Genetic heterogeneity of primary open angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension: linkage to GLC1A associated with an increased risk of severe glaucomatous optic neuropathy.

The GLC1A locus for autosomal dominant juvenile and middle age onset primary open angle glaucoma (OAG) has been mapped to chromosome 1q21-q31. OAG, however, is a heterogeneous disease. We tested linkage of OAG and ocular hypertension (OHT), a major risk factor for OAG, to GLC1A in eight French families with multiple cases of juvenile and middle age onset OAG. There was strong evidence of genetic heterogeneity, four families being linked to GLC1A and two or three others being unlinked, depending on whether the complete OAG phenotype was analysed alone or jointly with OHT. Peak intraocular pressure (IOP) did not differ significantly between the two groups of families, while linkage to GLC1A conferred a highly increased risk of developing OAG and of having severe glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Testing linkage of familial OAG to GLC1A may therefore have prognostic value too.

Recombinational and physical mapping of the locus for primary open-angle glaucoma (GLC1A) on chromosome 1q23-q25.

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in industrialized countries. A locus for juvenile-onset POAG, GLC1A, has been mapped to 1q21-q31 in a 9-cM interval. With recombinant haplotypes, we have now reduced the GLC1A interval to a maximum of 3 cM, between the D1S452/NGA1/D1S210 and NGA5 loci. These loci are 2.8 Mb apart on a 4.7-Mb contig that we have completed between the D1S2851 and D1S218 loci and that includes 96 YAC clones and 48 STSs. The new GLC1A interval itself is now covered by 25 YACs, 30 STSs, and 16 restriction enzyme site landmarks. The lack of a NotI site suggests that the region has few CpG islands and a low gene content. This is compatible with its predominant cytogenetic location on the 1q24 G-band. Finally, we have excluded important candidate genes, including genes coding for three ATPases (ATP1B1, ATP2B4, ATP1A2), an ion channel (VDAC4), antithrombine III (AT3), and prostaglandin synthase (PTGS2). Our results provide a basis to identify the GLC1A gene.

Age-dependent penetrance and mapping of the locus for juvenile and early-onset open-angle glaucoma on chromosome 1q (GLC1A) in a French family.

The GLC1A locus for autosomal dominant primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) with juvenile onset (before 20 years) has been mapped to chromosome 1q21-q31. Recently, a French-Canadian family was described in which both juvenile-onset and middle-age or early-onset POAG were observed and linked to GLC1A. We now describe a second POAG family with variable age of onset (range 11-51, median 36 years of age). Linkage to GLC1A was established with a maximum lod score of 6.21 at the D1S452 locus. A recombination event in a severely glaucomatous patient restricted the distal boundary of the GLC1A interval proximal to the AFM154xc9 marker. This study strengthens the idea that early-onset POAG may also be determined by the GLC1A genetic region.

Recognition of the N-terminal, C-terminal, and interior portions of HBx by sera from patients with hepatitis B.

We have cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli three different parts of the HBx open reading frame, the N- and C-termini and the interior or central portion, using two vector systems. The sera of 43 hepatitis B virus patients representing three clinical categories--asymptomatic carriers, chronic active hepatitis, and hepatitis B patients with cirrhosis--known to be anti-HBx positive, were tested for reactivity against these constructs by Western blotting. The great majority of sera, regardless of the clinical categories, clearly recognise all three parts of HBx, strongly suggesting that the normal mechanism of biosynthesis of the HBx gene product is a straight-forward translation of the open reading frame starting from the first ATG. However, asymptomatic carriers show a marked, often almost exclusive, preference for recognition of the central portion of HBx, while patients with chronic hepatitis and patients with cirrhosis generally recognise all three parts of HBx to a similar extent.

Production of polyclonal antibodies against the S and preS2 regions of woodchuck hepatitis virus: lack of detectable low glycosylated preS2 protein (GP33) in sera from infected animals.

Polyclonal antibodies directed against the preS2 and S domains of the woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) envelope proteins were prepared using synthetic peptides and fusion polypeptides as immunogens. They were tested by immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation of infected woodchuck sera and lysates of a eukaryotic cell line expressing WHV envelope proteins. Only one anti-peptide serum directed against the preS2 domain was reactive with WHV envelope proteins, recognizing the preS2 and preS1 proteins by their preS2 epitopes. With recombinant fusion proteins we generated several anti-S sera, which recognized all envelope proteins, and anti-preS2 antisera, which recognized the preS proteins. Results obtained with our antisera showed that sera of infected woodchucks lack the low glycosylated form (GP33) of the preS2 protein, unlike human hepatitis B virus.

The second oncogene mil of avian retrovirus MH2 is related to the src gene family.

The nucleotide sequence of a PstI fragment prepared from a cloned MH2 virus genome, pMH2-Hd, has been deduced using chemical and enzymatic methods. This fragment, 1862 nucleotides in length, starts with the gag gene, encodes the v-mil sequence and stops within the v-myc gene. This sequence shows that the v-mil gene is fused to the gag gene giving rise to a fused polyprotein of 98 000 daltons: 515 amino acids at the amino terminus would correspond to p10, p19, p27 and part of p12 determinants, 347 amino acids at the carboxy terminus correspond to the v-mil specific sequence. The mil protein shares homology with a number of onc proteins such as src, fes, fms, mos, yes, fps and erbB, as well as with the catalytic chain of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. This PstI fragment also encodes the beginning of the myc gene which was integrated in MH2 along with the 3' end of the preceding intron placing an acceptor splice site in front of the used open reading frame. As deduced from the sequence, the MH2 myc protein is not identical to the MC29 myc protein. It differs at its amino terminus, which contains little or no gag determinants, depending on the ATG used to initiate translation.

Nucleotide sequence of the human c-myc locus: provocative open reading frame within the first exon.

The nucleotide sequence of a HindIII-EcoRI DNA fragment, 8 kbp long, of a lambda recombinant containing the whole human c-myc gene has been deduced by the method of Maxam and Gilbert. This fragment encodes the complex c-myc locus and the sequence provides information relative to the 2.7 kb long c-myc transcript. It appears that although exons 2 and 3 would code for a 48-K protein homologous to the myc domain of the viral p110 gag-myc protein, the first exon, which has a large open reading frame ending with a stop codon just upstream from the donor splice site, could code on its own for a 20-K protein. Speculations about the role of that putative protein on the regulation of the expression of exons 2 and 3 are made.