Identifying the genetic variants that increase the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in humans has been a formidable challenge. Adopting a genome-wide association strategy, we genotyped 1161 Finnish T2D cases and 1174 Finnish normal glucose-tolerant (NGT) controls with >315,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and imputed genotypes for an additional >2 million autosomal SNPs. We carried out association analysis with these SNPs to identify genetic variants that predispose to T2D, compared our T2D association results with the results of two similar studies, and genotyped 80 SNPs in an additional 1215 Finnish T2D cases and 1258 Finnish NGT controls. We identify T2D-associated variants in an intergenic region of chromosome 11p12, contribute to the identification of T2D-associated variants near the genes IGF2BP2 and CDKAL1 and the region of CDKN2A and CDKN2B, and confirm that variants near TCF7L2, SLC30A8, HHEX, FTO, PPARG, and KCNJ11 are associated with T2D risk. This brings the number of T2D loci now confidently identified to at least 10.

The posttranscriptional mechanisms that control the cycling of circadian clock protein levels are not known. Here we demonstrate a role for protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) in the cyclic expression of the PER protein. PP2A regulatory subunits TWS and WDB target PER and stabilize it in S2 cells. In adult fly heads, expression of tws cycles robustly under control of the circadian clock. Hypomorphic tws mutants show delayed accumulation of PER, while overexpression of tws in clock neurons produces shorter, weaker rhythms. Reduction of PP2A activity reduces PER expression in central clock neurons and results in long periods and arrhythmia. In addition, overexpression of the PP2A catalytic subunit results in loss of behavioral rhythms and constitutive nuclear expression of PER. PP2A also affects PER phosphorylation in vitro and in vivo. We propose that the posttranslational mechanisms that drive cycling of PER require the rhythmic expression of PP2A.

Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is an infantile-onset form of inherited retinal degeneration characterized by severe vision loss1, 2. Two-thirds of LCA cases are caused by mutations in 17 known disease genes3 (RetNet Retinal Information Network). Using exome sequencing, we identified a homozygous missense mutation (c.25G>A, p.Val9Met) in NMNAT1 as likely disease-causing in two siblings of a consanguineous Pakistani kindred affected by LCA. This mutation segregated with disease in their kindred, including in three other children with LCA. NMNAT1 resides in the previously identified LCA9 locus and encodes the nuclear isoform of nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase, a rate-limiting enzyme in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) biosynthesis4, 5. Functional studies showed the p.Val9Met mutation decreased NMNAT1 enzyme activity. Sequencing NMNAT1 in 284 unrelated LCA families identified 14 rare mutations in 13 additional affected individuals. These results are the first to link an NMNAT isoform to disease and indicate that NMNAT1 mutations cause LCA.

Genetic association studies are a powerful tool to detect genetic variants that predispose to human disease. Once an associated variant is identified, investigators are also interested in estimating the effect of the identified variant on disease risk. Estimates of the genetic effect based on new association findings tend to be upwardly biased due to a phenomenon known as the "winner's curse". Overestimation of genetic effect size in initial studies may cause follow-up studies to be underpowered and so to fail. In this paper, we quantify the impact of the winner's curse on the allele frequency difference and odds ratio estimators for one-and two-stage case-control association studies. We then propose an ascertainment-corrected maximum likelihood method to reduce the bias of these estimators. We show that overestimation of the genetic effect by the uncorrected estimator decreases as the power of the association study increases and that the ascertainment-corrected method reduces absolute bias and mean square error unless power to detect association is high.

Objective Hypoxic-ischemic white mater brain injury commonly occurs in neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). Approximately half of the HLHS survivors exhibit neurobehavioral symptoms believed to be associated with this injury, though the exact timing of the injury is not known. Methods Neonates with HLHS were recruited for pre- and post-operative monitoring of cerebral oxygen saturation (ScO2), cerebral oxygen extraction fraction (OEF), and cerebral blood flow (CBF) using two non-invasive optical-based techniques, namely diffuse optical spectroscopy and diffuse correlation spectroscopy. Anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were performed prior to and approximately one week after surgery in order to quantify the extent and timing of the acquired white matter injury. Risk factors for developing new or worsened white matter injury were assessed using uni- and multi-variate logistic regression. Results Thirty-seven neonates with HLHS were studied. In a univariate analysis, neonates who developed a large volume of new, or worsened, postoperative white matter injury had a significantly longer time-to-surgery (p=0.0003). In a multivariate model, longer time between birth and surgery (i.e., time-to-surgery), delayed sternal closure, and higher pre-operative CBF were predictors of post-operative white matter injury. Additionally, longer time-to-surgery and higher pre-operative CBF on morning of surgery were correlated with lower ScO2 (p=0.03 and p=0.05) and higher OEF (p=0.05 and p=0.05). Conclusions Longer time-to-surgery is associated with new post-operative white matter injury in otherwise healthy neonates with HLHS. The results suggest that earlier Norwood palliation may decrease the likelihood of acquiring postoperative white matter injury.

Although concussion is now recognized as a major health issue, its non-lethal nature has limited characterization of the underlying pathophysiology. In particular, potential neuropathological changes have typically been inferred from non-invasive techniques or post-mortem examinations of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Here, we used a swine model of head rotational acceleration based on human concussion to examine blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity after injury in association with diffuse axonal injury and glial responses. We then determined the potential clinical relevance of the swine concussion findings through comparisons with pathological changes in human severe TBI, where post-mortem examinations are possible. At 6-72 h post-injury in swine, we observed multifocal disruption of the BBB, demonstrated by extravasation of serum proteins, fibrinogen and immunoglobulin-G, in the absence of hemorrhage or other focal pathology. BBB disruption was observed in a stereotyped distribution consistent with biomechanical insult. Specifically, extravasated serum proteins were frequently observed at interfaces between regions of tissue with differing material properties, including the gray-white boundary, periventricular and subpial regions. In addition, there was substantial overlap of BBB disruption with regions of axonal pathology in the white matter. Acute perivascular cellular uptake of blood-borne proteins was observed to be prominent in astrocytes (GFAP-positive) and neurons (MAP-2-positive), but not microglia (IBA1-positive). Parallel examination of human severe TBI revealed similar patterns of serum extravasation and glial uptake of serum proteins, but to a much greater extent than in the swine model, attributed to the higher injury severity. These data suggest that BBB disruption represents a new and important pathological feature of concussion.

Objective We evaluated the prevalence of sacroiliitis at diagnosis of juvenile spondyloarthritis (JSpA) and the accuracy of physical examination and back pain to detect sacroiliitis, using imaging as the reference standard. Methods We performed a prospective cross-sectional study of 40 children with newly diagnosed JSpA and 14 healthy controls. Subjects were assessed using physical examination, anteroposterior pelvic radiograph, and pelvic MRI. Differences in clinical features between those children with and without sacroiliitis were assessed by Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables and Wilcoxon rank sum test for continuous variables. Accuracy of physical examination and back pain for detection of sacroiliitis was determined using MRI as the reference standard. Predicted probability of sacroiliitis was determined using exact multivariate logistic regression. Results Eight (20%) children with JSpA had active sacroiliitis. Of those subjects with active changes on MRI, 7/8 (88%) also had evidence of erosions or sclerosis. Five (13%) children with JSpA and 1 (7%) control had non-periarticular bone marrow edema. Of the subjects with active sacroiliitis only 3 (38%) reported a history of back pain or tenderness on palpation of the sacroiliac joints. The positive and negative predictive values of clinical exam features and back pain for detection of sacroiliitis were low. The estimated probability of having sacroiliitis was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.40–1.00) in HLA-B27+ patients with an elevated CRP. Conclusion Active sacroiliitis by MRI is common at diagnosis in JSpA and is frequently asymptomatic. Children who are HLA-B27+ and have elevated CRP levels have the highest probability of sacroiliitis.

Mitochondrial respiratory chain (RC) disease therapies directed at intra-mitochondrial pathology are largely ineffective. Recognizing that RC dysfunction invokes pronounced extra-mitochondrial transcriptional adaptations, particularly involving dysregulated translation, we hypothesized that translational dysregulation is itself contributing to the pathophysiology of RC disease. Here, we investigated the activities, and effects from direct inhibition, of a central translational regulator (mTORC1) and its downstream biological processes in diverse genetic and pharmacological models of RC disease. Our data identify novel mechanisms underlying the cellular pathogenesis of RC dysfunction, including the combined induction of proteotoxic stress, the ER stress response and autophagy. mTORC1 inhibition with rapamycin partially ameliorated renal disease in B6.Pdss2(kd/kd) mice with complexes I-III/II-III deficiencies, improved viability and mitochondrial physiology in gas-1(fc21) nematodes with complex I deficiency, and rescued viability across a variety of RC-inhibited human cells. Even more effective was probucol, a PPAR-activating anti-lipid drug that we show also inhibits mTORC1. However, directly inhibiting mTORC1-regulated downstream activities yielded the most pronounced and sustained benefit. Partial inhibition of translation by cycloheximide, or of autophagy by lithium chloride, rescued viability, preserved cellular respiratory capacity and induced mitochondrial translation and biogenesis. Cycloheximide also ameliorated proteotoxic stress via a uniquely selective reduction of cytosolic protein translation. RNAseq-based transcriptome profiling of treatment effects in gas-1(fc21) mutants provide further evidence that these therapies effectively restored altered translation and autophagy pathways toward that of wild-type animals. Overall, partially inhibiting cytosolic translation and autophagy offer novel treatment strategies to improve health across the diverse array of human diseases whose pathogenesis involves RC dysfunction.