Journal Article

A germline mutation in SRRM2, a splicing factor gene, is implicated in papillary thyroid carcinoma predisposition

Akagi, Keiko, Pan, Qun, Blencowe, Benjamin J., Bertani, Blake, Chapelle, Albert de la, He, Huiling, Symer, David E., Liyanarachchi, Sandya, Nagy, Rebecca, Tomsic, Jerneja

2015

Overview

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) displays strong but so far largely uncharacterized heritability. Here we studied genetic predisposition in a family with six affected individuals. We genotyped all available family members and conducted whole exome sequencing of blood DNA from two affected individuals. Haplotype analysis and other genetic criteria narrowed our list of candidates to a germline variant in the serine/arginine repetitive matrix 2 gene ( SRRM2 ). This heterozygous variant, c.1037C > T (Ser346Phe or S346F; rs149019598) cosegregated with PTC in the family. It was not found in 138 other PTC families. It was found in 7/1,170 sporadic PTC cases and in 0/1,404 controls (p = 0.004). The encoded protein SRRM2 (also called SRm300) is part of the RNA splicing machinery. To evaluate the possibility that the S346F missense mutation affects alternative splicing, we compared RNA-Seq data in leukocytes from three mutation carriers and three controls. Significant differences in alternative splicing were identified for 1,642 exons, of which a subset of 7 exons was verified experimentally. The results confirmed a higher ratio of inclusion of exons in mutation carriers. These data suggest that the S346F mutation in SRRM2 predisposes to PTC by affecting alternative splicing of unidentified downstream target genes.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group
• Subject: 45 / 45/22 / 45/23 / 45/77 / 45/90 / 45/91 / 631/67/68 / 692/699/67/1536 / Alternative Splicing / Amino Acid Sequence / Arginine / Carcinoma, Papillary - genetics / Case-Control Studies / DNA sequencing / Exons / Genetic Association Studies / Genetic Linkage / Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Germ-Line Mutation / Haplotypes / Heritability / Humanities and Social Sciences / Humans / Leukocytes / Missense mutation / Molecular Sequence Data / multidisciplinary / Mutation / Mutation, Missense / Papillary thyroid carcinoma / Pedigree / Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Protein Isoforms - genetics / Protein Isoforms - metabolism / Ribonucleic acid / RNA / RNA-Binding Proteins - genetics / RNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism / Science / Sequence Analysis, RNA / Serine / Splicing factors / Thyroid / Thyroid cancer / Thyroid Neoplasms - genetics