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The cohesin ring is a protein complex composed of four core subunits: Smc1A, Smc3, Rad21 and Stag1/2. It is involved in chromosome segregation, DNA repair, chromatin organization and transcription regulation. Opening of the ring occurs at the “head” structure, formed of the ATPase domains of Smc1A and Smc3 and Rad21. We investigate the mechanisms of the cohesin ring opening using techniques of free molecular dynamics (MD), steered MD and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics MD (QM/MM MD). The study allows the thorough analysis of the opening events at the atomic scale: i) ATP hydrolysis at the Smc1A site, evaluating the role of the carboxy-terminal domain of Rad21 in the process; ii) the activation of the Smc3 site potentially mediated by the movement of specific amino acids; and iii) opening of the head domains after the two ATP hydrolysis events. Our study suggests that the cohesin ring opening is triggered by a sequential activation of the ATP sites in which ATP hydrolysis at the Smc1A site induces ATPase activity at the Smc3 site. Our analysis also provides an explanation for the effect of pathogenic variants related to cohesinopathies and cancer.

Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is a congenital developmental disorder characterized by distinctive craniofacial features, growth retardation, cognitive impairment, limb defects, hirsutism, and multisystem involvement. Mutations in five genes encoding structural components (SMC1A, SMC3, RAD21) or functionally associated factors (NIPBL, HDAC8) of the cohesin complex have been found in patients with CdLS. In about 60% of the patients, mutations in NIPBL could be identified. Interestingly, 17% of them are predicted to change normal splicing, however, detailed molecular investigations are often missing. Here, we report the first systematic study of the physiological splicing of the NIPBL gene, that would reveal the identification of four new splicing isoforms ΔE10, ΔE12, ΔE33,34, and B’. Furthermore, we have investigated nine mutations affecting splice-sites in the NIPBL gene identified in twelve CdLS patients. All mutations have been examined on the DNA and RNA level, as well as by in silico analyses. Although patients with mutations affecting NIPBL splicing show a broad clinical variability, the more severe phenotypes seem to be associated with aberrant transcripts resulting in a shift of the reading frame.

Mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase deficiency (mitochondrial HMG-CoA synthase deficiency or mHS deficiency, OMIM #605911) is an inborn error of metabolism that affects ketone body synthesis. Acute episodes include vomiting, lethargy, hepatomegaly, hypoglycemia and dicarboxylic aciduria. The diagnosis is difficult due to the relatively unspecific clinical and biochemical presentation, and fewer than 30 patients have been described. This work describes three new patients with mHS deficiency and two missense mutations c.334C>T (p.R112W) and c.430G>T (p.V144L) previously not reported. We developed a new method to express and measure the activity of the enzyme and in this work the study is extended to ten new missense variants including those of our patients. Enzymatic assays showed that three of the mutant proteins retained some but seven completely lacked activity. The identification of a patient homozygous for a mutation that retains 70% of enzyme activity opens the door to a new interpretation of the disease by demonstrating that a modest impairment of enzyme function can actually produce symptoms. This is also the first study employing molecular dynamics modelling of the enzyme mutations. We show that the correct maintenance of the dimerization surface is crucial for retaining the structure of the active center and therefore the activity of the enzyme.

Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is a rare genetically heterogeneous disorder with a high phenotypic variability including mental retardation, developmental delay, and limb malformations. The genetic causes in about 30% of patients with CdLS are still unknown. We report on the functional characterization of two intronic NIPBL mutations in two patients with CdLS that do not affect a conserved splice-donor or acceptor site. Interestingly, mRNA analyses showed aberrantly spliced transcripts missing exon 28 or 37, suggesting the loss of the branch site by the c.5329-15A>G transition and a disruption of the polypyrimidine by the c.6344del(-13)_(-8) deletion. While the loss of exon 28 retains the reading frame of the NIBPL transcript resulting in a shortened protein, the loss of exon 37 shifts the reading frame with the consequence of a premature stop of translation. Subsequent quantitative PCR analysis demonstrated a 30% decrease of the total NIPBL mRNA levels associated with the frameshift transcript. Consistent with our results, this patient shows a more severe phenotype compared to the patient with the aberrant transcript that retains its reading frame. Thus, intronic variants identified by sequencing analysis in CdLS diagnostics should carefully be examined before excluding them as nonrelevant to disease.

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) is an autosomal dominant (NIPBL, SMC3, and RAD21) or X-linked (SMC1A and HDAC8) disorder, characterized by distinctive craniofacial appearance, growth retardation, intellectual disability, and limb anomalies. In 2005, the Spanish CdLS Reference Center was started and now we have more than 270 cases in our database. In this special issue, we describe some of the unique or atypical patients studied by our group, whose clinical features have contributed to the expansion of the CdLS classical phenotype, helping clinicians to diagnose it. We include the case of a male with unilateral tibial hypoplasia and peroneal agenesis who had a mutation in NIPBL; we also describe one patient with a mutation in NIPBL and somatic mosaicism identified by new generation sequencing techniques; we also include one patient with CdLS and Turner syndrome; and last, an interesting patient with a duplication of the SMC1A gene. Finally, we make a short review of the splicing mutations we have found in NIPBL regarding the new knowledge on the physiological variants of the gene. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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