ABSTRACT
Netherton Syndrome (NS) is a very rare genetic skin disease resulting from defects in the SPINK5 gene (encoding the protease inhibitor lympho-epithelial Kazal type inhibitor 1, LEKTI1). In this report, we provide a detailed clinical description of a Polish patient with two SPINK5 mutations, the novel c.1816_1820+21delinsCT and possibly recurrent c.1431-12G>A. A detailed pathogenesis of Netherton Syndrome, on the basis of literature review, is discussed in the view of current knowledge about the LEKT1 molecular processing and activity.
ABSTRACT
We present a clinical case of a female infant with multiple anomalies and distinctive facial features, with an exceptionally severe clinical course of Hirschsprung disease. The girl was also diagnosed with Mowat-Wilson syndrome, confirmed by molecular analysis as a heterozygous deletion of the ZEB2 gene. Moreover, molecular karyotyping revealed a deletion involving further genes (KYNU, ARHGAP15, and GTDC1).
Subject(s)
Abnormalities, Multiple/genetics , Gene Deletion , Hirschsprung Disease/genetics , Homeodomain Proteins/genetics , Intellectual Disability/genetics , Repressor Proteins/genetics , Abnormalities, Multiple/pathology , Female , GTPase-Activating Proteins/genetics , Genotype , Glycosyltransferases/genetics , Heterozygote , Hirschsprung Disease/complications , Hirschsprung Disease/pathology , Humans , Hydrolases/genetics , Infant, Newborn , Intellectual Disability/complications , Intellectual Disability/pathology , Karyotyping , Phenotype , Syndrome , Zinc Finger E-box Binding Homeobox 2ABSTRACT
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is known for its very poor overall prognosis. Accurate early diagnosis and new therapeutic modalities are therefore urgently needed. We used 377 feature microRNA (miRNA) arrays to investigate miRNA expression in normal pancreas, chronic pancreatitis, and PDAC tissues as well as PDAC-derived cell lines. A pancreatic miRNome was established comparing the data from normal pancreas with a reference set of 33 human tissues. The expression of miR-216 and -217 and lack of expression of miR-133a were identified as characteristic of pancreas tissue. Unsupervised clustering showed that the three pancreatic tissues types can be classified according to their respective miRNA expression profiles. We identified 26 miRNAs most prominently misregulated in PDAC and a relative quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction index using only miR-217 and -196a was found to discriminate normal pancreas, chronic pancreatitis and cancerous tissues, establishing a potential utility for miRNAs in diagnostic procedures. Lastly, comparing differentially expressed genes from PDAC with predicted miRNA target genes for the top 26 miRNAs, we identified potential novel links between aberrant miRNA expression and known target genes relevant to PDAC biology. Our data provides novel insights into the miRNA-driven pathophysiological mechanisms involved in PDAC development and offers new candidate targets to be exploited both for diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
