The drug-transporter gene MDR1 C3435T and G2677T/A polymorphisms and the risk of multidrug-resistant epilepsy in Turkish children

One-third of all individuals with epilepsy are resistant to antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment. Antiepileptic treatment response has been suggested to be modulated by genetic polymorphisms of drug efflux transporters. Several polymorphic variants within the multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) gene, which encodes the major transmembrane efflux transporter P-glycoprotein, have been proposed to be associated with AED resistance in epilepsy patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of C3435T and G2677T/A polymorphisms of MDR1 on AED resistance in Turkish children with epilepsy. MDR1 C3435T and G2677T/A were genotyped in 152 patients with epilepsy, classified as drug-resistant in 69 and drug-responsive in 83. Genotypes of the C3435T and G2677T/A polymorphisms were determined by polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism. Genotype and allele frequencies of C3435T and G2677T/A polymorphisms of the MDR1 gene did not differ between drug-resistant and drug-responsive epilepsy patients. Our results suggest that MDR1 C3435T and G2677T/A polymorphisms are not associated with AED resistance in Turkish epileptic patients. To clarify the exact clinical implication of the MDR1 polymorphisms on the multidrug resistance in epilepsy, further investigations in various ethnic populations would be necessary

A Novel On‐Chip Method for Differential Extraction of Sperm in Forensic Cases

One out of every six American women has been the victim of a sexual assault in their lifetime. However, the DNA casework backlog continues to increase outpacing the nation\u27s capacity since DNA evidence processing in sexual assault casework remains a bottleneck due to laborious and time‐consuming differential extraction of victim\u27s and perpetrator\u27s cells. Additionally, a significant amount (60–90%) of male DNA evidence may be lost with existing procedures. Here, a microfluidic method is developed that selectively captures sperm using a unique oligosaccharide sequence (Sialyl‐LewisX), a major carbohydrate ligand for sperm‐egg binding. This method is validated with forensic mock samples dating back to 2003, resulting in 70–92% sperm capture efficiency and a 60–92% reduction in epithelial fraction. Captured sperm are then lysed on‐chip and sperm DNA is isolated. This method reduces assay‐time from 8 h to 80 min, providing an inexpensive alternative to current differential extraction techniques, accelerating identification of suspects and advancing public safety

Characterization of greater middle eastern genetic variation for enhanced disease gene discovery

The Greater Middle East (GME) has been a central hub of human migration and population admixture. The tradition of consanguinity, variably practiced in the Persian Gulf region, North Africa, and Central Asia1-3, has resulted in an elevated burden of recessive disease4. Here we generated a whole-exome GME variome from 1,111 unrelated subjects. We detected substantial diversity and admixture in continental and subregional populations, corresponding to several ancient founder populations with little evidence of bottlenecks. Measured consanguinity rates were an order of magnitude above those in other sampled populations, and the GME population exhibited an increased burden of runs of homozygosity (ROHs) but showed no evidence for reduced burden of deleterious variation due to classically theorized ‘genetic purging’. Applying this database to unsolved recessive conditions in the GME population reduced the number of potential disease-causing variants by four- to sevenfold. These results show variegated genetic architecture in GME populations and support future human genetic discoveries in Mendelian and population genetics

Two Siblings with Alstrom Syndrome

WOS: 000445204103155

Longitudinal Follow-Up of Two Patients with Dysspondyloenchondromatosis due to Novel Heterozygous Mutations in COL2A1

WOS: 000439340700003PubMed ID: 29928178Dysspondyloenchondromatosis (DSC) is a rare form of generalized enchondromatosis and characterized by short stature with unequal limb length, multiple enchondromas in metaphyseal and diaphyseal parts of the long tubular bones, and progressive kyphoscoliosis. Although the COL2A1 gene mutation was found to be responsible for DSC, a case of DSC with no pathogenic mutation in the COL2A1 gene has also been reported, suggesting that the condition is genetically heterogeneous. Here, we report 2 novel heterozygous mutations in COL2A1 in 2 patients with DSC. They had prenatal onset short stature with unequal limb length and generalized enchondroma-like lesions in metaphyseal and diaphyseal parts of the long tubular bones, and osteopenia. The first patient was diagnosed at 3 months of age and followed for 10.5 years. Severe lumbosacral scoliosis and recurrent fractures were observed. The second patient was diagnosed at the age of 4 years. Mild deterioration in scoliosis was observed during the 3-year-long follow-up period. However, skeletal radiography of both patients showed the improvement of enchondromatous lesions. In conclusion, we verified that the COL2A1 gene mutations are responsible for the DSC phenotype. We observed severe osteopenia and fractures which were not reported previously. (c) 2018 S. Karger AG, Base