Autoantibodies to Epilepsy-Related LGI1 in Limbic Encephalitis Neutralize LGI1-ADAM22 Interaction and Reduce Synaptic AMPA Receptors
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Authors: Ohkawa, Toshika; Fukata, Yuko; Yamasaki, Miwako; Miyazaki, Taisuke; Yokoi, Norihiko; Takashima, Hiroshi; Watanabe, Masahiko; Watanabe, Osamu; Fukata, Masaki
Abstract
More than 30 mutations in LGI1, a secreted neuronal protein, have been reported with autosomal dominant lateral temporal lobe epilepsy (ADLTE). Although LGI1 haploinsufficiency is thought to cause ADLTE, the underlying molecular mechanism that results in abnormal brain excitability remains mysterious. Here, we focused on a mode of action of LGI1 autoantibodies associated with limbic encephalitis (LE), which is one of acquired epileptic disorders characterized by subacute onset of amnesia and seizures. We comprehensively screened human sera from patients with immune-mediated neurological disorders for LGI1 autoantibodies, which also uncovered novel autoantibodies against six cell surface antigens including DCC, DPP10, and ADAM23. Our developed ELISA arrays revealed a specific role for LGI1 antibodies in LE and concomitant involvement of multiple antibodies, including LGI1 antibodies in neuromyotonia, a peripheral nerve disorder. LGI1 antibodies associated with LE specifically inhibited the ligand-receptor interaction between LGI1 and ADAM22/23 by targeting the EPTP repeat domain of LGI1 and reversibly reduced synaptic AMPA receptor clusters in rat hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, we found that disruption of LGI1-ADAM22 interaction by soluble extracellular domain of ADAM22 was sufficient to reduce synaptic AMPA receptors in rat hippocampal neurons and that levels of AMPA receptor were greatly reduced in the hippocampal dentate gyrus in the epileptic LGI1 knock-out mouse. Therefore, either genetic or acquired loss of the LGI1-ADAM22 interaction reduces the AMPA receptor function, causing epileptic disorders. These results suggest that by finely regulating the synaptic AMPA receptors, the LGI1-ADAM22 interaction maintains physiological brain excitability throughout life.
Resequencing Candidate Genes Implicates Rare Variants in Asthma Susceptibility
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS
Authors: Torgerson, Dara G.; Capurso, Daniel; Mathias, Rasika A.; Graves, Penelope E.; Hernandez, Ryan D.; Beaty, Terri H.; Bleecker, Eugene R.; Raby, Benjamin A.; Meyers, Deborah A.; Barnes, Kathleen C.; Weiss, Scott T.; Martinez, Fernando D.; Nicolae, Dan L.; Ober, Carole
Abstract
Common variation in over 100 genes has been implicated in the risk of developing asthma, but the contribution of rare variants to asthma susceptibility remains largely unexplored. We selected nine genes that showed the strongest signatures of weak purifying selection from among 53 candidate asthma-associated genes, and we sequenced the coding exons and flanking noncoding regions in 450 asthmatic cases and 515 nonasthmatic controls. We observed an overall excess of p values <0.05 (p = 0.02), and rare variants in four genes (AGT DPP10, IKBKAP, and IL12RB1) contributed to asthma susceptibility among African Americans. Rare variants in IL12RB1 were also associated with asthma susceptibility among European Americans, despite the fact that the majority of rare variants in IL12RB1 were specific to either one of the populations. The combined evidence of association with rare noncoding variants in IL12RB1 remained significant (p = 3.7 x 10(-4)) after correcting for multiple testing. Overall, the contribution of rare variants to asthma susceptibility was predominantly due to noncoding variants in sequences flanking the exons, although nonsynonymous rare variants in DPP10 and in IL12RB1 were associated with asthma in African Americans and European Americans, respectively. This study provides evidence that rare variants contribute to asthma susceptibility. Additional studies are required for testing whether prioritizing genes for resequencing on the basis of signatures of purifying selection is an efficient means of identifying novel rare variants that contribute to complex disease.