| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
Original Studies |
Departments of Medicine (G.A.C., R.E.W., S.R.), Pediatrics (S.R.), and the J. P. Kennedy, Jr. Mental Retardation Research Center (S.R.), The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Samuel Refetoff, The University of Chicago, MC3090, 5841 South Maryland Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60637. E-mail:refetoff{at}medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
| Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Fourteen distinct mutant TBGs have been identified at the gene level.
Six mutations produce TBG-CD: TBG-CD5 (6), TBG-CD6 (7), TBG-CDJ (Japan)
(8), TBG-CDY (Yonago) (9), TBG-CDB (Buffalo) (10), and TBG-CDBe
(Bedouin) (11). TBG-CD5 has a single amino acid substitution causing
aberrant posttranslational processing. The other five TBG-CDs have
truncated molecules caused by early termination of translation caused
by a single nucleotide substitution (TBG-CDB) or by a frameshift caused
by a nucleotide deletion (TBG-CD6, TBG-CDJ, TBG-CDY, and TBG-CDBe)
(Fig. 1
).
|
gg).
Genotyping, using a mutation specific restriction site, confirmed the
presence of this nucleotide substitution in all affected family
members. Sequencing of TBG complementary DNA (cDNA) transcribed from fibroblast messenger RNA (mRNA) confirmed a shift in the ag acceptor splice site resulting in the insertion of a G in exon 2 that produces a frameshift with a premature stop codon. This premature stop in the transcript predicts a truncated TBG lacking the C-terminal 201 amino acids.
| Materials and Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The proband (II-3), a 55-yr-old woman, was treated for 20 yr
with L-T4 for what was presumed to be hypothyroidism based
on low total T4 (TT4) concentration and
fatigue. The diagnosis of TBG deficiency was confirmed when 15 family
members were studied, some showing low TT4 inherited as an
X chromosome-linked trait. Skin biopsies were obtained from subjects
II-3 and II-2 (Fig. 2A
) for fibroblast
cultures. All subjects gave informed consent for genetic testing in
accordance with the University of Chicago Institutional Review
Board.
|
Serum TT4, total T3 (TT3), total reverse T3 (TrT3), TSH, and TBG concentrations were measured by RIAs. The serum free T4 index (FT4I) was calculated as the product of the serum TT4 concentration and the T4-resin uptake value. P values were calculated using the unpaired Students t test.
Preparation of RNA, cDNA, and gDNA
Total RNA was extracted from cultured skin fibroblasts and peripheral blood leukocytes from one normal individual, one heterozygous female, and one affected hemizygous male. RNA was extracted with phenol/guanidine isothiocyanate (Trizol, Gibco BRL, Gaithersburg, MD). The integrity of the RNA was assessed by formaldehyde-agarose gel electrophoresis. cDNA was synthesized by RT of very small amounts of TBG mRNA present in fibroblasts (illegitimate transcription) (12). Avian myeloblastosis virus reverse transcriptase (Promega Corp., Madison, WI) and oligo-dT primer were used to prepare the first strand of cDNA. gDNA was isolated from peripheral blood leukocytes (13).
Sequencing of TBG gene
gDNA fragments were amplified by PCR using specific oligonucleotide primers (7). Amplified sequences included the entire coding region, splice junctions, and the promoter region of the TBG gene. Amplified DNA segments were subcloned into M13 bacteriophage (New England Biolabs, Inc., Beverly, MA) or pGEM T plasmids (Promega Corp.) and sequenced by the dideoxynucleotide chain termination method (Sequenase version 2.0, United States Biochemical Corp., Cleveland, OH).
Two consecutive PCRs were needed to amplify a TBG cDNA fragment across exon 2, Oligonucleotide primers for the first PCR were: 5'-GCATCTGATCTGTTCACTGAATTTC-3' sense, nucleotide (nt) 339364 and 5'-GTTTCAGACCATTGTCCTCT-3' antisense, nt 27982817. A second, nested PCR, used the following oligonucleotides: 5'-CTAATTCAAGACCTCAAGC-3' sense, nt 562580 and 5'-GAAAACTTTGGAACAAAC-3' antisense, nt 26902707. The conditions of the PCR reactions were as follows: initial denaturation at 94 C for 3 min, followed by 35 cycles consisting of 94 C for 1 min, 55 C for 1 min, 72 C for 1 min, and a final extension at 72 C for 15 min. Automated fluorescence-based cycle sequencing (ABI, Perkin Elmer, Foster City, CA) was performed directly with the PCR products. The oligonucleotide primers used were the same as those used in the second PCR.
Genotyping
The replacement of the normal nucleotide A with a G in the
acceptor splice junction of intron II (ag
gg) creates a new
restriction site for the enzyme HaeIII. gDNA from peripheral
blood leukocytes was amplified by PCR using the primers employed to
amplify exon 2 from gDNA for sequencing (7). Amplified gDNA fragments
were separated by electrophoresis in 3% agarose gel before and after
digestion with HaeIII and photographed under ultraviolet
light after staining with ethidium bromide. The allele containing the
wild-type sequence resists the endonuclease and retains its original
size of 467 bp, whereas the mutant allele is digested into two
fragments, 411 and 56 bp (Fig. 2B
).
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The clinical diagnosis of TBG deficiency was confirmed in 10 of 15
family members who showed cosegregation of the phenotype of low total
serum iodothyronine levels and low TBG concentration inherited in a X
chromosome-linked pattern (Figs. 2A
and 3
). The 4 affected males (II-1, II-2,
II-4, and II-9) presented with low TT4 levels of 23.5
± 1.2 nmol/L (mean ± SD) compared with those of
unaffected subjects of 106.0 ± 12.8 nmol/L, P <
0.0005. Serum TT3 was also significantly lower in the
affected males (1.0 ± 0.1 nmol/L, P < 0.0005) as
compared with the unaffected individuals (2.0 ± 0.2). Serum TBG
level of all affected males was undetectable, < 0.5 mg/L (normal range
1121 mg/L, P < 0.0005). The 6 affected females (I-1,
I-2, I-5, II-3, II-6, and II-7) had on the average low serum
TT4 (52.5 ± 19.3 nmol/L, P < 0.001)
and TT3 (1.2 ± 0.2 nmol/L, P <
0.0005) levels. However, in only 3 of them were values below the lower
limit of normal. In contrast, all affected females had serum TBG
concentrations below the limit of normal (6.8 ± 1.9 mg/L). The 5
unaffected members of the family showed normal levels of total
iodothyronines and TBG in serum (Fig. 3
). All 15 individuals had normal
serum FT4I and TSH, except for one affected female with
suppressed TSH caused by treatment with L-T4. Serum
FT4I was significantly lower in the affected males,
87.5 ± 10.1 (normal range 76135, P = 0.01), as
compared with unaffected individuals (110.68 ± 8.29) caused by
underestimation of the resin T4 uptake value in samples
from the affected males.
|
gDNA from an affected male with TBG-CD (II-2) was sequenced. The
sequences of the exons and the promoter region did not show any
abnormality. However, sequences of the flanking introns revealed an A
to G transition in nucleotide 1671 of the acceptor splice site in
intron II (Fig. 4
). The mutation was
present in all affected family members as confirmed by genotyping.
Affected and normal males showed only the mutant allele or normal
allele, respectively, and heterozygous females had both normal and
mutant allele (Fig. 2B
).
|
To determine the effect of the mutation on the patients TBG
transcripts, RNA from fibroblasts was processed in the same manner.
Direct sequencing of the PCR cDNA product from an affected male (II-2)
revealed a shift of one nucleotide upstream of the authentic consensus
ag acceptor splice site. Sequencing of cDNA from a heterozygous female
(II-3) demonstrated both the mutant and the normal allele. This
mutation resulted in the insertion of the G in exon 2 causing a
frameshift with a premature stop at codon 195 (Fig. 5
). As a result of this mutation, the new
acceptor splice site better matches the ideal consensus sequence
compared to the wild-type sequence (Fig. 6
).
|
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Herein we describe the first splice junction mutation causing TBG-CD
(TBG-CD Kankakee). A novel A
G transition in the acceptor splice site
of intron II resulted in an one nucleotide shift in the acceptor splice
site, predicting a truncated protein containing only the first 194 of
395 amino acids in the wild-type molecule. Similar to the other five
TBG-CDs described, this mutation has an early stop codon. Instead of
deletion of a nucleotide in a coding exon, the frameshift is caused by
a single nucleotide insertion in exon 2.
It has been estimated that up to 15% of known single base pair substitutions causing human genetic disease disrupt the normal splicing of mRNAs (15). For genes expressed in a tissue-specific manner, analysis of the consequences of such defects on mRNA processing has often been hindered by the inaccessibility of the mRNA transcripts. Ectopic transcript analysis (illegitimate transcription) is an invaluable tool for the characterization of defects of mRNA splicing, although splicing patterns exhibited by normal and ectopic transcripts might not be identical (16). We found that processed TBG mRNA transcripts from both expressing (liver) and nonexpressing (fibroblast) cells were indistinguishable at the site of the mutation. Although illegitimate transcription should, theoretically, amplify minute amounts of any mRNA present in all tissues, the amount of mRNA in nonexpressing tissues depends not only on gene-specific but also tissue-specific influences (17). This explains why illegitimate amplification of TBG mRNA from peripheral blood leukocytes failed, whereas that from skin fibroblasts was successful.
The splice junction mutation causing TBG-CD Kankakee creates a new acceptor splice site one nucleotide upstream of the authentic acceptor splice site adding an intronic G to the downstream exon. This is in agreement with the majority of acceptor splice site mutations reported (15, 18). Exonic and intronic recognition sequences have an established role for splice-site selection, also important are the consensus sequences in the immediate vicinity of the exon-intron borders (19, 20, 21). A consensus value (CV) can be calculated by comparing the actual nucleotide sequence with the mutation (CVM) to the ideal consensus sequence (CVN) (22). A perfect match would have a CV score of 1. The calculated CV for the four nucleotide (+1 to -3) wild-type acceptor splice recognition sequence using the primate nucleotide weight table of Shapiro and Senapathy (22) is 0.66 compared with the CV of 0.83 for the new sequence resulting from the mutation.
We have, therefore, described a novel mechanism for the molecular basis of complete TBG deficiency identified by sequencing the intron exon junction of the TBG gene. Although this mechanism is not uncommon in other genetic defects, it has not been previously described in TBG defects of which 15 have been so far identified.
| Acknowledgments |
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
2 This paper is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Niall OMeara who as
a fellow in the Section of Endocrinology contributed patients to this
study and whose enthusiasm for endocrinology was an inspiration to all
of us. ![]()
Received May 18, 1998.
Accepted June 22, 1998.
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
A. Fingerhut, S. Reutrakul, S. D. Knuedeler, L. C. Moeller, C. Greenlee, S. Refetoff, and O. E. Janssen Partial Deficiency of Thyroxine-Binding Globulin-Allentown Is Due to a Mutation in the Signal Peptide J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., May 1, 2004; 89(5): 2477 - 2483. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P. Prapunpoj, S. J. Richardson, and G. Schreiber Crocodile transthyretin: structure, function, and evolution Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, October 1, 2002; 283(4): R885 - R896. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. Reutrakul, A. Dumitrescu, P. E. Macchia, G. W. Moll Jr., H. Vierhapper, and S. Refetoff Complete Thyroxine-Binding Globulin (TBG) Deficiency in Two Families without Mutations in Coding or Promoter Regions of the TBG Genes: In Vitro Demonstration of Exon Skipping J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., March 1, 2002; 87(3): 1045 - 1051. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. Reutrakul, O. E. Janssen, and S. Refetoff Three Novel Mutations Causing Complete T4-Binding Globulin Deficiency J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., October 1, 2001; 86(10): 5039 - 5044. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
Y. Miura, E. Hershkovitz, A. Inagaki, R. Parvari, Y. Oiso, and M. Phillip A Novel Mutation Causing Complete Thyroxine-Binding Globulin Deficiency (TBG-CD-Negev) among the Bedouins in Southern Israel J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., October 1, 2000; 85(10): 3687 - 3689. [Abstract] [Full Text] |
||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| Endocrinology | Endocrine Reviews | J. Clin. End. & Metab. |
| Molecular Endocrinology | Recent Prog. Horm. Res. | All Endocrine Journals |