A 1.5 Mb terminal deletion of 12p associated with autism spectrum disorder
GENE
Authors: Silva, Isabela M. W.; Rosenfeld, Jill; Antoniuk, Sergio A.; Raskin, Salmo; Sotomaior, Vanessa S.
Abstract
We report a patient with a terminal 12p deletion associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This 12p13.33 deletion is 1.5 Mb in size and encompasses 13 genes (B4GALNT3, CCDC77, ERC1, FBXL14, IQSEC3, KDM5A, LINC00942, L00574538, NINJ2, RAD52, SLC6Al2, SLC6A13 and WNK1). All previous cases reported with partial monosomy of 12p13.33 are associated with neurodevelopmental delay, and we suggest that ERC1, which encodes a regulator of neurotransmitter release, is the best gene candidate contributing to this phenotype as well as to the ASD of our patient. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Antibodies to active zone protein ERC1 in Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome
HUMAN IMMUNOLOGY
Authors: Huijbers, Maartje G.; Lipka, Alexander F.; Potman, Marko; Hensbergen, Paul J.; Titulaer, Maarten J.; Niks, Erik H.; van der Maarel, Silvere M.; Klooster, Rinse; Verschuuren, Jan J.
Abstract
Lambert Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) is characterized by fluctuating muscle weakness and autonomic dysfunction. In 90% of the LEMS patients the disease is associated with auto-antibodies against the voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC). Several auto-immune responses against other antigenic targets have been described to (co)-occur in LEMS patients. To identify new LEMS associated small cell lung cancer (SCLC) markers immunoprecipitation with a SCLC cell line was performed. We discovered strong immunoreactivity against the 120 kDa large ERC1 protein in one tumor-negative VGCC-positive LEMS patient. A recombinant ELISA assay and a cellular assay expressing GFP-tagged full length ERC1 were used to confirm the presence of auto-antibodies against ERC1 in this patient. Additional testing of 58 LEMS patients including 9 VGCC auto-antibody negative LEMS patients, 48 myasthenia gravis patients, 84 control patients with other diseases and 12 healthy controls revealed no other cases. ERC1 is therefore a new, but rare, antigen in LEMS. (c) 2013 American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. Published byElsevier Inc. All rights reserved.