Expression of 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (Ogg1) in mouse retina

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Three new PAX6 mutations including one causing an unusual ophthalmic phenotype associated with neurodevelopmental abnormalities

The PAX6 gene was first described as a candidate for human aniridia. However, PAX6 expression is not restricted to the eye and it appears to be crucial for brain development. We studied PAX6 mutations in a large spectrum of patients who presented with aniridia phenotypes, Peters' anomaly, and anterior segment malformations associated or not with neurological anomalies.Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Eight previously unidentified mutations found in the OA1 ocular albinism gene

BACKGROUND: Ocular albinism type 1 (OA1) is an X-linked ocular disorder characterized by a severe reduction in visual acuity, nystagmus, hypopigmentation of the retinal pigmented epithelium, foveal hypoplasia, macromelanosomes in pigmented skin and eye cells, and misrouting of the optical tracts. This disease is primarily caused by mutations in the OA1 gene. METHODS: The ophthalmologic phenotype of the patients and their family members was characterized. We screened for mutations in the OA1 gene by direct sequencing of the nine PCR-amplified exons, and for genomic deletions by PCR-amplification of large DNA fragments. RESULTS: We sequenced the nine exons of the OA1 gene in 72 individuals and found ten different mutations in seven unrelated families and three sporadic cases. The ten mutations include an amino acid substitution and a premature stop codon previously reported by our team, and eight previously unidentified mutations: three amino acid substitutions, a duplication, a deletion, an insertion and two splice-site mutations. The use of a novel Taq polymerase enabled us to amplify large genomic fragments covering the OA1 gene. and to detect very likely six distinct large deletions. Furthermore, we were able to confirm that there was no deletion in twenty one patients where no mutation had been found. CONCLUSION: The identified mutations affect highly conserved amino acids, cause frameshifts or alternative splicing, thus affecting folding of the OA1 G protein coupled receptor, interactions of OA1 with its G protein and/or binding with its ligand

Truncation of PITX2 differentially affects its activity on physiological targets.

International audienceThe bicoid-like transcription factor PITX2 has been previously described to interact with the pituitary-specific POU homeodomain factor POU1F1 (human ortholog of PIT-1) to achieve cell-specific expression of prolactin (PRL) and GH in pituitary somatolactotroph cells. In this work, we have investigated the functional properties of three PITX2 mutants reported in Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome patients relative to the regulation of these genes, using reporter genes under the control of human PRL (hPRL), hGH, or POU1F1 promoters transfected in nonpituitary and pituitary cell lines. Among the three mutations studied, Y167X and E101X introduce a premature stop codon, and F104L leads to an amino acid substitution. While PITX2(E101X) is not expressed in the cells following transfection, and PITX2(F104L) is functionally inactive, the PITX2(Y167X) mutant keeps its DNA-binding capacity and displays a markedly enhanced activation of the hPRL and POU1F1 promoters, but not of the hGH promoter. Y167X is the first mutation of PITX2 described to result in a differential effect on the activation of its different physiological targets, hPRL and POU1F1 on one hand and hGH on the other hand. The differential effect of the Y167X mutation might be linked to an interaction of PITX2 with different transcription factors or cofactors when bound to the hPRL and POU1F1 or the hGH promoters. These results might form the basis for the identification of the PITX2 protein complex necessary for the differential GH or PRL expression

Identification of novel genes and altered signaling pathways in the retinal pigment epithelium during the Royal College of Surgeons rat retinal degeneration

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