Mutations in PRRT2 result in paroxysmal dyskinesias with marked variability in clinical expression

Paroxysmal dyskinesias (PD) are a group of neurological disorders with episodes of involuntary movements that can be classified into three main categories: paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD) , paroxysmal exercise induced dyskinesia (PED) and paroxysmal nonkinesigenic dyskinesia(PNKD). Interestingly, PDs may be variably associated with epilepsy. Description of familial infantile convulsions with paroxysmal choreoathetosis (ICCA) and its […]

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Complete loss of expression of the ANT1 gene causing cardiomyopathy and myopathy.

Mitochondrial disorders are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the population. Here, we describe an adult patient with autosomal recessive myopathy and cardiomyopathy resulting from a complete loss of expression of the ADP/ATP translocase 1 (ANT1), a mitochondrial molecule which mediates ADP/ATP exchange between cytosol and mitochondria through the inner mitochondrial membrane. Skeletal […]

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A bias-reducing pathway enrichment analysis of genome-wide association data confirmed association of the MHC region with schizophrenia

Complex diseases are often caused by many genetic markers or genes, thus, pathway-based or gene-based analysis of genome-wide association study (GWAS) data becomes an important approach to studying the underlying molecular mechanisms. A critical issue in this approach is the gene length bias – long genes tend to have more SNPs investigated and, thus, have […]

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A genome-wide association study of men with symptoms of testicular dysgenesis syndrome and its network biology interpretation

The concept of the testicular dysgenesis syndrome (TDS) suggests that male infertility, cryptorchidism, hypospadias, impaired spermatogenesis and testicular germ cell cancer often have a common origin. In a systems biology framework, by combining a genome-wide association study with gene expression and mouse knock-out data to study the genetic components that predispose to TDS, we identified […]

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Comprehensive sequence analysis of nine Usher syndrome genes in the UK National Collaborative Usher Study

We undertook genetic analysis of individuals with Usher syndrome; this is a genetic recessive disorder consisting of visual impairment leading to blindness, congenital deafness, and sometimes balance problems. We sequenced all the 9 genes known to cause Usher to date in all of the subjects, who were from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds. We […]

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Targeted genomic sequencing identifies PRRT2 mutations as a cause of paroxysmal kinesigenic choreoathetosis

Paroxysmal kinesigenic choreoathetosis (PKC), firstly reported in 1967, is characterized by recurrent and brief attacks of involuntary movement and causative gene remains unidentified. Using targeted genomic sequencing and conventional Sanger sequencing, the authors identified a spectrum of mutations in proline-rich transmembrane protein 2 (PRRT2). PRRT2 mutations cause only a subset of PKC, which suggests that […]

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Identification of a novel DLX5 mutation in a family with autosomal recessive split hand and foot malformation

Split Hand and Foot Malformation (SHFM) is a birth defect characterized by claw-like appearance of hands and feet.  Several genomic regions have been implicated in the causation of SHFM but SHFM1 is one of the most puzzling among these because despite its frequent involvement in genomic rearrangements, the compelling candidate genes DLX5/DLX6 in that region […]

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Defective NDUFA9 as a novel cause of neonatally fatal complex I disease

Mitochondrial disorders are associated with abnormalities of the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system and cause significant morbidity and mortality in the population. The genetic cause remains still unknown in a large part of patients with mitochondrial disease. Here we report the first disease-causing mutation in the complex I subunit encoding NDUFA9 gene, which was identified in […]

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Neonatal onset Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) in a patient homozygous for a PKD2 missense mutation due to uniparental disomy

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is characterized by progressive development of fluid-filled cysts in both kidneys. Cyst formation causes chronic renal failure beyond mid-life eventually leading to end-stage renal failure. Heterozygous mutations in the polycystic kidney disease 1 (PKD1) gene and polycystic kidney disease 2 (PKD2) gene account for almost all cases and although […]

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Linkage and association analyses of glaucoma related traits in a large pedigree from a Dutch genetically isolated population

Despite extensive research on the genetic determinants of glaucoma, the genes identified to date explain only a small proportion of cases in the general population. We performed genome-wide linkage and association analyses of many glaucoma-related quantitative traits. We identified a new region of significant linkage supported by association on chromosome 20p13 (near the SIRPA and […]

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