Genetics (Part II) Flashcards
What are the clinical features of Marfan’s syndrome? (9)
Unusually tall, exceptionally long extremities, long tapered fingers and toes, “double jointed”, long headed with frontal bossing, pectus excavatum, ectopia lentis, mitral valve prolapse, aortic dissection
What is usually the cause of death in Marfan patients?
Aortic dissection
How many different variants of EDS are there?
6
What is the defect in Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes?
Defect in the synthesis or structure of fibrillar collagen
What are some clinical features of Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes?
Skin is hyperextensible and the joints are hypermobile; skin is extraordinarily stretchable, extremely fragile, and vulnerable to trauma
If a patient has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, what happens if there is a minor injury to the skin?
It produces gaping defects- surgical repair or intervention is difficult due to lack of normal tensile strength
What is the number 1 risk of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome?
Serious internal complications- rupture of the colon and large arteries
What type of EDS does the patient have if there is rupture of the colon and large arteries?
Vascular EDS
What type of EDS does the patient have if they have ocular fragility with rupture of cornea and retinal detachment?
Kyphoscoliosis EDS
What type of EDS does the patient have if they have a diaphragmatic hernia?
Classic EDS
What are the clinical findings associated with Classic (I/II) EDS? (3)
Skin and joint hypermobility, atrophic scars, and easy bruising
What is the specific gene defect in classic (I/II) EDS?
COL5A1 and COL5A2
What are the clinical findings associated with Vascular (IV) EDS? (4)
Thin skin, arterial or uterine rupture**, bruising, small joint hyperextensibility
What are the gene defects in the vascular (IV) EDS?
COL3A1
What are the clinical findings associated with Kyphoscoliosis (VI) EDS? (4)
Hypotonia, joint laxity, congenital scoliosis, and ocular fragility
What are the gene defects in the kyphoscoliosis (VI) EDS?
Lysyl hydroxylase (PLOD1 gene)
Which EDS are autosomal dominant?
Classic (I/II), Hypermobility (III), Vascular (IV)
Which EDS are autosomal recessive?
Kyphoscoliosis (VI)
What is the defect in familial hypercholesterolemia?
Mutation of receptor for LDL (LDLR) in 80-85% of the cases; mutation in apolipoprotein B-100 ApoB (the ligand for LDL receptor on the LDL particle) in 5-10% of cases; proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 PCSK9 in 1-2% of the cases
What does the mutation in familial hypercholesterolemia lead to?
Inadequate removal of plasma LDL by the liver
How do heterozygotes present with familial hypercholesterolemia?
With a 2-3 fold increase in cholesterol and CAD with tendinous xanthomas
How do homozygotes present with familial hypercholesterolemia?
With a 5-6 fold increase in plasma cholesterol with skin xanthomas, atherosclerosis at early age; MI before 20 yo
The carrier state for Gaucher disease is a risk factor for what?
Developing Parkinson disease
What does Niemann-pick type C increase the risk of?
Developing Alzheimer’s
Where are lysosomes synthesized and where are they then transported?
Synthesized in the ER and then transported to the Golgi
Once in the golgi, what happens to the lysosomes?
They attach terminal mannose-6-phosphate group
What are lysosomal storage diseases?
When there are genetic errors in the sorting mechanism- the catabolism of the substrate of the missing enzyme remains incomplete, leading to the accumulation with the lysosomes= “primary accumulation”
What is primary accumulation?
When lysosomes become stuffed with incompletely digested macromolecules, they become large and numerous enough to interfere with normal cell functions
What is the effect of lysosomal storage diseases on autophagy?
The undigested macromolecules in lysosomes decreases the rate of autophagic vacuoles being processed, this leads to the persistence of dysfunctional mitochondria which generate free radicals and release molecules that trigger apoptosis
What does impaired autophagy give rise to?
Secondary accumulation
What is secondary accumulation?
When there is accumulation of autophagic substrates including ubiquitin and aggregate-prone polypeptides such as alpha-synuclein and Huntingtin protein (hence the neurodegenerative link)
What are the 3 general approaches to the treatment of lysosomal storage diseases?
Enzyme replacement therapy, substrate reduction therapy, and molecular chaperone therapy
What is molecular chaperone therapy?
An exogenous competitive inhibitor of the enzyme can bind to the mutant enzyme and act as a folding template that assists proper folding of the enzyme, thus preventing its accumulation
What is the major accumulating metabolite in Tay-Sachs disease?
G M2 ganglioside