A single origin of phenylketonuria in Yemenite Jews

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a metabolic disease caused by recessive mutations of the gene encoding the hepatic enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). The incidence of PKU varies widely across different geographic areas, and is highest (about 1 in 5,000 live births) in Ireland and western Scotland, and among Yemenite Jews. A limited number of point mutations account for most of the PKU cases in the European population. Here we report that a single molecular defect--a deletion spanning the third exon of the PAH gene--is responsible for all the PKU cases among the Yemenite Jews. Examination of a random sample of Yemenite Jews using a molecular probe that detects the carriers of this deletion indicated a high frequency of the defective gene in this community. Although the deleted PAH gene was traced to 25 different locations throughout Yemen, family histories and official documents of the Yemenite Jewish community showed that the common ancestor of all the carriers of this genetic defect lived in San'a, the capital of Yemen, before the eighteenth century.     

Tight linkage between a splicing mutation and a specific DNA haplotype in phenylketonuria

The first phenylketonuria mutation identified in the human phenylalanine hydroxylase gene is a single base substitution (GT----AT) in the canonical 5'-splice donor site of intron 12. Direct hybridization analysis using specific oligonucleotide probes demonstrates that the mutation is tightly associated with a specific restriction fragment-length polymorphism haplotype among mutant alleles. The splicing mutation is the most prevalent phenylketonuria allele among Caucasians, and the results suggest the possibility of detecting carriers of the genetic trait who have no family history of phenylketonuria.     

Detecting recent positive selection in the human genome from haplotype structure

The ability to detect recent natural selection in the human population would have profound implications for the study of human history and for medicine. Here, we introduce a framework for detecting the genetic imprint of recent positive selection by analysing long-range haplotypes in human populations. We first identify haplotypes at a locus of interest (core haplotypes). We then assess the age of each core haplotype by the decay of its association to alleles at various distances from the locus, as measured by extended haplotype homozygosity (EHH). Core haplotypes that have unusually high EHH and a high population frequency indicate the presence of a mutation that rose to prominence in the human gene pool faster than expected under neutral evolution. We applied this approach to investigate selection at two genes carrying common variants implicated in resistance to malaria: G6PD and CD40 ligand. At both loci, the core haplotypes carrying the proposed protective mutation stand out and show significant evidence of selection. More generally, the method could be used to scan the entire genome for evidence of recent positive selection.     

Functional epistasis on a common MHC haplotype associated with multiple sclerosis

Genes in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) encode proteins important in activating antigen-specific immune responses. Alleles at adjacent MHC loci are often in strong linkage disequilibrium; however, little is known about the mechanisms responsible for this linkage disequilibrium. Here we report that the human MHC HLA-DR2 haplotype, which predisposes to multiple sclerosis, shows more extensive linkage disequilibrium than other common caucasian HLA haplotypes in the DR region and thus seems likely to have been maintained through positive selection. Characterization of two multiple-sclerosis-associated HLA-DR alleles at separate loci by a functional assay in humanized mice indicates that the linkage disequilibrium between the two alleles may be due to a functional epistatic interaction, whereby one allele modifies the T-cell response activated by the second allele through activation-induced cell death. This functional epistasis is associated with a milder form of multiple-sclerosis-like disease. Such epistatic interaction might prove to be an important general mechanism for modifying exuberant immune responses that are deleterious to the host and could also help to explain the strong linkage disequilibrium in this and perhaps other HLA haplotypes.     

Y-SNP多态性揭示的海南岛黎族、回族和仡隆人群的起源

分析黎族、海南回族、仡隆人群中Y染色体单倍型(Y-SNP)的分布,从遗传学角度研究3个人群的起源。选取部分与东亚人群起源相关的Y染色体非重组区单核苷酸多态性位点,采用PCR-RPLF和geno-typing法分析其多态性,观察由这些多态性位点组成的单倍型在海南3个人群中的分布情况,并将结果与其他人群的分布进行比较。结果在黎族人群中发现4种Y染色体单倍型,其中单倍型O*-175为5个支系所共有,且分布频率都在95%以上。回族人群出现4种单倍型,仡隆人群有2种单倍型。由单倍型种类、频率分布及主成分分析均揭示,黎族与台湾原住民及百越最为接近,可能有共同的起源。海南回族与中国北方回族遗传关系较远;仡隆人群与汉族差异较大,而与百越的仡佬族、水族及黎族遗传关系接近。     

Mutations in the p53 gene occur in diverse human tumour types

The p53 gene has been a constant source of fascination since its discovery nearly a decade ago. Originally considered to be an oncogene, several convergent lines of research have indicated that the wild-type gene product actually functions as a tumour suppressor gene. For example, expression of the neoplastic phenotype is inhibited, rather than promoted, when rat cells are transfected with the murine wild-type p53 gene together with mutant p53 genes and/or other oncogenes. Moreover, in human tumours, the short arm of chromosome 17 is often deleted. In colorectal cancers, the smallest common region of deletion is centred at 17p13.1; this region harbours the p53 gene, and in two tumours examined in detail, the remaining (non-deleted) p53 alleles were found to contain mutations. This result was provocative because allelic deletion coupled with mutation of the remaining allele is a theoretical hallmark of tumour-suppressor genes. In the present report, we have attempted to determine the generality of this observation; that is, whether tumours with allelic deletions of chromosome 17p contain mutant p53 genes in the allele that is retained. Our results suggest that (1) most tumours with such allelic deletions contain p53 point mutations resulting in amino-acid substitutions, (2) such mutations are not confined to tumours with allelic deletion, but also occur in at least some tumours that have retained both parental 17p alleles, and (3) p53 gene mutations are clustered in four 'hot-spots' which exactly coincide with the four most highly conserved regions of the gene. These results suggest that p53 mutations play a role in the development of many common human malignancies.     

Familial combined hyperlipidaemia linked to the apolipoprotein AI-CII-AIV gene cluster on chromosome 11q23-q24.

Familial combined hyperlipidaemia (FCHL) is a common inherited disorder of lipid metabolism with a prevalence of 0.5-2.0% (refs 1, 2). It is estimated to cause 10% of premature coronary heart disease. The underlying metabolic and genetic defects in FCHL have not been identified, but a population study has suggested an association between FCHL and an XmnI restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) within the apolipoprotein AI-CIII-AIV gene cluster. Here we confirm this association and show that it results from linkage disequilibrium between FCHL and the 6.6-kilobase (kb) allele of the XmnI RFLP. Subsequent analysis in seven FCHL families, ascertained through a proband carrying the 6.6 kb XmnI allele, demonstrated linkage to the AI-CIII-AIV cluster on 11q23-q24, zeta = 6.86 with no recombinants. This assignment will facilitate the identification of the mutation that causes hyperlipidaemia in these families.     

Polymorphisms of chemokine receptors and its ligand alleles influencing genetic susceptibity to HIV-1 infection in eight ethnic groups in Chinese mainland

Limited genetic information is available concerning the polymorphisms of HIV-1 resistant genes in indigenous Chinese populations. The aim of this study is to identify the allelic frequencies of the chemokine and chemokine receptor genes in the Chinese mainland. Genomic DNA samples extracted from whole blood of 2318 subjects were analyzed by using PCR or PCR/restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assays, and further confirmed by direct DNA sequencing. Higher frequencies of mutant CCR2-64I (19.15%—28.79%) and SDF1-3’A (19.10%—29.86%) alleles were found in subjects of 8 ethnic groups in the Chinese mainland. In contrast, the △32 mutation in CCR5 gene occurs at a very low frequency (0.0016, n=1287) in Han population. A relatively high frequency of CCR5- wt/D32 heterozygotes was observed in Uygurian and Mongolian populations. No △32 mutation allele was detected in Tibetan and other 4 ethnic groups in Yunnan Province. There was no CCR5-m303 mutation in subjects of any ethnic group in the Chinese mainland. Our results suggest that the CCR5-△32 mutation is not a major resistant factor against HIV-1 infection and disease progression in Han, Tibetan and other ethnic groups in Yunnan Province. Whether higher frequencies of CCR2-64I and SDF1-3′A alleles constitute major genetic resistant factors or not remains to be clarified.     

中国人重症肌无力的遗传易感性研究

重症肌无力与ＨＬＡⅡ类基因关联性在不同人种和民族中具有不同遗传易感性。为探讨中国人重症肌无力（ＭＧ）与ＨＬＡ－ＤＱ分子关联性，采用聚合酶链式反应—限制性片段长度多态性（ＰＣＲ－ＲＦＬＰ）方法，分析了５０例中国正常人及４９例重症肌无力患者的ＨＬＡ－ＤＱＡ１和－ＤＱＢ１座位的基因型。结果：共检出正常人ＤＱＡ１等位基因８种，ＤＱＢ１等位基因１０种，重症肌无力患者ＤＱＡ１等位基因８种，ＤＱＢ１等位基因９种。结果分析表明ＤＱＡ１＊０５０１与ＭＧ成负相关，ＤＱＢ１＊０３０２与ＭＧ成正相关。从基因水平首次用ＰＣＲ－ＲＦＬＰ方法得出中国人重症肌无力ＤＱ分子的易感基因型。     

Targeted disruption of the murine int-1 proto-oncogene resulting in severe abnormalities in midbrain and cerebellar development

The int-1 proto-oncogene was first identified as a gene activated in virally induced mouse mammary tumours. Expression studies, however, suggest that the normal function of this gene may be in spermatogenesis and in the development of the central nervous system. Genes sharing sequence similarity with int-1 have been found throughout the animal kingdom. For example, int-1 has 54% amino-acid identity to the Drosophila segment polarity gene wingless (wg). Both the int-1 and wg gene products seem to be secreted proteins, presumably involved in cell-cell signalling. We have now explored the function of int-1 in the mouse by disrupting one of the two int-1 alleles in mouse embryo-derived stem cells using positive-negative selection. This cell line was used to generate a chimaeric mouse that transmitted the mutant allele to its progeny. Mice heterozygous for the int-1 null mutation are normal and fertile, whereas mice homozygous for the mutation may exhibit a range of phenotypes from death before birth to survival with severe ataxia. The latter pathology in mice and humans is often associated with defects in the cerebellum. Examination of int-1-/int-1- mice at several stages of embryogenesis revealed severe abnormalities in the development of the mesencephalon and metencephalon indicating a prominent role for the int-1 protein is in the induction of the mesencephalon and cerebellum.     

A frame-shift mutation in the cystic fibrosis gene.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a common recessive lethal genetic disorder, affecting 1 in 1,600 Caucasians. The disease causes defective regulation of chloride-ion transport in exocrine cells. Although in all CF families the disease is linked to a locus on chromosome 7q31, there is clinical heterogeneity in the severity of the disease and the age at which it is diagnosed. CF is caused by mutations in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. A three-nucleotide deletion (delta F508) causing the loss of a phenylalanine residue in the tenth exon of the CFTR gene has been found on 70% of CF chromosomes. We have now characterized a CF family in which neither parent of the affected individual carries the common mutation, and identified a two-nucleotide insertion in the CF allele of the mother. The mutation introduces a termination codon in exon 13 of the CFTR gene at residue 821, and is predicted to result in the production of a severely truncated nonfunctional protein.     

Different amino acids at position 57 of the HLA-DQ beta chain associated with susceptibility and resistance to IgA deficiency

The human leukocyte antigens (HLA) are implicated in the genetic susceptibility to a large number of diseases. Some of the diseases associated with HLA class II are related to specific amino acids or epitopes of the domain of the HLA class II molecule that is distal to the membrane. In man, selective immunoglobulin A deficiency is the most common immunodeficiency, frequently resulting in recurrent sino-pulmonary infections and gastro-intestinal disorders. Associations have been described with HLA class I, and to a lesser extent with different class II alleles, which might indicate that they share some common feature. Here we study 95 IgA-D patients and find positive associations with three DR-DQ haplotypes and a strong negative association with a fourth haplotype. Comparison of the sequences of the polymorphic amino-terminal domain of the DQ beta chain showed that the three 'susceptibility' haplotypes all had a neutral alanine or valine at position 57. The 'protective' allele had the negatively charged aspartic acid at this position (Asp57). Codon 57 of the HLA-DQ beta chain has been implicated in the susceptibility to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Our data suggest that the same amino acid position could possibly also influence susceptibility and resistance to selective immunoglobulin A deficiency.     

Non-invasive prenatal measurement of the fetal genome

The vast majority of prenatal genetic testing requires invasive sampling. However, this poses a risk to the fetus, so one must make a decision that weighs the desire for genetic information against the risk of an adverse outcome due to hazards of the testing process. These issues are not required to be coupled, and it would be desirable to discover genetic information about the fetus without incurring a health risk. Here we demonstrate that it is possible to non-invasively sequence the entire prenatal genome. Our results show that molecular counting of parental haplotypes in maternal plasma by shotgun sequencing of maternal plasma DNA allows the inherited fetal genome to be deciphered non-invasively. We also applied the counting principle directly to each allele in the fetal exome by performing exome capture on maternal plasma DNA before shotgun sequencing. This approach enables non-invasive exome screening of clinically relevant and deleterious alleles that were paternally inherited or had arisen as de novo germline mutations, and complements the haplotype counting approach to provide a comprehensive view of the fetal genome. Non-invasive determination of the fetal genome may ultimately facilitate the diagnosis of all inherited and de novo genetic disease.     

Identification of an altered splice site in Ashkenazi Tay-Sachs disease

Tay-Sachs disease is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder resulting from mutation of the HEXA gene encoding the alpha-subunit of the lysosomal enzyme, beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase A (ref. 1). A relatively high frequency of carriers (1/27) of a lethal, infantile form of the disease is found in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, but it is not yet evident whether this has resulted from a founder effect and random genetic drift or from a selective advantage of heterozygotes. We have identified a single-base mutation in a cloned fragment of the HEXA gene from an Ashkenazi Jewish patient. This change, the substitution of a C for G in the first nucleotide of intron 12 is expected to result in defective splicing of the messenger RNA. A test for the mutant allele based on amplification of DNA by the 'polymerase chain rection and cleavage of a DdeI restriction site generated by the mutation revealed that this case and two other cases of the Ashkenazi, infantile form of Tay-Sachs disease are heterozygous for two different mutations. The occurrence of multiple mutant alleles warrants further examination of the selective advantage hypothesis.     

Altered chloride ion channel kinetics associated with the delta F508 cystic fibrosis mutation.

Cystic fibrosis is associated with a defect in epithelial chloride ion transport which is caused by mutations in a membrane protein called CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator). Heterologous expression of CFTR produces cyclicAMP-sensitive Cl(-)-channel activity. Deletion of phenylalanine at amino-acid position 508 in CFTR (delta F508 CFTR) is the most common mutation in cystic fibrosis. It has been proposed that this mutation prevents glycoprotein maturation and its transport to its normal cellular location. We have expressed both CFTR and delta F508 CFTR in Vero cells using recombinant vaccinia virus. Although far less delta F508 CFTR reached the plasma membrane than normal CFTR, sufficient delta F508 CFTR was expressed at the plasma membrane to permit functional analysis. delta F508 CFTR expression induced a reduced activity of the cAMP-activated Cl- channel, with conductance, anion selectivity and open-time kinetics similar to those of CFTR, but with much greater closed times, resulting in a large decrease of open probability. The delta F508 mutation thus seems to have two major consequences, an abnormal translocation of the CFTR protein which limits membrane insertion, and an abnormal function in mediating Cl- transport.     

福建近海蓝圆鲹群体遗传结构分析

测定了福建近海蓝圆鲹(Decapterus maruadsi Temminck&Schlegel)2个群体共60尾个体的线粒体DNA(mtDNA)控制区序列,探讨了闽东和闽南群体遗传结构和遗传多样性.结果显示:获得长度为834～838 bp的控制区部分序列,在所测的60个样本中,共检测到23个变异位点,定义了28个单倍型,平均单倍型多样性(h)为0.948±0.0145,核苷酸多样性(π)为0.004 99±0.002 79,核苷酸差异数(K)为4.173±2.104,提示了福建近海蓝圆鲹具有较高的遗传多样性水平.构建的单倍型邻接关系树没有明显的以地理群体为单位的家系式分支出现,单倍型网络图也未显示出单倍型和地理位置的对应关系.Tajima's D和Fu's Fs中性检验及核苷酸不配对分析暗示了蓝圆鲹闽南群体在63 000年前可能发生过扩张事件,而闽东群体符合中性理论进化,2个群体不同的历史动态可能是由于小冰河期海区间的气候差异和闽东群体的过度利用所致.分子方差分析(AMOVA)表明,遗传变异全部存在于群体内,2个群体间具有紧密的基因流和较低的遗传分化,群体问和群体内的Kimura双参数遗传距离均较小.可知:福建近海蓝圆鲹遗传多样性较高,闽东和闽南群体的遗传结构相似,不存在显著的遗传分化.因此,建议将闽南渔场和闽东渔场作为一个种质资源评估、管理和保护单元.     

PCR amplification of the Irish potato famine pathogen from historic specimens

Late blight, caused by the oomycete plant pathogen Phytophthora infestans, is a devastating disease of potato and was responsible for epidemics that led to the Irish potato famine in 1845 (refs 1,2,3,4,5). Before the 1980s, worldwide populations of P. infestans were dominated by a single clonal lineage, the US-1 genotype or Ib mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype, and sexual reproduction was not documented outside Mexico, the centre of diversity of the pathogen. Here we describe the amplification and sequencing of 100-base-pair fragments of DNA from the internal transcribed spacer region 2 from 28 historic herbarium samples including Irish and British samples collected between 1845 and 1847, confirming the identity of the pathogen. We amplified a variable region of mtDNA that is present in modern Ib haplotypes of P. infestans, but absent in the other known modern haplotypes (Ia, IIa and IIb). Lesions in samples tested were not caused by the Ib haplotype of P. infestans, and so theories that assume that the Ib haplotype is the ancestral strain need to be re-evaluated. Our data emphasize the importance of using historic specimens when making inferences about historic populations.     

4个群体西太公鱼mtDNAD—loop区段的限制性片段长度多态性分析

应用PCR技术对天津市于桥水库、北京市密云水库、日本北海道和日本青森县4个群体共151尾西太公鱼（Hypomesusnipponensis）的mtDNAD-loop区段进行扩增,得到长度约为1．8kbp的扩增片段．扩增出的DNA片段使用13种核酸内切限制酶进行酶切,其中8种核酸内切限制酶（AluI、DraI、HaeⅢ、Hindm、HinfI、MboI、TaqI和XspI）有酶切位点,5种核酸内切限制酶（AluI、HinfI、MboI、TaqI和XspI）个体间存在变异．不同酶切结果组合后,共得到28种单倍型,于桥水库、密云水库、北海道和青森西太公鱼均以单倍型6为主,分别为36．36％、38．30％、43．33％和26．67％;于桥水库、密云水库、北海道及青森西太公鱼单倍型多样性指数（危）分别为0．8171、0．8141、0．7793和0．8828;核苷酸多样性指数Or）分别为0．007918、0．007326、0．007255和0．009710．于桥水库西太公鱼与密云水库西太公鱼之间的Rogers遗传距离最小,为0．1499;于桥水库西太公鱼与日本青森西太公鱼之间的Rogers遗传距离最大,为0．2215;日本北海道西太公鱼与密云水库西太公鱼之间的遗传距离为0．1511,大于于桥水库西太公鱼与密云西太公鱼之间的遗传距离,但小于日本境内北海道西太公鱼与青森西太公鱼之间的遗传距离．     

Dynamin-like protein encoded by the Drosophila shibire gene associated with vesicular traffic.

Temperature-sensitive paralysis is the most striking defect of adult Drosophila carrying the shibire mutation. This is believed to be due to a reversible block of endocytosis, which prevents membrane cycling and thus depletes synaptic vesicles. The shibire mutation also affects many tissues outside the nervous system. We have now mapped and characterized the shibire gene. A 275-kilobase yeast artificial chromosome was subcloned into cosmids, among which the gene was then located by analysing with restriction-fragment length polymorphisms. A 15-kilobase fragment of wild-type DNA rescues the mutant phenotype and the sequence of two mutant alleles show differences with wild type, demonstrating that we have isolated the shibire gene. The gene encodes a protein that is highly similar to rat dynamin, 69% of the amino-acid sequence is identical. Dynamin is a GTP-driven mechanochemical enzyme related to mammalian mx-proteins and to the yeast vps 1 gene product. Because the shibire gene product and dynamin have extensive similarity, we propose that they are cognate homologues. Dynamin causes microtubules to slide along each other in vitro and in extracts it is associated with a distinct, but so far uncharacterized, membrane fraction. In light of the shibire phenotype, we suggest that these proteins provide the motor for vesicular transport during endocytosis.