Julia Spoendlin, Johannes J. Voegel, Susan S. Jick and Christoph R. Meier Basel Pharmacoepidemiology Unit, Division of Clinical Pharmacy and Epidemiology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Hospital Pharmacy, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Galderma Research & Development, Sophia Antipolis, France and Boston Collaborative Drug Surveill...

Mutated or truncated forms of certain members of the steroid/thyroid receptor superfamily have oncogenic potential. The aberrant forms compete with the normal receptor for binding to the responsive element on the DNA and thus interfere negatively with the normal transcription control mechanism. Oncogenes that arise from dominant negative mutations may therefore be called "dononcs," to distingui...

Craniometaphyseal dysplasia (CMD) is a rare sclerosing skeletal disorder with progressive hyperostosis of craniofacial bones. CMD can be inherited in an autosomal dominant (AD) trait or occur after de novo mutations in the pyrophosphate transporter ANKH. Although the autosomal recessive (AR) form of CMD had been mapped to 6q21-22 the mutation has been elusive. In this study, we performed whole-...

Inherited forms of long QT syndrome (LQTS) are characterised by an extended QT interval and clinical manifestations that include syncope and sudden death. The known genes in which mutations give rise to LQTS all produce components of cardiac ion channels. The two genes mutated in the majority of cases are KCNQ1 or HERG. The proteins produced from these genes are subunits which form tetrameric t...

DEAR EDITOR, Loricrin keratoderma (syn. Camisa syndrome, OMIM 604117) is a rare autosomal dominant genodermatosis characterized by palmoplantar keratoderma and ichthyosis. It is caused by mutations in loricrin, a small basic protein synthesized in the upper granular layer, which becomes a major constituent of the cornified cell envelope. Seven distinct mutations in loricrin have been reported i...

In many bacteria, the ferric uptake regulator (Fur) protein plays a central role in the regulation of iron uptake genes. Because iron figures prominently in the agriculturally important symbiosis between soybean and its nitrogen-fixing endosymbiont Bradyrhizobium japonicum, we wanted to assess the role of Fur in the interaction. We identified a fur mutant by selecting for manganese resistance. ...

Mutations in the PITX2 bicoid-like homeobox gene cause Rieger syndrome. Rieger syndrome is an autosomal-dominant human disorder characterized by glaucoma as well as dental hypoplasia, mild craniofacial dysmorphism, and umbilical stump abnormalities. PITX2 has also been implicated in the development of multiple organs and left-right asymmetry in the body plan. The PITX2 homeodomain has a lysine ...

1. Kahr WH, Hinckley J, Li L et al. Mutations in NBEAL2, encoding a BEACH protein, cause gray platelet syndrome. Nat Genet 2011: 43 (8): 738–740. 2. Albers CA, Cvejic A, Favier R et al. Exome sequencing identifies NBEAL2 as the causative gene for gray platelet syndrome. Nat Genet 2011: 43 (8): 735–737. 3. Gunay-Aygun M, Falik-Zaccai TC, Vilboux T et al. NBEAL2 is mutated in gray platelet syndro...

Familial isolated GH deficiency type II (IGHD II) is caused, in some cases, by heterogeneous IVS3 mutations that affect GH mRNA splicing. We report here our finding an A-->G transition of the fifth base of exon 3 (E3+ 5 A-->G) in affected individuals from an IGHD II family. This mutation disrupts a (GAA)(n) exon splice enhancer (ESE) motif immediately following the weak IVS2 3' splice site. The...