ARHGEF16 variants screening and mutation function analysis for children with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the pathogenesis of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC), and to identify ARHGEF16 gene through full exon sequencing screening and analyze its mutation function. Methods:The blood, clinical data and auxiliary examination results of 78 children with TAPVC and 100 healthy controls were collected, and the genomic DNA was extracted for ARHGEF16 mutation screening. ARHGEF16 wild-type and mutant expression plasmids were constructed and transfected into 293T cells. mRNA and protein expression levels were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting, respectively. Protein-protein interaction exploration was performed by Cytoscape software. Results:Two novel variants c.C236>T (A79V) and c.G619>C (G207R) were found in TAPVC patients and were not found in healthy controls. Compared with the wild type, the mutants ARHGEF16 were up-regulated in both mRNA and protein expression levels. Protein interaction analysis showed that ARHGEF16 and RAC1 were directly associated; RAC1 expression was up-regulated in HEK293 cells with ARHGEF16 overexpression through RT-qPCR. Conclusion:The missense mutations of ARHGEF16 affect the mRNA and protein expression levels of ARHGEF16. Overexpression of ARHGEF16 up-regulates the expression of RAC1, suggesting that it may participate in the development and formation of TAPVC by regulating RAC1.