Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.7.6 (RNA polymerase)
 34,946 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Miller-Dieker syndrome (MDS), a disorder manifesting the severe brain malformation lissencephaly ("smooth brain"), is caused, in the majority of cases, by a chromosomal microdeletion of the distal short arm of chromosome 17. Using human chromosome 17-specific DNA probes, we have begun a molecular dissection of the critical region for MDS. To localize cloned DNA sequences to the MDS critical region, a human-rodent somatic cell hybrid panel was constructed which includes hybrids containing the abnormal chromosome 17 from three MDS patients with deletions of various sizes. Three genes (myosin heavy chain 2, tumor antigen p53, and RNA polymerase II) previously mapped to 17p were excluded from the MDS deletion region and therefore are unlikely to play a role in its pathogenesis. In contrast, three highly polymorphic anonymous probes, YNZ22.1 (D17S5), YNH37.3 (D17S28), and 144-D6 (D17S34), were deleted in each of four patients with visible deletions, including one with a ring chromosome 17 that is deleted for a portion of the single telomeric prometaphase subband p13.3. In two MDS patients with normal chromosomes, a combination of somatic cell hybrid, RFLP, and densitometric studies demonstrated deletion for YNZ22.1 and YNH37.3 in the paternally derived 17's of both patients, one of whom is also deleted for 144-D6. The results indicate that MDS can be caused by submicroscopic deletion and raises the possibility that all MDS patients will prove to have deletions at a molecular level. The two probes lie within a critical region of less than 3,000 kb and constitute potential starting points in the isolation of genes implicated in the severe brain maldevelopment in MDS.
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PMID:Molecular detection of microscopic and submicroscopic deletions associated with Miller-Dieker syndrome. 318 30

Isolated lissencephaly sequence and Miller-Dieker syndrome are related neurodevelopmental disorders caused by defects of the LIS1 gene encoding the alpha subunit of intracellular platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase. In addition to the ortholog of the human LIS1 gene (Pafaha/Lis1), the mouse genome contains two more homologs. In order to characterize the new members of this gene family, we isolated both Pafaha/Lis1-related genes (Pafaha-ps1 and Pafaha-ps2) from a mouse genomic library. Pafaha-ps1 and Pafaha-ps2 are processed pseudogenes formed by the retroinsertion of 5'-truncated Pafaha/Lis1 cDNAs. Sequence analysis revealed a striking accumulation of retroelements at both loci, identifying two retroinsertion hotspots in the mouse genome. The recognition of tRNA genes flanking Pafaha-ps1 provides an example for the potential association of RNA polymerase III transcription and retroinsertion in mammals. Linkage mapping placed Pafaha-ps1 and Pafaha-ps2 to distal chromosome (Chr) 3 and proximal Chr 7, respectively. Our results indicate that only one of the three LIS1-related mouse loci (Pafaha/Lis1) is functional, in contrast with two closely related functional genes (LIS1 and LIS2) reported in humans. 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.
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PMID:Characterization and chromosomal mapping of two pseudogenes of the mouse Pafaha/Lis1 gene: retrointegration hotspots in the mouse genome. 972 1

A widespread epidemic of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection was reported in 2015 in South and Central America and the Caribbean. A major concern associated with this infection is the apparent increased incidence of microcephaly in fetuses born to mothers infected with ZIKV. In this report, we describe the case of an expectant mother who had a febrile illness with rash at the end of the first trimester of pregnancy while she was living in Brazil. Ultrasonography performed at 29 weeks of gestation revealed microcephaly with calcifications in the fetal brain and placenta. After the mother requested termination of the pregnancy, a fetal autopsy was performed. Micrencephaly (an abnormally small brain) was observed, with almost complete agyria, hydrocephalus, and multifocal dystrophic calcifications in the cortex and subcortical white matter, with associated cortical displacement and mild focal inflammation. ZIKV was found in the fetal brain tissue on reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) assay, with consistent findings on electron microscopy. The complete genome of ZIKV was recovered from the fetal brain.
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PMID:Zika Virus Associated with Microcephaly. 2686 12