Dissection of epistasis in oligogenic Bardet-Biedl syndrome.

Epistatic interactions have an important role in phenotypic variability, yet the genetic dissection of such phenomena remains challenging. Here we report the identification of a novel locus, MGC1203, that contributes epistatic alleles to Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), a pleiotropic, oligogenic disorder. MGC1203 encodes a pericentriolar protein that interacts and colocalizes with the BBS proteins. Sequencing of two independent BBS cohorts revealed a significant enrichment of a heterozygous C430T mutation in patients, and a transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) showed strong over-transmission of this variant. Further analyses showed that the 430T allele enhances the use of a cryptic splice acceptor site, causing the introduction of a premature termination codon (PTC) and the reduction of steady-state MGC1203 messenger RNA levels. Finally, recapitulation of the human genotypes in zebrafish shows that modest suppression of mgc1203 exerts an epistatic effect on the developmental phenotype of BBS morphants. Our data demonstrate how the combined use of biochemical, genetic and in vivo tools can facilitate the dissection of epistatic phenomena, and enhance our appreciation of the genetic basis of phenotypic variability.

Mutations in a member of the Ras superfamily of small GTP-binding proteins causes Bardet-Biedl syndrome.

RAB, ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs) and ARF-like (ARL) proteins belong to the Ras superfamily of small GTP-binding proteins and are essential for various membrane-associated intracellular trafficking processes. None of the approximately 50 known members of this family are linked to human disease. Using a bioinformatic screen for ciliary genes in combination with mutational analyses, we identified ARL6 as the gene underlying Bardet-Biedl syndrome type 3, a multisystemic disorder characterized by obesity, blindness, polydactyly, renal abnormalities and cognitive impairment. We uncovered four different homozygous substitutions in ARL6 in four unrelated families affected with Bardet-Biedl syndrome, two of which disrupt a threonine residue important for GTP binding and function of several related small GTP-binding proteins. Analysis of the Caenorhabditis elegans ARL6 homolog indicates that it is specifically expressed in ciliated cells, and that, in addition to the postulated cytoplasmic functions of ARL proteins, it undergoes intraflagellar transport. These findings implicate a small GTP-binding protein in ciliary transport and the pathogenesis of a pleiotropic disorder.

Loss of C. elegans BBS-7 and BBS-8 protein function results in cilia defects and compromised intraflagellar transport.

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a genetically heterogeneous developmental disorder whose molecular basis is largely unknown. Here, we show that mutations in the Caenorhabditis elegans bbs-7 and bbs-8 genes cause structural and functional defects in cilia. C. elegans BBS proteins localize predominantly at the base of cilia, and like proteins involved in intraflagellar transport (IFT), a process necessary for cilia biogenesis and maintenance, move bidirectionally along the ciliary axoneme. Importantly, we demonstrate that BBS-7 and BBS-8 are required for the normal localization/motility of the IFT proteins OSM-5/Polaris and CHE-11, and to a notably lesser extent, CHE-2. We propose that BBS proteins play important, selective roles in the assembly and/or function of IFT particle components. Our findings also suggest that some of the cardinal and secondary symptoms of BBS, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiomyopathy, and learning defects may result from cilia dysfunction.

The Bardet-Biedl protein BBS4 targets cargo to the pericentriolar region and is required for microtubule anchoring and cell cycle progression.

BBS4 is one of several proteins that cause Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), a multisystemic disorder of genetic and clinical complexity. Here we show that BBS4 localizes to the centriolar satellites of centrosomes and basal bodies of primary cilia, where it functions as an adaptor of the p150(glued) subunit of the dynein transport machinery to recruit PCM1 (pericentriolar material 1 protein) and its associated cargo to the satellites. Silencing of BBS4 induces PCM1 mislocalization and concomitant deanchoring of centrosomal microtubules, arrest in cell division and apoptotic cell death. Expression of two truncated forms of BBS4 that are similar to those found in some individuals with BBS had a similar effect on PCM1 and microtubules. Our findings indicate that defective targeting or anchoring of pericentriolar proteins and microtubule disorganization contribute to the BBS phenotype and provide new insights into possible causes of familial obesity, diabetes and retinal degeneration.

Basal body dysfunction is a likely cause of pleiotropic Bardet-Biedl syndrome.

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized primarily by retinal dystrophy, obesity, polydactyly, renal malformations and learning disabilities. Although five BBS genes have been cloned, the molecular basis of this syndrome remains elusive. Here we show that BBS is probably caused by a defect at the basal body of ciliated cells. We have cloned a new BBS gene, BBS8, which encodes a protein with a prokaryotic domain, pilF, involved in pilus formation and twitching mobility. In one family, a homozygous null BBS8 mutation leads to BBS with randomization of left-right body axis symmetry, a known defect of the nodal cilium. We have also found that BBS8 localizes specifically to ciliated structures, such as the connecting cilium of the retina and columnar epithelial cells in the lung. In cells, BBS8 localizes to centrosomes and basal bodies and interacts with PCM1, a protein probably involved in ciliogenesis. Finally, we demonstrate that all available Caenorhabditis elegans BBS homologues are expressed exclusively in ciliated neurons, and contain regulatory elements for RFX, a transcription factor that modulates the expression of genes associated with ciliogenesis and intraflagellar transport.

Heterozygous mutations in BBS1, BBS2 and BBS6 have a potential epistatic effect on Bardet-Biedl patients with two mutations at a second BBS locus.

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a pleiotropic genetic disorder with substantial inter- and intrafamilial variability, that also exhibits remarkable genetic heterogeneity, with seven mapped BBS loci in the human genome. Recent data have demonstrated that BBS may be inherited either as a simple Mendelian recessive or as an oligogenic trait, since mutations at two loci are sometimes required for pathogenesis. This observation suggests that genetic interactions between the different BBS loci may modulate the phenotype, thus contributing to the clinical variability of BBS. We present three families with two mutations in either BBS1 or BBS2, in which some but not all patients carry a third mutation in BBS1, BBS2 or the putative chaperonin BBS6. In each example, the presence of three mutant alleles correlates with a more severe phenotype. For one of the missense alleles, we also demonstrate that the introduction of the mutation in mammalian cells causes a dramatic mislocalization of the protein compared with the wild-type. These data suggest that triallelic mutations are not always necessary for disease manifestation, but might potentiate a phenotype that is caused by two recessive mutations at an independent locus, thus introducing an additional layer of complexity on the genetic modeling of oligogenicity.

Genetic interaction of BBS1 mutations with alleles at other BBS loci can result in non-Mendelian Bardet-Biedl syndrome.

Bardet-Biedl syndrome is a genetically and clinically heterogeneous disorder caused by mutations in at least seven loci (BBS1-7), five of which are cloned (BBS1, BBS2, BBS4, BBS6, and BBS7). Genetic and mutational analyses have indicated that, in some families, a combination of three mutant alleles at two loci (triallelic inheritance) is necessary for pathogenesis. To date, four of the five known BBS loci have been implicated in this mode of oligogenic disease transmission. We present a comprehensive analysis of the spectrum, distribution, and involvement in non-Mendelian trait transmission of mutant alleles in BBS1, the most common BBS locus. Analyses of 259 independent families segregating a BBS phenotype indicate that BBS1 participates in complex inheritance and that, in different families, mutations in BBS1 can interact genetically with mutations at each of the other known BBS genes, as well as at unknown loci, to cause the phenotype. Consistent with this model, we identified homozygous M390R alleles, the most frequent BBS1 mutation, in asymptomatic individuals in two families. Moreover, our statistical analyses indicate that the prevalence of the M390R allele in the general population is consistent with an oligogenic rather than a recessive model of disease transmission. The distribution of BBS oligogenic alleles also indicates that all BBS loci might interact genetically with each other, but some genes, especially BBS2 and BBS6, are more likely to participate in triallelic inheritance, suggesting a variable ability of the BBS proteins to interact genetically with each other.

Identification of a novel Bardet-Biedl syndrome protein, BBS7, that shares structural features with BBS1 and BBS2.

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder, the primary features of which include obesity, retinal dystrophy, polydactyly, hypogenitalism, learning difficulties, and renal malformations. Conventional linkage and positional cloning have led to the mapping of six BBS loci in the human genome, four of which (BBS1, BBS2, BBS4, and BBS6) have been cloned. Despite these advances, the protein sequences of the known BBS genes have provided little or no insight into their function. To delineate functionally important regions in BBS2, we performed phylogenetic and genomic studies in which we used the human and zebrafish BBS2 peptide sequences to search dbEST and the translation of the draft human genome. We identified two novel genes that we initially named "BBS2L1" and "BBS2L2" and that exhibit modest similarity with two discrete, overlapping regions of BBS2. In the present study, we demonstrate that BBS2L1 mutations cause BBS, thereby defining a novel locus for this syndrome, BBS7, whereas BBS2L2 has been shown independently to be BBS1. The motif-based identification of a novel BBS locus has enabled us to define a potential functional domain that is present in three of the five known BBS proteins and, therefore, is likely to be important in the pathogenesis of this complex syndrome.

A computational/functional genomics approach for the enrichment of the retinal transcriptome and the identification of positional candidate retinopathy genes.

Grouping genes by virtue of their sequence similarity, functional association, or spatiotemporal distribution is an important first step in investigating function. Given the recent identification of >30,000 human genes either by analyses of genomic sequence or by derivation/assembly of ESTs, automated means of discerning gene function and association with disease are critical for the efficient processing of this large volume of data. We have designed a series of computational tools to manipulate the EST sequence database (dbEST) to predict EST clusters likely representing genes expressed exclusively or preferentially in a specific tissue. We implemented this tool by extracting 40,000 human retinal ESTs and performing in silico subtraction against 1.4 million human ESTs. This process yielded 925 ESTs likely to be specifically or preferentially expressed in the retina. We mapped all retinal-specific/predominant sequences in the human genome and produced a web-based searchable map of the retina transcriptome, onto which we overlaid the positions of all mapped but uncloned retinopathy genes. This resource has provided positional candidates for 42 of 51 uncloned retinopathies and may expedite substantially the identification of disease-associated genes. More importantly, the ability to systematically group ESTs according to their predicted expression profile is likely to be an important resource for studying gene function in a wide range of tissues and physiological systems and to identify positional candidate genes for human disorders whose phenotypic manifestations are restricted to specific tissues/organs/cell types.

BBS4 is a minor contributor to Bardet-Biedl syndrome and may also participate in triallelic inheritance.

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is an uncommon multisystemic disorder characterized primarily by retinal dystrophy, obesity, polydactyly, and renal dysfunction. BBS has been modeled historically as an autosomal recessive trait, under which premise six independent BBS loci (BBS1-BBS6) have been mapped in the human genome. However, extended mutational analyses of BBS2 and BBS6, the first two BBS genes cloned, suggest that BBS exhibits a more complex pattern of inheritance, in which three mutations at two loci simultaneously are necessary and sufficient in some families to manifest the phenotype. We evaluated the spectrum of mutations in the recently identified BBS4 gene with a combination of haplotype analysis and mutation screening on a multiethnic cohort of 177 families. Consistent with predictions from previous genetic analyses, our data suggest that mutations in BBS4 contribute to BBS in <3% of affected families. Furthermore, integrated mutational data from all three currently cloned BBS genes raise the possibility that BBS4 may participate in triallelic inheritance with BBS2 and BBS1, but not the other known loci. Establishment of the loci pairing in triallelism is likely to be important for the elucidation of the functional relationships among the different BBS proteins.