Publication

Mutations in the gene for Norrie disease protein (Ndp) cause syndromic deafness and blindness. We show here that cochlear function in an Ndp knockout mouse deteriorated with age: At P3-P4, hair cells (HCs) showed progressive loss of Pou4f3 and Gfi1, key transcription factors for HC maturation, and Myo7a, a specialized myosin required for normal function of HC stereocilia. Loss of expression of these genes correlated to increasing HC loss and profound hearing loss by 2 mo.

The biological mechanisms underpinning learning are unclear. Mounting evidence has suggested that adult hippocampal neurogenesis is involved although a causal relationship has not been well defined. Here, using high-resolution genetic mapping of adult neurogenesis, combined with sequencing information, we identify follistatin (Fst) and demonstrate its involvement in learning and adult neurogenesis. We confirmed that brain-specific Fst knockout (KO) mice exhibited decreased hippocampal neurogenesis and demonstrated that FST is critical for learning.

Forming long-term memories is crucial for adaptive behavior and survival in changing environments. The molecular consolidation processes which underlie the formation of these long-term memories are dependent on protein synthesis in excitatory and SST-expressing neurons. A centrally important, parallel process to this involves the removal of the memory constraint quinone reductase 2 (QR2), which has been recently shown to enhance memory consolidation for novel experiences in the cortex and hippocampus, via redox modulation.

Activation of the angiotensin (Ang)-converting enzyme (ACE) 2/Ang-(1-7)/MAS receptor pathway of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) induces protective mechanisms in different diseases. Herein, we describe the cardiovascular phenotype of a new transgenic rat line (TG7371) that expresses an Ang-(1-7)-producing fusion protein. The transgene-specific mRNA and the corresponding protein were shown to be present in all evaluated tissues of TG7371 with the highest expression in aorta and brain.

Introduction The 2018 updated molecular testing guidelines for patients with advanced lung cancer incorporated ALK immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis as an equivalent to fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method recommended in 2013. Nevertheless, no specific recommendation for alternative methods was proposed owing to insufficient data. The aim of this study was to compare the results of ALK IHC, FISH, RNA next-generation sequencing (NGS), and RNA in situ hybridization (ISH) with available clinical data.

Somatosensory low threshold mechanoreceptors (LTMRs) sense innocuous mechanical forces, largely through specialized axon termini termed sensory nerve endings, where the mechanotransduction process initiates upon activation of mechanotransducers. In humans, a subset of sensory nerve endings is enlarged, forming bulb-like expansions, termed bulbous nerve endings. There is no in vitro human model to study these neuronal endings. Piezo2 is the main mechanotransducer found in LTMRs.

To study the epidemiology of Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) in the Netherlands, we searched the database of the laboratory for diagnostic genome analysis (LDGA) of the Leiden university medical centre (LUMC), where genetic testing has been concentrated since the 1980’s, and the Dutch dystrophinopathy database (DDD) for patients diagnosed with BMD. We expect that together these databases contain the vast majority of BMD patients and can thus be used to approximate the incidence of BMD.

Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) is an X-linked recessive disorder caused by the absence of dystrophin. It is characterized by progressive skeletal and cardiac muscle weakness that usually becomes apparent between the ages of 5 and 15. Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant disorder of lipid metabolism present from birth. It is characterized by remarkably high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels causing premature coronary heart disease. We report a 9-year-old boy with familial hyperlipidemia who presented with creatinine kinase elevation.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked neuromuscular disease due to pathogenic variants in the DMD gene. DMD often is associated with cognitive and neuro-behavioural co-morbidities, which pathogenesis and genotype-phenotype relationship are only partially understood. Multiple DMD isoforms, differentially affected based on the mutation site, play a role in these co-morbidities, based on their prominent (Dp71) or exclusive (Dp140) brain expression.

Exon 2 duplications of the DMD gene, encoding the dystrophin protein, account for around 6-11% of all duplication mutations associated with X-linked Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). As part of the preclinical development of a U7snRNA vector currently in a clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04240314), we have previously evaluated the therapeutic efficacy, absence of off-target splicing effects in AAV9.U7snRNA-mediated skipping of exon 2 in a murine Dmd model, and lack of toxicity in non-human primates.