A literature network of human genes for high-throughput analysis of gene expression

We have carried out automated extraction of explicit and implicit biomedical knowledge from publicly available gene and text databases to create a gene-to-gene co-citation network for 13,712 named human genes by automated analysis of titles and abstracts in over 10 million MEDLINE records. The associations between genes have been annotated by linking genes to terms from the medical subject heading (MeSH) index and terms from the gene ontology (GO) database. The extracted database and accompanying web tools for gene-expression analysis have collectively been named 'PubGene'. We validated the extracted networks by three large-scale experiments showing that co-occurrence reflects biologically meaningful relationships, thus providing an approach to extract and structure known biology. We validated the applicability of the tools by analyzing two publicly available microarray data sets.     

A single gene network accurately predicts phenotypic effects of gene perturbation in Caenorhabditis elegans

The fundamental aim of genetics is to understand how an organism's phenotype is determined by its genotype, and implicit in this is predicting how changes in DNA sequence alter phenotypes. A single network covering all the genes of an organism might guide such predictions down to the level of individual cells and tissues. To validate this approach, we computationally generated a network covering most C. elegans genes and tested its predictive capacity. Connectivity within this network predicts essentiality, identifying this relationship as an evolutionarily conserved biological principle. Critically, the network makes tissue-specific predictions-we accurately identify genes for most systematically assayed loss-of-function phenotypes, which span diverse cellular and developmental processes. Using the network, we identify 16 genes whose inactivation suppresses defects in the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor pathway, and we successfully predict that the dystrophin complex modulates EGF signaling. We conclude that an analogous network for human genes might be similarly predictive and thus facilitate identification of disease genes and rational therapeutic targets.     

A cooperative microRNA-tumor suppressor gene network in acute T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL)

The importance of individual microRNAs (miRNAs) has been established in specific cancers. However, a comprehensive analysis of the contribution of miRNAs to the pathogenesis of any specific cancer is lacking. Here we show that in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), a small set of miRNAs is responsible for the cooperative suppression of several tumor suppressor genes. Cross-comparison of miRNA expression profiles in human T-ALL with the results of an unbiased miRNA library screen allowed us to identify five miRNAs (miR-19b, miR-20a, miR-26a, miR-92 and miR-223) that are capable of promoting T-ALL development in a mouse model and which account for the majority of miRNA expression in human T-ALL. Moreover, these miRNAs produce overlapping and cooperative effects on tumor suppressor genes implicated in the pathogenesis of T-ALL, including IKAROS (also known as IKZF1), PTEN, BIM, PHF6, NF1 and FBXW7. Thus, a comprehensive and unbiased analysis of miRNA action in T-ALL reveals a striking pattern of miRNA-tumor suppressor gene interactions in this cancer.     

DNA helicase gene interaction network defined using synthetic lethality analyzed by microarray

We describe a new synthetic lethality analysis by microarray (SLAM) technique that uses approximately 4,600 Saccharomyces cerevisiae haploid deletion mutants with molecular 'bar codes' (TAGs). We used SGS1 and SRS2, two 3'-->5' DNA helicase genes, as 'queries' to identify their redundant and unique biological functions. We introduced these 'query mutations' into a haploid deletion pool by integrative transformation to disrupt the query gene in every cell, generating a double mutant pool. Optimization of integrative transformation efficiency was essential to the success of SLAM. Synthetic interactions defined a DNA helicase genetic network and predicted a role for SRS2 in processing damaged replication forks but, unlike SGS1, not in rDNA replication, DNA topology or lagging strand synthesis. SGS1 and SRS2 have synthetic defects with MRC1 but not RAD9, suggesting that SGS1 and SRS2 function in a parallel pathway with MRC1 to transduce the DNA replication stress signal to the general DNA damage checkpoint pathway. Both helicase genes have rad51-reversible synthetic defects with 5'-->3' DNA helicase RRM3, suggesting that RRM3 helps prevent formation of toxic recombination intermediates. SLAM detects synthetic lethality efficiently and ranks candidate genetic interactions, making it an especially useful method.     

A systematic, genome-wide, phenotype-driven mutagenesis programme for gene function studies in the mouse

As the human genome project approaches completion, the challenge for mammalian geneticists is to develop approaches for the systematic determination of mammalian gene function. Mouse mutagenesis will be a key element of studies of gene function. Phenotype-driven approaches using the chemical mutagen ethylnitrosourea (ENU) represent a potentially efficient route for the generation of large numbers of mutant mice that can be screened for novel phenotypes. The advantage of this approach is that, in assessing gene function, no a priori assumptions are made about the genes involved in any pathway. Phenotype-driven mutagenesis is thus an effective method for the identification of novel genes and pathways. We have undertaken a genome-wide, phenotype-driven screen for dominant mutations in the mouse. We generated and screened over 26,000 mice, and recovered some 500 new mouse mutants. Our work, along with the programme reported in the accompanying paper, has led to a substantial increase in the mouse mutant resource and represents a first step towards systematic studies of gene function in mammalian genetics.     

The gene for the peripheral myelin protein PMP-22 is a candidate for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A) is an autosomal dominant peripheral neuropathy associated with a large DNA duplication on the short arm of human chromosome 17. The trembler (Tr) mouse serves as a model for CMT1A because of phenotypic similarities and because the Tr locus maps to mouse chromosome 11 in a region of conserved synteny with human chromosome 17. Recently, the peripheral myelin gene Pmp-22 was found to carry a point mutation in Tr mice. We have isolated cDNA and genomic clones for human PMP-22. The gene maps to human chromosome 17p11.2-17p12, is expressed at high levels in peripheral nervous tissue and is duplicated, but not disrupted, in CMT1A patients. Thus, we suggest that a gene dosage effect involving PMP-22 is at least partially responsible for the demyelinating neuropathy seen in CMT1A.     

A gene harvest revealing the archeology and complexity of human disease

An inflection point in genetics has been reached and was witnessed at the Genomics of Common Diseases meeting (http://www.nature.com/ng/meetings/genomics) co-sponsored by the Wellcome Trust, held at the Wellcome Trust Hinxton Conference Centre July 7-10, 2007 and co-organized by Tim Aitman, David Altshuler and Eddy Rubin.     

A frameshift mutation in the gamma E-crystallin gene of the Elo mouse.

The murine Elo (eye lens obsolescence) mutation confers a dominant phenotype characterized by malformation of the eye lens. The mutation maps to chromosome 1, in close proximity to the gamma E-crystallin gene which is the 3'-most member of the gamma-crystallin gene cluster. We have analysed the sequence of this gene from the Elo mouse and identified a single nucleotide deletion which destroys the fourth and last "Greek key" motif of the protein. This mutation is tightly associated with the phenotype, as no recombination was detected in 274 meioses. In addition, the mutant mRNA is present in the affected lens, providing further support for our hypothesis that the deletion is responsible for the dominant Elo phenotype.     

A brief history of gene therapy.

The concepts of gene therapy arose initially during the 1960s and early 1970s whilst the development of genetically marked cells lines and the clarification of mechanisms of cell transformation by the papaovaviruses polyoma and SV40 was in progress. With the arrival of recombinant DNA techniques, cloned genes became available and were used to demonstrate that foreign genes could indeed correct genetic defects and disease phenotypes in mammalian cells in vitro. Efficient retroviral vectors and other gene transfer methods have permitted convincing demonstrations of efficient phenotype correction in vitro and in vivo, now making gene therapy a broadly accepted approach to therapy and justifying clinically applied studies with human patients.     

A recessive contiguous gene deletion causing infantile hyperinsulinism, enteropathy and deafness identifies the Usher type 1C gene

Usher syndrome type 1 describes the association of profound, congenital sensorineural deafness, vestibular hypofunction and childhood onset retinitis pigmentosa. It is an autosomal recessive condition and is subdivided on the basis of linkage analysis into types 1A through 1E. Usher type 1C maps to the region containing the genes ABCC8 and KCNJ11 (encoding components of ATP-sensitive K + (KATP) channels), which may be mutated in patients with hyperinsulinism. We identified three individuals from two consanguineous families with severe hyperinsulinism, profound congenital sensorineural deafness, enteropathy and renal tubular dysfunction. The molecular basis of the disorder is a homozygous 122-kb deletion of 11p14-15, which includes part of ABCC8 and overlaps with the locus for Usher syndrome type 1C and DFNB18. The centromeric boundary of this deletion includes part of a gene shown to be mutated in families with type 1C Usher syndrome, and is hence assigned the name USH1C. The pattern of expression of the USH1C protein is consistent with the clinical features exhibited by individuals with the contiguous gene deletion and with isolated Usher type 1C.     

Identification of the gene responsible for gelatinous drop-like corneal dystrophy

Gelatinous drop-like corneal dystrophy (GDLD; OMIM 204870) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by severe corneal amyloidosis leading to blindness, with an incidence of 1 in 300,000 in Japan. Our previous genetic linkage study localized the gene responsible to a 2.6-cM interval on chromosome 1p. Clinical manifestations, which appear in the first decade of life, include blurred vision, photophobia and foreign-body sensation. By the third decade, raised, yellowish-grey, gelatinous masses severely impair visual acuity, and lamellar keratoplasty is required for most patients. Here we report DNA sequencing, cDNA cloning and mutational analyses of four deleterious mutations (Q118X, 632delA, Q207X and S170X) in M1S1 (formerly TROP2 and GA733-1), encoding a gastrointestinal tumour-associated antigen. The Q118X mutation was the most common alteration in the GDLD patients examined, accounting for 33 of 40 (82.5%) disease alleles in our panel of families. Protein expression analysis revealed aggregation of the mutated, truncated protein in the perinuclear region, whereas the normal protein was distributed diffusely in the cytoplasm with a homogenous or fine granular pattern. Our successful identification of the gene that is defective in GDLD should facilitate genetic diagnosis and potentially treatment of the disease, and enhance general understanding of the mechanisms of amyloidosis.