|
|
||||||||
1 From the Institut de Génétique Humaine, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UPR1142; 2 Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Institut de Biologie; and 3 Service dOphtalmologie, CHU Montpellier, France.
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
METHODS. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral leukocytes of the affected patients and their family members. The entire coding sequence of the BIGH3 gene was screened for mutations by means of transcript analysis on total RNA isolated from peripheral leukocytes by reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction performed with primers designed for this study. Each mutation was confirmed at the genomic level, by using published primers.
RESULTS. One family that had a typical form of LCD, had the described R124C mutation in the BIGH3 gene. Two families with atypical forms of LCD were negative for the previously known mutations of the gene. Direct sequencing of the BIGH3 mRNA in the latter two families allowed us to identify two mutations located in exon 14. They consist of a 9-bp insertion at position 18851886 and one missense mutation at position 1877 of the BIGH3 gene. Three new polymorphisms were also observed.
CONCLUSIONS. Two mutations different from those linked to LCD have been found in clinically distinguishable forms of this disease, intermediate between LCDs types I and IIIA. The DNA segment comprising both alterations normally encodes for a highly conserved region of the fourth internal domain of the ßig-h3 protein, suggesting that this region may be of functional and/or structural importance. The identification of new mutations by screening of the complete BIGH3 gene and the comparative analysis of the induced modifications in ßig-h3 protein should shed light in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying LCDs resulting from mutations in the BIGH3 gene, and may help to explain their phenotypic heterogeneity.
| Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Amyloid corneal dystrophy has been divided into five forms. LCD type I (122200 at Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man OMIM), (http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/Omim), is characterized by thin grayish, linear, branching deposits of amyloid material that progressively accumulate in the subepithelial and stromal layers of the cornea. LCD type III (OMIM 204870) has a late clinical adult onset (7090 years), a presumably autosomal recessive mode of inheritance and affects Japanese individuals.4 LCD type IIIA differs from LCD type III in that it has autosomal dominant trait of inheritance, affects white individuals, and frequently associates superficial corneal erosions.5 LCD type II (OMIM 105120), the Finnish type,6 is associated with familial systemic amyloidosis caused by mutations in the gelsolin gene.7 Gelatinous droplike corneal dystrophy (MIM 204870) is a nonlattice primary amyloidosis that has been reported in Japan and is not one of the BIGH3-mutation corneal dystrophies.8
The BIGH3 gene product (ßig-h3) is an extracellular matrix adhesion protein inducible by transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß, first isolated by Skonier et al.9 It is a prominent protein in the cornea, skin, and matrix of many connective tissues.
Each form of 5q31-linked autosomal dominant corneal dystrophy has been
associated with a different mutation: LCD type I with R124C, granular
corneal dystrophy type I with R555W, granular corneal dystrophy type II
with R124H, ReisBückler corneal dystrophy with
R555Q.10
Recently, a single deletion of codon Phe540
(
F540)11
has been linked with a phenotypic variant of
ReisBückler corneal dystrophy and two missense mutations,
R124L12
and R124S,13
with phenotypic variants
of granular corneal dystrophy. Three novel missense mutations in the
BIGH3 gene responsible for LCD have also been reported:
P501T14
for LCD type IIIA, L527R for an autosomal dominant
form of LCD with deep stromal amyloid deposits,1
and
L518P15
for an early onset form of LCD classified as type
I. Current molecular biologic knowledge of LCD suggests the existence
of a mutationphenotype correspondence, because each phenotype of
BIGH3 LCD seems to be linked to a specific mutation.
We present two families with a type of LCD clinically distinct from the previously identified LCDs (intermediate between LCD types I and IIIA). The first one was negative for all the mutations previously described. The second one presented the H626R mutation that we and others have recently reported.16 17 Finally, we have included a third family with the classic LCD type I whose affected members shared the specific 370C>T mutation. These two newly described DNA modifications result in an alteration of the same region of the protein, the fourth internal domain, which is a highly conserved amino acid sequence.
| Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
DNA Sequencing
We first screened exon 4 and exon 12, where hot spot sites for
mutations in the BIGH3 gene have been
reported.18
Exons 4 and exon12 of the BIGH3
gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in a total
volume of 50 µl. The primers used were those published by Munier et
al.10
The PCR products were purified (QIAquick PCR
Purification Kit; Qiagen, Chatsworth, CA) and directly sequenced (Prism
AmpliTaq FS dichloroRhodamine Dye Terminator kit;
PerkinElmer, Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). The samples were
resolved on a sequencer (model 377; Applied Biosystems). All sequence
alterations identified initially in the BIGH3 cDNA were
confirmed at the genomic level by exon-specific PCR using primers
published elsewhere.10
Twenty independent BIGH3
genes from apparently unrelated individuals were sequenced in the
region of each mutation to search for reproducible PCR-induced errors
and polymorphisms. Sequence analysis was performed by manual DNA
sequencing (Sequenase ver. 2.0 sequencing kit; USB, Cleveland, OH) and
35S-deoxyadenosine triphosphate (ATP).
BIGH3 mRNA Screening for Mutations
The entire coding sequence of the BIGH3 gene (2052 bp)
was screened for mutations by means of transcript analysis. Total RNA
was isolated from peripheral leukocytes using an isolation system (SV
Total RNA ; Promega, Madison, WI), and reverse transcription (RT)PCRs
were performed as described.19
Primers (Table 1) were designed to amplify the total BIGH3 gene cDNA
in two partially overlapping fragments a and b. A 2-µl aliquot of the
initial PCR-product (PCR1) was used as a template in a second, nested
PCR (PCR2) reaction, to amplify 4 overlapping fragments of 600 bp each
(fragments a1, a2, b1, and b2). PCR reactions were performed at 60°C
in a total volume of 50 µl. The PCR products were purified (QIAquick
PCR Purification Kit; Quiagen) and manually sequenced as described
above.
|
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
Mutation Screening
Family A.
All the affected and unaffected members of family A were negative for
the mutations previously reported in association with the LCDs (R124C,
P501T, L518P) as well as for those associated with other
BIGH3 corneal dystrophies (R124H, R124S, L527R, R555W,
R555Q,
F540). Complete BIGH3 mRNA sequencing analysis was
performed to search for mutations in these patients. It demonstrated a
shift in exon 14. Electrophoresis on a 10% polyacrylamide gel of PCR
products of exon 14 amplified from genomic DNA demonstrated two
amplicons separated by approximately 10 bp in affected individuals and
a single amplicon in unaffected individuals as well as in control
individuals. Genomic DNA sequencing of exon 14 in this family found a
heterozygous 9-bp insertion at position 18851886 of
the BIGH3 gene [18851886ins9(CCAATGTTC)]
(Fig. 5) leading to an in-frame insertion of three amino acids Asn-Val-Pro
between codons 629 and 630 of the ßig-h3 protein (NVP629630ins).
This insertion consisted of a duplication of a 9-bp
(1886-CCAATGTTC-1894) sequence of exon 14. Sequence analysis of the
whole BIGH3 cDNA in this family did not reveal any other
putative disease-causing mutation.
|
|
CGT) of codon 626 leading to a substitution of
histidine for arginine: H626R. These findings were confirmed by using
both sense and antisense primers. This mutation was found in all the
affected members of the family as well as in the 22-year-old individual
who was younger than the expected age of onset of the disease. None of
the previously reported LCD-associated BIGH3 mutations was
detected in this family.
Family C.
Direct sequencing analysis of exon 4 amplified from genomic DNA
demonstrated that one allele of all the affected individuals from
family C had the C>T transition (CGC
TGC) at position 370 that
caused an arginine-to-cysteine substitution (R124C). Thus, family C
expressed the typical phenotype of LCD type I, and presented the known
mutation in the ßig-h3 protein (R124C).
Polymorphisms
We identified five nucleotide substitutions that did not change
the amino acid sequence of the encoded protein, did not cosegregate
with the disease, or were present in normal control individuals (Table 2) . Three of these polymorphisms were identical with those that other
investigators have reported.18
22
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The BIGH3 gene product ßig-h3 is a secreted protein of 683 amino acids, which contains an aminoterminal secretory sequence, a carboxyl-terminal RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) sequence located from codon 642 to codon 644, and four homologous domains of 140 amino acids. The RGD sequence is known to act as a ligand-recognition site for integrins in several proteins. However, the integrins that specifically bind to corneal ßig-h3 protein await identification. It is thought that the four domains of the protein can be folded into a potential bivalent tetrameric structure that may act as a bridge between cells expressing the appropriate ligand.9 Thus, ßig-h3, similarly to other homologous cell adhesion proteins (human osteoblast specific factor 2: OSF-2; drosophila fasciclin-I: DrF-1; and Mycobacterium bovis MPB70)23 may interfere in cell adhesion.
The 9-bp insertion at position 18851886 (18851886ins9) is the first insertion type DNA modification described in the BIGH3 gene associated with LCD. It is located in the region encoding for the last portion of the protein, close to the 642-RGD-644 sequence of the protein. It is the most distal DNA alteration reported in this gene. The duplication occurred in a sequence context containing several palindromic or quasipalindromic sequences, direct and inverted repeats and a polypyrimidine run of 5 bp. Such elements are known to contribute to the deletional or insertional mutagenesis and to promote mispairing in secondary DNA structures during DNA replication. This duplication results in the addition of three amino acid residues at position 629630 of the protein: NVP629630ins. Proline, frequently found in the bends of folded protein chains, has the recognized capability of disrupting the backbone structure of polypeptides and causes a sharp transition in the direction of the chain. These properties are of particular interest for LCD, because the cases studied by us were characterized by amyloid deposition of the ßig-h3 protein, and the ß-pleated structure is one of the specific traits of amyloidosis.24 25 Valine is a hydrophobic amino acid. Again, it is noteworthy that hydrophobic residues are frequently observed in amyloid proteins and are thought to participate in their precipitation.26 Finally, the location of the NVP insertion, close to the RGD sequence, may impair its binding to its natural ligands and alter its metabolism, favoring its accumulation.
The second new DNA modification found in the families reported in this study is the H626R mutation. Our preliminary report16 documenting the H626R mutation in LCD has been confirmed recently by Stewart et al.17 who observed clinical heterogeneity in age of onset in the patients with H626R mutation, the presence of epithelial erosions and the timing of bilateral involvement.17 In contrast to the family studied by Stewart et al.17 all affected members in one of our families (family B) had almost identical clinical manifestations. The phenotypic differences within and between families sharing the same mutation suggest that other factors participate in the manifestations of this disorder. Repairing of the corneal layers is associated with an increased expression of ßig-h3 protein.27 28 Therefore, the increase in the synthesis of the amyloid precursor protein in repetitive corneal lesions such as epithelial erosions may be one of the factors participating in the expression of the disease.
Both NVP629630ins and H626R are located in the fourth internal domain of the ßig-h3 protein. This particular region has a highly conserved amino acid sequence between the four internal domains. H626 is conserved in domains 1, 2, and 4 of the human protein and in homologous proteins: Drosophila fasciclin 3 (DrF-3), grasshopper fasciclin 3 (GrF-3), and porcine and chick collagen fiber-associated protein (RGD-CAP). The constant presence of histidine residue in all these regions of the protein and the fact that it is observed across species suggests that H626 is of functional and/or structural importance. Therefore, a mutation in this region may have important consequences for the structure and/or the function of the protein. It is tempting to speculate that the new mutations presented here facilitate the ß-pleated sheet structure favoring the accumulation of insoluble protein material and amyloid fibril formation.
Analysis of the predictive secondary structure of the native and mutated ßig-h3 proteins (http://pbil.ibcp.fr/NPSA) did not reveal any particular structure or site of processing suggestive of amyloid predisposition. There was no particular shared modification of the protein induced by the mutations in codons 124, 501, 518, 527, 540, 555, 626, 629630 that would enable us to differentiate amyloid from nonamyloid-inducing mutations. These results also suggest that the mutation of BIGH3 is not the only factor responsible for its precipitation in insoluble amyloid fibrils. The factors that have been proposed as participants in the formation of amyloid fibrils are misfolding of the protein, incomplete proteolysis, increased hydrophobicity, and ionic interactions.24 26 29 30
Because the R124C mutated ßig-h3 protein was present, both in skin and in corneal tissues, the absence of amyloid deposits in the skin of the 55-year-old individual of family C strongly suggests that other factors, probably locally determined, are required for the mutated ßig-h3 protein to precipitate into amyloid fibrils. Whether, these factors include the classically evoked limited proteolysis, the interaction with other proteins with amyloid enhancing activity, or other specific corneal characteristics with unidentified facilitating capacity for the genesis of amyloidosis remains to be elucidated.
Autosomal dominant corneal dystrophies have been associated with a variety of mutations in the BIGH3 gene.1 10 11 12 13 14 15 Among these dystrophies three clinically well-differentiated forms of BIGH3-linked LCD (type I, type IIIA, and the type described by Fujiki et al.1 ) are the consequence of amyloid fibril deposition. The previous reports of mutations in the BIGH3 gene suggest that each of the different mutations identified corresponds to a specific type of 5q31-linked LCD. This may also be the case for the mutations described in this study. Indeed, each of these two mutations (NVP629630ins and H626R) in the BIGH3 gene is associated with a phenotype that differs from the previously described BIGH3-linked LCD.5 15 31 32 33 The pathogenic mechanisms by which amyloidosis appears in LCD are not known, and the pathogenesis of amyloidosis in general is not fully understood. Five of the previously known mutations of the BIGH3 gene, resulting in the correspondent protein mutations, have been recognized as inducing amyloidosis: R124C, R124H, P501T, L518P, and L527R. The comparative analysis of these mutations within LCD, as well as the search for common points with other amyloidoses such as that occurring in Alzheimers disease, hereditary neuropathy in Portuguese families, or others, should help in understanding the molecular mechanisms of the occurrence of LCD.
| Acknowledgements |
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
Submitted for publication August 17, 1999; revised November 1, 1999; accepted November 30, 1999.
Commercial relationships policy: N.
Corresponding author: Clair-Florent SchmittBernard, Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Institut de Biologie, 4, Boulevard Henri IV, 34060 Montpellier cedex, France. cfsb{at}mail.mnet.fr or cfsb{at}igh.cnrs.fr
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
f540) in a large cohort of sardinian ReisBücklers corneal dystrophy patients (abstract) Hum Mutat 12,215-216
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
L. Chang, W. Zhiqun, D. Shijing, Z. Chen, L. Qingfeng, L. Li, and S. Xuguang Arg124Cys Mutation of the TGFBI Gene in 2 Chinese Families With Thiel-Behnke Corneal Dystrophy Arch Ophthalmol, May 1, 2009; 127(5): 641 - 644. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. J. Aldave, V. S. Yellore, B. Sonmez, N. Bourla, A. K. Salem, M. A. Khan, S. A. Rayner, and B. J. Glasgow A Novel Variant of Combined Granular-Lattice Corneal Dystrophy Associated With the Met619Lys Mutation in the TGFBI Gene Arch Ophthalmol, March 1, 2008; 126(3): 371 - 377. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. J. Aldave and B. Sonmez Elucidating the Molecular Genetic Basis of the Corneal Dystrophies: Are We There Yet? Arch Ophthalmol, February 1, 2007; 125(2): 177 - 186. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
T. Y. Tanhehco, D. E. Eifrig Jr, I. R. Schwab, C. J. Rapuano, and G. K. Klintworth Two Cases of Reis-Bucklers Corneal Dystrophy (Granular Corneal Dystrophy Type III) Caused by Spontaneous Mutations in the TGFBI Gene. Arch Ophthalmol, April 1, 2006; 124(4): 589 - 593. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
B. Stix, M. Leber, P. Bingemer, C. Gross, J. Ruschoff, M. Fandrich, D. F. Schorderet, C. K. Vorwerk, M. Zacharias, A. Roessner, et al. Hereditary Lattice Corneal Dystrophy Is Associated with Corneal Amyloid Deposits Enclosing C-Terminal Fragments of Keratoepithelin Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., April 1, 2005; 46(4): 1133 - 1139. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. V. V. K. Chakravarthi, C. Kannabiran, M. S. Sridhar, and G. K. Vemuganti TGFBI Gene Mutations Causing Lattice and Granular Corneal Dystrophies in Indian Patients Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., January 1, 2005; 46(1): 121 - 125. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
G. K. Klintworth, W. Bao, and N. A. Afshari Two Mutations in the TGFBI (BIGH3) Gene Associated with Lattice Corneal Dystrophy in an Extensively Studied Family Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., May 1, 2004; 45(5): 1382 - 1388. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J S Ramalho, K Gregory-Evans, C Huxley, and M C Seabra Mouse genetic corneal disease resulting from transgenic insertional mutagenesis Br. J. Ophthalmol., March 1, 2004; 88(3): 428 - 432. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M F El-Ashry, M M A. El-Aziz, D F P Larkin, B Clarke, I A Cree, A J Hardcastle, S S Bhattacharya, and N D Ebenezer A clinical, histopathological, and genetic study of Avellino corneal dystrophy in British families Br. J. Ophthalmol., July 1, 2003; 87(7): 839 - 842. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
H M Chau, N T Ha, L X Cung, T K Thanh, K Fujiki, A Murakami, and A Kanai H626R and R124C mutations of the TGFBI (BIGH3) gene caused lattice corneal dystrophy in Vietnamese people Br. J. Ophthalmol., June 1, 2003; 87(6): 686 - 689. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
F. L. Munier, B. E. Frueh, P. Othenin-Girard, S. Uffer, P. Cousin, M. X. Wang, E. Heon, G. C. M. Black, M. A. Blasi, E. Balestrazzi, et al. BIGH3 Mutation Spectrum in Corneal Dystrophies Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., April 1, 2002; 43(4): 949 - 954. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J.-E. Kim, R.-W. Park, J.-Y. Choi, Y.-C. Bae, K.-S. Kim, C.-K. Joo, and I.-S. Kim Molecular Properties of Wild-Type and Mutant {beta}IG-H3 Proteins Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., March 1, 2002; 43(3): 656 - 661. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
N. A. Afshari, J. E. Mullally, M. A. Afshari, R. F. Steinert, A. P. Adamis, D. T. Azar, J. H. Talamo, C. H. Dohlman, and T. P. Dryja Survey of Patients With Granular, Lattice, Avellino, and Reis-Bucklers Corneal Dystrophies for Mutations in the BIGH3 and Gelsolin Genes Arch Ophthalmol, January 1, 2001; 119(1): 16 - 22. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |