Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0025362 (mental retardation)
 15,878 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Neutral lipid storage disease (NLSD) is an autosomal recessive disorder in which excess triacylglycerol (TG) accumulates in most cells. Although it has been hypothesized that the TG accumulation is caused by a functional defect in cytosolic lipase activity, we were able to expose TG hydrolysis in NLSD cells by using triacsin C, an inhibitor of acyl-CoA synthetase that blocks the reincorporation of hydrolyzed fatty acids into glycerolipids. Our data suggest that TG lipolysis in NLSD cells is masked by rapid TG resynthesis, occurring because released acylglycerols cannot be used for phospholipid synthesis. In uptake studies, triacsin C blocked the incorporation of [3H]glycerol into glycerolipids, incorporation of [14C]oleate into TG, but not incorporation of [14C]oleate into phospholipid. Thus, the drug inhibited both de novo synthesis of glycerolipids via the glycerol-3-phosphate pathway and the synthesis of TG from diacylglycerol. The drug did not appear to block reacylation of lysophospholipids. Triacsin C caused a loss of about 60% of the TG mass from both NLSD and oleate-loaded control cells. Rates of TG lipolysis were similar in NLSD cells and oleate-loaded control cells labeled with [6-(7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl)-amino]hexanoic acid or labeled with [14C]oleate or [3H]glycerol and chased in the presence of triacsin C. During a 96-h chase, [14C]oleate reincorporation into the different phospholipid species increased only in control cells. Similar results were observed when NLSD, and control cells were chased after labeling with [3H]glycerol. These data strongly suggest that normal human fibroblasts mobilize stored TG for phospholipid synthesis and that recycling to PC occurs via a TG-derived mono- or diacylglycerol intermediate. Normal recycling to phosphatidylethanolamine may primarily involve TG-derived acyl groups rather than an acylglycerol precursor. NLSD cells appear to have a block in this recycling pathway with the result that both hydrolyzed fatty acids and the acylglycerol backbone are re-esterified to form TG. Because the NLSD phenotype includes ichthyosis, fatty liver, myopathy, cardiomyopathy, and mental retardation, the recycling pathway appears to be critical for the normal function of skin, liver, muscle, heart, and the central nervous system.
 ...
PMID:Acylglycerol recycling from triacylglycerol to phospholipid, not lipase activity, is defective in neutral lipid storage disease fibroblasts. 866 20

We observed a family in which two boys were diagnosed with Alport syndrome, elliptocytosis, and mental retardation and carried a large deletion of the Xq22.3-q23 region, encompassing the COL4A5 gene. This suggests the possibility of a new contiguous gene syndrome. In an attempt to characterize the genes contributing to this complex phenotype, we have isolated a gene encoding a new long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase (FACL4 or LACS4) from the region deleted in these patients. Among several ESTs identified by searching the human gene map database maintained at the National Center for Biotechnology Information, using the map position as a query, only one was deleted in the patients. RACE products containing the entire ORF were subsequently generated. Northern blot analysis showed a 5-kb mRNA expressed in several tissues except for liver and lung. Brain shows a longer transcript, possibly reflecting the use of a brain-specific upstream ATG start codon. FACL4 encodes a predicted protein product of 670 amino acids (711 in brain), with a remarkable level of conservation compared to the rat acyl-CoA synthetases ACS4 and brain-specific ACS3 protein sequences. We are investigating the possibility that the absence of this enzyme may play a role in the development of mental retardation or other signs associated with Alport syndrome in the family.
 ...
PMID:FACL4, a new gene encoding long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 4, is deleted in a family with Alport syndrome, elliptocytosis, and mental retardation. 948 Jul 48

Isolated mental retardation is clinically and genetically heterogenous and may be inherited in an autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, or X-linked manner. We report here a linkage analysis in a large family including 15 members, 6 of whom presenting X-linked non-syndromic mental retardation (MRX). Two-point linkage analysis using 23 polymorphic markers covering the entire X chromosome demonstrated significant linkage between the causative gene and DXS8055 with a maximum LOD score of 2.98 at theta = 0.00. Haplotype analysis indicated location for the disease gene in a 23.1 cM interval between DXS1106 and DXS8067. This MRX localization overlaps with 7 XLMR loci (MRX23, MRX27, MRX30, MRX35, MRX47, MRX53, and MRX63). This interval contains two genes associated with non-syndromic mental retardation (NSMR), namely the PAK3 gene, encoding a p21-activated kinase (MRX30 and MRX47) and the FACL4 gene encoding a fatty acyl-CoA ligase (MRX63). As skewed X-inactivation, an apparently constant feature in FACL4 carrier females was not observed in an obligate carrier belonging to the MRX family presented here, the PAK3 gene should be considered as the strongest candidate for this MRX locus.
 ...
PMID:Localization of a non-syndromic X-linked mental retardation gene (MRX80) to Xq22-q24. 1294 69

We have studied a male patient with significant developmental delay, growth failure, hypotonia, girdle weakness, microcephaly, and multiple congenital anomalies including atrial (ASD) and ventricular (VSD) septal defects. Detailed cytogenetic and molecular analyses revealed three de novo X chromosome aberrations and a karyotype 46,Y,der(X)inv(X) (p11.4q11.2)inv(X)(q11.2q21.32 approximately q22.2)del(X)(q22.3q22.3) was determined. The three X chromosome aberrations in the patient include: a pericentric inversion (inv 1) that disrupted the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) gene, dystrophin, at Xp11.4; an Xq11.2q21.32 approximately q22.2 paracentric inversion (inv 2) putatively affecting no genes; and an interstitial deletion at Xq22.3 that results in functional nullisomy of several known genes, including a gene previously associated with X-linked nonsyndromic mental retardation, acyl-CoA synthetase long chain family member 4 (ACSL4). These findings suggest that the disruption of DMD and the absence of ACSL4 in the patient are responsible for neuromuscular disease and cognitive impairment.
 ...
PMID:Disruption of DMD and deletion of ACSL4 causing developmental delay, hypotonia, and multiple congenital anomalies. 1627 8