Mutations in the nuclear-encoded mitochondrial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are associated with a range of clinical phenotypes. Here, we report a novel disorder in three adult patients with a phenotype including cataracts, short-stature secondary to growth hormone deficiency, sensorineural hearing deficit, peripheral sensory neuropathy, and skeletal dysplasia. Using SNP genotyping and whole-exome sequencing, we identified a single likely causal variant, a missense mutation in a conserved residue of the nuclear gene IARS2, encoding mitochondrial isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase. The mutation is homozygous in the affected patients, heterozygous in carriers, and absent in control chromosomes. IARS2 protein level was reduced in skin cells cultured from one of the patients, consistent with a pathogenic effect of the mutation. Compound heterozygous mutations in IARS2 were independently identified in a previously unreported patient with a more severe mitochondrial phenotype diagnosed as Leigh syndrome. This is the first report of clinical findings associated with IARS2 mutations.
Defined branched peptides (loligomers) incorporating cytoplasmic translocation signals, nuclear localization sequences, and fluorescent probes were designed and synthesized to demonstrate the feasibility and simplicity of creating novel classes of intracellular vehicles. Loligomers containing all the above signals were rapidly internalized by Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and accumulated in their nucleus. At 4 degrees C, the interaction of peptide constructs with CHO cells was limited to membrane association. Loligomers entered cells at higher temperatures by adsorptive endocytosis. Inhibitors of ATP synthesis affected cytoplasmic import only weakly but abolished nuclear uptake. The peptide signals guided both cytoplasmic and nuclear localization events. The properties exhibited by loligomers suggest a strategy for the facile design of "guided" classes of intracellular agents.
A monoclonal antibody (M2A, IgG2a) was produced against a cultured human ovarian epithelial adenocarcinoma cell line, HEY. Monoclonal antibody M2A reacted with a glycoprotein of molecular weight 40,000 on the surface of HEY cells. The affinity constant of the monoclonal antibody M2A for HEY cells was 109 M-1, and the number of binding sites on HEY cells was 2 x 104 per cell. The monoclonal antibody produced positive immunoperoxidase staining of fetal (but not adult) testis and of seminomas and dysgerminomas but did not stain various normal adult tissues or other gonadal or extragonadal tumors. Monoclonal antibody M2A may be useful for confirming a histological diagnosis of seminoma and dysgerminoma.
We describe a case of severe infantile-onset complex I deficiency in association with an apparent de novo near-homoplasmic mutation (m.14487T>C) in the mitochondrial ND6 gene, which was previously associated with Leigh syndrome and other neurological disorders. The mutation was near-homoplasmic in muscle by NextGen sequencing (99.4% mutant), homoplasmic in muscle by Sanger sequencing, and it was associated with a severe complex I deficiency in both muscle and fibroblasts. This supports previous data regarding Leigh syndrome being on the severe end of a phenotypic spectrum including progressive myoclonic epilepsy, childhood-onset dystonia, bilateral striatal necrosis, and optic atrophy, depending on the proportion of mutant heteroplasmy. While the mother in all previously reported cases was heteroplasmic, the mother and brother of this case were homoplasmic for the wild-type, m.14487T. Importantly, the current data demonstrate the potential for cases of mutations that were previously reported to be homoplasmic by Sanger sequencing to be less homoplasmic by NextGen sequencing. This case underscores the importance of considering mitochondrial DNA mutations in families with a negative family history, even in offspring of those who have tested negative for a specific mtDNA mutation.
More specific radiopharmaceuticals are currently being evaluated for the in vivo detection and therapy of breast cancer. The human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) represents a good radiopharmaceutical candidate in view of the reported overexpression of its receptor by breast cancer cells. To enhance the imaging potential of this peptide ligand, a synthetic strategy was developed to rapidly create small peptides containing a large number of metal-chelating groups that can be readily coupled to hEGF. A prototypic 15-amino acid branched peptide containing four EDTA-like chelator groups was assembled by solid phase peptide synthesis. The metal chelating peptide, abbreviated MCP-4-EDTA-SH, was selectively incorporated into hEGF(1-51) at its unique N-terminus amino group. The coupling of a single MCP-4-EDTA-SH into hEGF(1-51) was confirmed by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, western blotting, and amino acid analysis. The protein conjugate was successfully labeled with 111In. Its specific binding to EGF receptors present on MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells confirmed that such a construct retains the properties of the natural ligand.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.