia and development of the palate. Large deletions encompassing MN1 have been reported in individuals with variable neurodevelopmental anomalies and non-specific facial features. We identified a cluster of de novo truncating mutations in MN1 in a cohort of 23 individuals with strikingly similar dysmorphic facial features, especially midface hypoplasia, and intellectual disability with severe expressive language delay. Imaging revealed an atypical form of rhombencephalosynapsis, a distinctive brain malformation characterized by partial or complete loss of the cerebellar vermis with fusion of the cerebellar hemispheres, in 8/10 individuals. Rhombencephalosynapsis has no previously known definitive genetic or environmental causes. Other frequent features included perisylvian polymicrogyria, abnormal posterior clinoid processes and persistent trigeminal artery. MN1 is encoded by only two exons. All mutations, including the recurrent variant p.Arg1295* observed in 8/21 probands, fall in the terminal exon or the extreme 3' region of exon 1, and are therefore predicted to result in escape from nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. This was confirmed in fibroblasts from three individuals. We propose that the condition described here, MN1 C-terminal truncation (MCTT) syndrome, is not due to MN1 haploinsufficiency but rather is the result of dominantly acting C-terminally truncated MN1 protein. Our data show that MN1 plays a critical role in human craniofacial and brain development, and opens the door to understanding the biological mechanisms underlying rhombencephalosynapsis.