Biology subjects

Neubauer, B.

Publications and source records attributed to Neubauer, B..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

The Role of the Co-Chaperone DNAJB11 in Polycystic Kidney Disease: Molecular Mechanisms and Cellular Origin of Cyst Formation

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is caused by mutations in PKD1 and PKD2, encoding polycystin-1 (PC1) and polycystin-2 (PC2), which are required for the regulation of the renal tubular diameter. Loss of polycystin function results in cyst formation. Atypical forms of ADPKD are caused by mutations in genes encoding endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident proteins through mechanisms that are not well understood. Here, we investigate the function of DNAJB11, an ER co-chaperone associated with atypical ADPKD. We generated mouse models with constitutive and conditional Dnajb11 inactivation and Dnajb11-deficient renal epithelial cells to investigate the mechanism underlying autosomal dominant inheritance, the specific cell types driving cyst formation, and molecular mechanisms underlying DNAJB11-dependent polycystic kidney disease. We show that biallelic loss of Dnajb11 causes cystic kidney disease and fibrosis, mirroring human disease characteristics. In contrast to classical ADPKD, cysts predominantly originate from proximal tubules. Cyst formation begins in utero and the timing of Dnajb11 inactivation strongly influences disease severity. Furthermore, we identify impaired PC1 cleavage as a potential mechanism underlying DNAJB11-dependent cyst formation. Proteomic analysis of Dnajb11- and Pkd1-deficient cells reveals common and distinct pathways and dysregulated proteins, providing a foundation to better understand phenotypic differences between different forms of ADPKD.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2017

Gene family information facilitates variant interpretation and identification of disease-associated genes

Differentiating risk-conferring from benign missense variants, and therefore optimal calculation of gene-variant burden, represent a major challenge in particular for rare and genetic heterogeneous disorders. While orthologous gene conservation is commonly employed in variant annotation, approximately 80% of known disease-associated genes are paralogs and belong to gene families. It has not been thoroughly investigated how gene family information can be utilized for disease gene discovery and variant interpretation. We developed a paralog conservation score to empirically evaluate whether paralog conserved or nonconserved sites of in-human paralogs are important for protein function. Using this score, we demonstrate that disease-associated missense variants are significantly enriched at paralog conserved sites across all disease groups and disease inheritance models tested. Next, we assessed whether gene family information could assist in discovering novel disease-associated genes. We subsequently developed a gene family de novo enrichment framework that identified 43 exome-wide enriched gene families including 98 de novo variant carrying genes in more than 10k neurodevelopmental disorder patients. 33 gene family enriched genes represent novel candidate genes which are brain expressed and variant constrained in neurodevelopmental disorders.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2017

The Spectrum Of De Novo Variants In Neurodevelopmental Disorders With Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a frequent feature of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) but little is known about genetic differences between NDD with and without epilepsy. We analyzed de novo variants (DNV) in 6753 parent-offspring trios ascertained for different NDD. In the subset of 1942 individuals with NDD with epilepsy, we identified 33 genes with a significant excess of DNV, of which SNAP25 and GABRB2 had previously only limited evidence for disease association. Joint analysis of all individuals with NDD also implicated CACNA1E as a novel disease gene. Comparing NDD with and without epilepsy, we found missense DNV, DNV in specific genes, age of recruitment and severity of intellectual disability to be associated with epilepsy. We further demonstrate to what extent our results impact current genetic testing as well as treatment, emphasizing the benefit of accurate genetic diagnosis in NDD with epilepsy.

genetics↗