Familial idiopathic basal ganglia calcification (IBGC) is a genetic condition with a wide spectrum of neuropsychiatric symptoms, including parkinsonism and dementia. Here, we identified mutations in SLC20A2, encoding the type III sodium-dependent phosphate transporter 2 (PiT2), in IBGC-affected families of varied ancestry, and we observed significantly impaired phosphate transport activity for all assayed PiT2 mutants in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Our results implicate altered phosphate homeostasis in the etiology of IBGC.
Opportunistic fungal infections have become one of the leading causes of death among immunocompromised patients, resulting in an estimated 1.5 million deaths each year worldwide. The molecular mechanisms that promote host defense against fungal infections remain elusive. Here, we find that Myosin IF (MYO1F), an unconventional myosin, promotes the expression of genes that are critical for antifungal innate immune signaling and proinflammatory responses. Mechanistically, MYO1F is required for dectin-induced α-tubulin acetylation, acting as an adaptor that recruits both the adaptor AP2A1 and α-tubulin N-acetyltransferase 1 to α-tubulin; in turn, these events control the membrane-to-cytoplasm trafficking of spleen tyrosine kinase and caspase recruitment domain-containing protein 9. Myo1f-deficient mice are more susceptible than their wild-type counterparts to the lethal sequelae of systemic infection with Candida albicans. Notably, administration of Sirt2 deacetylase inhibitors, namely AGK2, AK-1, or AK-7, significantly increases the dectin-induced expression of proinflammatory genes in mouse bone marrow–derived macrophages and microglia, thereby protecting mice from both systemic and central nervous system C. albicans infections. AGK2 also promotes proinflammatory gene expression in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells after Dectin stimulation. Taken together, our findings describe a key role for MYO1F in promoting antifungal immunity by regulating the acetylation of α-tubulin and microtubules, and our findings suggest that Sirt2 deacetylase inhibitors may be developed as potential drugs for the treatment of fungal infections.
Background The CAV1 gene encodes caveolin-1 expressed in cell types relevant to atherosclerosis. Cav-1-null mice showed a protective effect on atherosclerosis under the ApoE−/− background. However, it is unknown whether CAV1 is linked to CAD and MI in humans. In this study we analyzed a tagSNP for CAV1 in intron 2, rs3807989, for potential association with CAD. Methods and Results We performed case-control association studies in three independent Chinese Han populations from GeneID, including 1,249 CAD cases and 841 controls in Population I, 1,260 cases and 833 controls in Population II and 790 cases and 1,212 controls in Population III (a total of 3,299 cases and 2,886 controls). We identified significant association between rs3807989 and CAD in three independent populations and in the combined population (Padj=2.18×10−5, OR=1.19 for minor allele A). We also detected significant association between rs3807989 and MI (Padj=5.43×10−5, OR=1.23 for allele A). Allele A of SNP rs3807989 was also associated with a decreased level of LDL cholesterol. Although rs3807989 is a tagSNP for both CAV1 and nearby CAV2, allele A of SNP rs3807989 was associated with an increased expression level of CAV1 (both mRNA and protein), but not CAV2. Conclusions The data in this study demonstrated that rs3807989 at the CAV1/CAV2 locus was associated with significant risk of CAD and MI by increasing expression CAV1 (but not CAV2). Thus, CAV1 becomes a strong candidate susceptibility gene for CAD/MI in humans.
The TAGAP gene locus has been linked to several infectious diseases or autoimmune diseases, including candidemia and multiple sclerosis. While previous studies have described a role of TAGAP in T cells, much less is known about its function in other cell types. Here we report that TAGAP is required for Dectin-induced anti-fungal signaling and proinflammatory cytokine production in myeloid cells. Following stimulation with Dectin ligands, TAGAP is phosphorylated by EPHB2 at tyrosine 310, which bridges proximal Dectin-induced EPHB2 activity to downstream CARD9-mediated signaling pathways. During Candida albicans infection, mice lacking TAGAP mount defective immune responses, impaired Th17 cell differentiation, and higher fungal burden. Similarly, in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model of multiple sclerosis, TAGAP deficient mice develop significantly attenuated disease. In summary, we report that TAGAP plays an important role in linking Dectin-induced signaling to the promotion of effective T helper cell immune responses, during both antifungal host defense and autoimmunity.
Background Genomic variants identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) explain <20% of heritability of coronary artery disease (CAD), thus many risk variants remain missing for CAD. Identification of new variants may unravel new biological pathways and genetic mechanisms for CAD. To identify new variants associated with CAD, we developed a candidate pathway-based GWAS by integrating expression quantitative loci (eQTL) analysis and mining of GWAS data with variants in a candidate pathway. Methods and Results Mining of GWAS data was performed to analyze variants in 32 complement system genes for positive association with CAD. Functional variants in genes showing positive association were then identified by searching existing expression quantitative loci databases and validated by RT-PCR. A follow-up case control design was then used to determine whether the functional variants are associated with CAD in two independent GeneID Chinese populations. Candidate pathway-based GWAS identified positive association between variants in C3AR1 and C6 and CAD. Two functional variants, rs7842 in C3AR1 and rs4400166 in C6, were found to be associated with expression levels of C3AR1 and C6, respectively. Significant association was identified between rs7842 and CAD (P=3.99×10−6, OR=1.47) and between rs4400166 and CAD (P=9.30×10−3, OR=1.24) in the validation cohort. The significant findings were confirmed in the replication cohort (P=1.53×10−5, OR=1.37 for rs7842; P=8.41×10−3, OR=1.21 for rs4400166. Conclusions Integration of GWAS with biological pathways and eQTL is effective in identifying new risk variants for CAD. Functional variants increasing C3AR1 and C6 expression were shown to confer significant risk of CAD for the first time.
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