1. Academic Validation
  2. YY1 Haploinsufficiency Causes an Intellectual Disability Syndrome Featuring Transcriptional and Chromatin Dysfunction

YY1 Haploinsufficiency Causes an Intellectual Disability Syndrome Featuring Transcriptional and Chromatin Dysfunction

  • Am J Hum Genet. 2017 Jun 1;100(6):907-925. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2017.05.006.
Michele Gabriele 1 Anneke T Vulto-van Silfhout 2 Pierre-Luc Germain 1 Alessandro Vitriolo 1 Raman Kumar 3 Evelyn Douglas 4 Eric Haan 4 Kenjiro Kosaki 5 Toshiki Takenouchi 5 Anita Rauch 6 Katharina Steindl 6 Eirik Frengen 7 Doriana Misceo 7 Christeen Ramane J Pedurupillay 7 Petter Stromme 8 Jill A Rosenfeld 9 Yunru Shao 9 William J Craigen 9 Christian P Schaaf 9 David Rodriguez-Buritica 10 Laura Farach 10 Jennifer Friedman 11 Perla Thulin 12 Scott D McLean 13 Kimberly M Nugent 13 Jenny Morton 14 Jillian Nicholl 4 Joris Andrieux 15 Asbjørg Stray-Pedersen 16 Pascal Chambon 17 Sophie Patrier 18 Sally A Lynch 19 Susanne Kjaergaard 20 Pernille M Tørring 21 Charlotte Brasch-Andersen 21 Anne Ronan 22 Arie van Haeringen 23 Peter J Anderson 24 Zöe Powis 25 Han G Brunner 2 Rolph Pfundt 2 Janneke H M Schuurs-Hoeijmakers 2 Bregje W M van Bon 2 Stefan Lelieveld 2 Christian Gilissen 2 Willy M Nillesen 2 Lisenka E L M Vissers 2 Jozef Gecz 26 David A Koolen 2 Giuseppe Testa 27 Bert B A de Vries 28
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Laboratory of Stem Cell Epigenetics, Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan 20139, Italy.
  • 2 Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
  • 3 School of Medicine and Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia.
  • 4 SA Clinical Genetics Service, SA Pathology, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia.
  • 5 Center for Medical Genetics, Keio University School of Medicine, 160-8582 Tokyo, Japan.
  • 6 Institute of Medical Genetics, University of Zurich, 8952 Schlieren-Zurich, Switzerland.
  • 7 Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, 0315 Oslo, Norway.
  • 8 Division of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, 0313 Oslo, Norway.
  • 9 Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
  • 10 Division of Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
  • 11 Departments of Neurosciences and Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, and Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA 92123, USA.
  • 12 Department of Neurology, University of Utah, San Diego, CA 92123, USA.
  • 13 Clinical Genetics Section, Children's Hospital of San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78207, USA.
  • 14 Birmingham Women's Hospital, B15 2TG Birmingham, UK.
  • 15 Institut de Génétique Médicale, Hopital Jeanne de Flandre, 59000 Lille, France.
  • 16 Human and Medical Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
  • 17 Laboratory of Cytogenetics, Rouen University Hospital, 76031 Rouen, France.
  • 18 Service d'Anatomie Pathologique, Rouen University Hospital, 76031 Rouen, France.
  • 19 National Centre for Medical Genetics, Our Lady's Children's Hospital, D12 V004 Dublin, Ireland.
  • 20 Department of Clinical Genetics, Rigshospitalet, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • 21 Department of Clinical Genetics, Odense University Hospital, 5000 Odense, Denmark.
  • 22 Hunter Genetics, Waratah, NSW 2298, Australia.
  • 23 Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands.
  • 24 Australian Craniofacial Unit, Women's and Children's Hospital, North Adelaide, SA 5006, Australia.
  • 25 Ambry Genetics, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656, USA.
  • 26 School of Medicine and Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia; South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia.
  • 27 Laboratory of Stem Cell Epigenetics, Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan 20139, Italy; Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy. Electronic address: giuseppe.testa@unimi.it.
  • 28 Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Electronic address: bert.devries@radboudumc.nl.
Abstract

Yin and yang 1 (YY1) is a well-known zinc-finger transcription factor with crucial roles in normal development and malignancy. YY1 acts both as a repressor and as an activator of gene expression. We have identified 23 individuals with de novo mutations or deletions of YY1 and phenotypic features that define a syndrome of cognitive impairment, behavioral alterations, intrauterine growth restriction, feeding problems, and various congenital malformations. Our combined clinical and molecular data define "YY1 syndrome" as a haploinsufficiency syndrome. Through immunoprecipitation of YY1-bound chromatin from affected individuals' cells with Antibodies recognizing both ends of the protein, we show that YY1 deletions and missense mutations lead to a global loss of YY1 binding with a preferential retention at high-occupancy sites. Finally, we uncover a widespread loss of H3K27 acetylation in particular on the YY1-bound enhancers, underscoring a crucial role for YY1 in enhancer regulation. Collectively, these results define a clinical syndrome caused by haploinsufficiency of YY1 through dysregulation of key transcriptional regulators.

Keywords

H3K27Ac; YY1; chromatin; enhancer; epigenetics; haploinsufficiency; intellectual disability; neurodevelopment; syndrome; transcription factor.

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