Browsing by Author "Patel, Paras A."

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    Complete loss of the X-linked gene CASK causes severe cerebellar degeneration
    Patel, Paras A.; Hegert, Julia; Cristian, Ingrid; Kerr, Alicia; LaConte, Leslie E. W.; Fox, Michael A.; Srivastava, Sarika; Mukherjee, Konark (BMJ, 2022-02-11)
    Background Heterozygous loss of X-linked genes like CASK and MeCP2 (Rett syndrome) causes developmental delay in girls, while in boys, loss of the only allele of these genes leads to epileptic encephalopathy. The mechanism for these disorders remains unknown. CASK-linked cerebellar hypoplasia is presumed to result from defects in Tbr1-reelin-mediated neuronal migration. Method Here we report clinical and histopathological analyses of a deceased 2-month-old boy with a CASK-null mutation. We next generated a mouse line where CASK is completely deleted (hemizygous and homozygous) from postmigratory neurons in the cerebellum. Result The CASK-null human brain was smaller in size but exhibited normal lamination without defective neuronal differentiation, migration or axonal guidance. The hypoplastic cerebellum instead displayed astrogliosis and microgliosis, which are markers for neuronal loss. We therefore hypothesise that CASK loss-induced cerebellar hypoplasia is the result of early neurodegeneration. Data from the murine model confirmed that in CASK loss, a small cerebellum results from postdevelopmental degeneration of cerebellar granule neurons. Furthermore, at least in the cerebellum, functional loss from CASK deletion is secondary to degeneration of granule cells and not due to an acute molecular functional loss of CASK. Intriguingly, female mice with heterozygous deletion of CASK in the cerebellum do not display neurodegeneration. Conclusion We suggest that X-linked neurodevelopmental disorders like CASK mutation and Rett syndrome are pathologically neurodegenerative; random X-chromosome inactivation in heterozygous mutant girls, however, results in 50% of cells expressing the functional gene, resulting in a non-progressive pathology, whereas complete loss of the only allele in boys leads to unconstrained degeneration and encephalopathy.
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    Non-Cell Autonomous Roles for CASK in Optic Nerve Hypoplasia
    Kerr, Alicia; Patel, Paras A.; LaConte, Leslie E. W.; Liang, Chen; Chen, Ching-Kang; Shah, Veeral; Fox, Michael A.; Mukherjee, Konark (ARVO, 2019)
    PURPOSE. Heterozygous mutations in the essential X-linked gene CASK associate with optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) and other retinal disorders in girls. CASKþ/ heterozygous knockout mice with mosaic CASK expression exhibit ONH with a loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) but no changes in retinal morphology. It remains unclear if CASK deficiency selectively affects RGCs or also affects other retinal cells. Furthermore, it is not known if CASK expression in RGCs is critical for optic nerve (ON) development and maintenance. METHODS. The visual behavior of CASKþ/ mice was assessed and electroretinography (ERG) was performed. Using a mouse line with a floxed CASK gene that expresses approximately 40% CASK globally in all cells (hypomorph) under hemizygous and homozygous conditions, we investigated effects of CASK reduction on the retina and ON. CASK then was completely deleted from RGCs to examine its cell-autonomous role. Finally, for the first time to our knowledge, we describe a hemizygous CASK missense mutation in a boy with ONH. RESULTS. CASKþ/ heterozygous mutant mice display reduced visual contrast sensitivity, but ERG is indistinguishable from wildtype. CASK hypomorph mice exhibit ONH, but deletion of CASK from RGCs in this background does not exacerbate the condition. The boy with ONH harbors a missense mutation (p.Pro673Leu) that destabilizes CASK and weakens the crucial CASK–neurexin interaction. CONCLUSIONS. Our results demonstrate that mosaic or global reduction in CASK expression and/or function disproportionately affects RGCs. CASK expression in RGCs does not appear critical for cell survival, indicating a noncell autonomous role for CASK in the development of ON.
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    Survival of a male patient harboring CASK Arg27Ter mutation to adolescence
    Mukherjee, Konark; Patel, Paras A.; Rajan, Deepa S.; LaConte, Leslie E. W.; Srivastava, Sarika (Wiley, 2020-07-21)
    Background: CASK is an X-linked gene in mammals and its deletion in males is incompatible with life. CASK heterozygous mutations in female patients associate with intellectual disability, microcephaly, pontocerebellar hypoplasia, and optic nerve hypoplasia, whereas CASK hemizygous mutations in males manifest as early infantile epileptic encephalopathy with a grim prognosis. Here, we report a rare case of survival of a male patient harboring a CASK null mutation to adolescent age. Methods: Trio whole exome sequencing analysis was performed from blood genomic DNA. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and electroencephalogram (EEG) analyses were performed to determine anomalies in brain development, metabolite concentrations, and electrical activity, respectively. Results: Trio-WES analysis identified a de novo c.79C>T (p.Arginine27Ter) mutation in CASK causing a premature translation termination at the very N-terminus of the protein. The 17-years, and 11-month-old male patient displayed profound intellectual disability, microcephaly, dysmorphism, ponto-cerebellar hypoplasia, and intractable epilepsy. His systemic symptoms included overall reduced somatic growth, dysautonomia, ventilator and G tube dependence, and severe osteopenia. Brain MRI revealed a severe cerebellar and brain stem hypoplasia with progressive cerebral atrophy. EEG spectral analysis revealed a global functional defect with generalized background slowing and delta waves dominating even in the awake state. Conclusion: This case study is the first to report survival of a male patient carrying a CASK loss-of-function mutation to adolescence and highlights that improved palliative care could extend survival. Moreover, the genomic position encoding Arg27 in CASK may possess an increased susceptibility to mutations.