LUCIANI RENATA SILVEIRA DE CARVALHO
Projetos de Pesquisa
Unidades Organizacionais
Instituto Central, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina - Médico
LIM/42 - Laboratório de Hormônios e Genética Molecular, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina
LIM/42 - Laboratório de Hormônios e Genética Molecular, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina
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- PROP1 overexpression in corticotrophinomas: evidence for the role of PROP1 in the maintenance of cells committed to corticotrophic differentiation(2013) ARAUJO, Ricardo V.; CHANG, Claudia V.; CESCATO, Valter A. S.; FRAGOSO, Maria Candida B. V.; BRONSTEIN, Marcello D.; MENDONCA, Berenice B.; ARNHOLD, Ivo J. P.; CARVALHO, Luciani R. S.OBJECTIVE: The expression of transcription factors involved in early pituitary development, such as PROP1 and POU1F1, has been detected in pituitary adenoma tissues. In this study, we sought to characterize the transcriptional profiles of PROP1, POU1F1, and TBX19 in functioning and nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas in an attempt to identify their roles in tumorigenesis and hormone hypersecretion. METHODS: RT-qPCR analyses were performed to assess the transcriptional pattern of PROP1, POU1F1, TBX19, and hormone-producing genes in tissue samples of corticotrophinomas (n = 10), somatotrophinomas (n = 8), and nonfunctioning adenomas (n = 6). RESULTS: Compared with normal pituitary tissue, POU1F1 was overexpressed in somatotrophinomas by 3-fold. PROP1 expression was 18-fold higher in corticotrophinomas, 10-fold higher in somatotrophinomas, and 3-fold higher in nonfunctioning adenomas. TBX19 expression was 27-fold higher in corticotrophinomas. Additionally, the level of TBX19 mRNA positively correlated with that of pro-opiomelanocortin (r = 0.49, p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that PROP1 is overexpressed in pituitary adenomas, mainly in corticotrophinomas. Together with previously published data showing that patients who harbor PROP1 loss-of-function mutations present a progressive decline in corticotrope function, our results support a role for PROP1 in pituitary tumor development and in the maintenance of cell lineages committed to corticotrophic differentiation.
- Pathogenic copy number variants in patients with congenital hypopituitarism associated with complex phenotypes(2018) CORREA, Fernanda A.; JORGE, Alexander A. L.; NAKAGUMA, Marilena; CANTON, Ana P. M.; COSTA, Silvia S.; FUNARI, Mariana F.; LERARIO, Antonio M.; FRANCA, Marcela M.; CARVALHO, Luciani R.; KREPISCHI, Ana C. V.; ARNHOLD, Ivo J. P.; ROSENBERG, Carla; MENDONCA, Berenice B.ObjectivesThe aetiology of congenital hypopituitarism (CH) is unknown in most patients. Rare copy number variants (CNVs) have been implicated as the cause of genetic syndromes with previously unknown aetiology. Our aim was to study the presence of CNVs and their pathogenicity in patients with idiopathic CH associated with complex phenotypes. Design and PatientsWe selected 39 patients with syndromic CH for array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). Patients with pathogenic CNVs were also evaluated by whole exome sequencing. ResultsTwenty rare CNVs were detected in 19 patients. Among the identified rare CNVs, six were classified as benign, eleven as variants of uncertain clinical significance (VUS) and four as pathogenic. The three patients with pathogenic CNVs had combined pituitary hormone deficiencies, and the associated complex phenotypes were intellectual disabilities: trichorhinophalangeal type I syndrome (TRPS1) and developmental delay/intellectual disability with cardiac malformation, respectively. Patient one has a de novo 1.6-Mb deletion located at chromosome 3q13.31q13.32, which overlaps with the region of the 3q13.31 deletion syndrome. Patient two has a 10.5-Mb de novo deletion at 8q23.1q24.11, encompassing the TRPS1 gene; his phenotype is compatible with TRPS1. Patient three carries a chromosome translocation t(2p24.3;4q35.1) resulting in two terminal alterations: a 2p25.3p24.3 duplication of 14.7Mb and a 4-Mb deletion at 4q35.1q35.2. ConclusionsCopy number variants explained the phenotype in 8% of patients with hypopituitarism and additional complex phenotypes. This suggests that chromosomal alterations are an important contributor to syndromic hypopituitarism.
- PROP1 and CTNNB1 expression in adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas with or without beta-catenin mutations(2011) CANI, Carolina M. G.; MATUSHITA, Hamilton; CARVALHO, Luciani R. S.; SOARES, Ibere C.; BRITO, Luciana P.; ALMEIDA, Madson Q.; MENDONCA, Berenice B.INTRODUCTION: Activating mutations in exon 3 of the beta-catenin gene are involved in the pathogenesis of adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas. Recently, the interaction between beta-catenin and PROP1 has been shown to be responsible for pituitary cell lineage determination. We hypothesized that dysregulated PROP1 expression could also be involved in the pathogenesis of craniopharyngiomas. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether dysregulated gene expression was responsible for tumor pathogenesis in adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas, the beta-catenin gene was screened for mutations, and the expression of the beta-catenin gene and PROP1 was evaluated. METHODS: The beta-catenin gene was amplified and sequenced from 14 samples of adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas. PROP1 and beta-catenin gene expression was assessed by real-time RT-PCR from 12 samples, and beta-catenin immunohistochemistry was performed on 11 samples. RESULTS: Mutations in the beta-catenin gene were identified in 64% of the adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas samples. Evidence of beta-catenin gene overexpression was found in 71% of the tumors with beta-catenin mutations and in 40% of the tumors without mutations, and beta-catenin immunohistochemistry revealed a nuclear staining pattern for each of the analyzed samples. PROP1 expression was undetectable in all of the tumor samples. CONCLUSION: We found evidence of beta-catenin gene overexpression in the majority of adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas, and we also detected a nuclear beta-catenin staining pattern regardless of the presence of a beta-catenin gene mutation. These results suggest that WNT signaling activation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas. Additionally, this study was the first to evaluate PROP1 expression in adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas, and the absence of PROP1 expression indicates that this gene is not involved in the pathogenesis of this tumor, at least in this cohort.
- The phenotypic spectrum associated with OTX2 mutations in humans(2021) GREGORY, Louise C.; GERGICS, Peter; NAKAGUMA, Marilena; BANDO, Hironori; PATTI, Giuseppa; MCCABE, Mark J.; FANG, Qing; MA, Qianyi; OZEL, Ayse Bilge; LI, Jun Z.; POINA, Michele Moreira; JORGE, Alexander A. L.; BENEDETTI, Anna F. Figueredo; LERARIO, Antonio M.; ARNHOLD, Ivo J. P.; MENDONCA, Berenice B.; MAGHNIE, Mohamad; CAMPER, Sally A.; CARVALHO, Luciani R. S.; DATTANI, Mehul T.Objective: The transcription factor OTX2 is implicated in ocular, craniofacial, and pituitary development.& nbsp; Design: We aimed to establish the contribution of OTX2 mutations in congenital hypopituitarism patients with/without eye abnormalities, study functional consequences, and establish OTX2 expression in the human brain, with a view to investigate the mechanism of action.& nbsp; Methods: We screened patients from the UK (n = 103), international centres (n = 24), and Brazil (n = 282); 145 were within the septo-optic dysplasia spectrum, and 264 had no eye phenotype. Transactivation ability of OTX2 variants was analysed in murine hypothalamic GT1-7 neurons. In situ hybridization was performed on human embryonic brain sections. Genetically engineered mice were generated with a series of C-terminal OTX2 variants.& nbsp; Results: Two chromosomal deletions and six haploinsufficient mutations were identified in individuals with eye abnormalities; an affected relative of one patient harboured the same mutation without an ocular phenotype. OTX2 truncations led to significant transactivation reduction. A missense variant was identified in another patient without eye abnormalities; however, studies revealed it was most likely not causative. In the mouse, truncations proximal to aa219 caused anophthalmia, while distal truncations and the missense variant were tolerated. During human embryogenesis, OTX2 was expressed in the posterior pituitary, retina, ear, thalamus, choroid plexus, and partially in the hypothalamus, but not in the anterior pituitary.& nbsp; Conclusions: OTX2 mutations are rarely associated with hypopituitarism in isolation without eye abnormalities, and may be variably penetrant, even within the same pedigree. Our data suggest that the endocrine phenotypes in patients with OTX2 mutations are of hypothalamic origin.
- Allelic Variants in Established Hypopituitarism Genes Expand Our Knowledge of the Phenotypic Spectrum(2021) NAKAGUMA, Marilena; FERREIRA, Nathalia Garcia Bianchi Pereira; BENEDETTI, Anna Flavia Figueredo; MADI, Mariana Cotarelli; SILVA, Juliana Moreira; LI, Jun Z.; MA, Qianyi; OZEL, Ayse Bilge; FANG, Qing; NARCIZO, Amanda de Moraes; CARDOSO, Lais Cavalca; MONTENEGRO, Luciana Ribeiro; FUNARI, Mariana Ferreira de Assis; NISHI, Mirian Yumie; ARNHOLD, Ivo Jorge Prado; JORGE, Alexander Augusto de Lima; MENDONCA, Berenice Bilharinho de; CAMPER, Sally Ann; CARVALHO, Luciani R.We report four allelic variants (three novel) in three genes previously established as causal for hypopituitarism or related disorders. A novel homozygous variant in the growth hormone gene, GH1 c.171delT (p.Phe 57Leufs*43), was found in a male patient with severe isolated growth hormone deficiency (IGHD) born to consanguineous parents. A hemizygous SOX3 allelic variant (p.Met304Ile) was found in a male patient with IGHD and hypoplastic anterior pituitary. YASARA, a tool to evaluate protein stability, suggests that p.Met304Ile destabilizes the SOX3 protein (Delta Delta G = 2.49 kcal/mol). A rare, heterozygous missense variant in the TALE homeobox protein gene, TGIF1 (c.268C>T:p.Arg90Cys) was found in a patient with combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD), diabetes insipidus, and syndromic features of holoprosencephaly (HPE). This variant was previously reported in a patient with severe holoprosencephaly and shown to affect TGIF1 function. A novel heterozygous TGIF1 variant (c.82T>C:p.Ser28Pro) was identified in a patient with CPHD, pituitary aplasia and ectopic posterior lobe. Both TGIF1 variants have an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance with incomplete penetrance. In conclusion, we have found allelic variants in three genes in hypopituitarism patients. We discuss these variants and associated patient phenotypes in relation to previously reported variants in these genes, expanding our knowledge of the phenotypic spectrum in patient populations.
- Role of GLI2 in hypopituitarism phenotype(2015) ARNHOLD, Ivo J. P.; FRANCA, Marcela M.; CARVALHO, Luciani R.; MENDONCA, Berenice B.; JORGE, Alexander A. L.GLI2 is a zinc-finger transcription factor involved in the Sonic Hedgehog pathway. Gli2 mutant mice have hypoplastic anterior and absent posterior pituitary glands. We reviewed the literature for patients with hypopituitarism and alterations in GLI2. Twenty-five patients (16 families) had heterozygous truncating mutations, and the phenotype frequently included GH deficiency, a small anterior pituitary lobe and an ectopic/undescended posterior pituitary lobe on magnetic resonance imaging and postaxial polydactyly. The inheritance pattern was autosomal dominant with incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity. The mutation was frequently inherited from an asymptomatic parent. Eleven patients had heterozygous non-synonymous GLI2 variants that were classified as variants of unknown significance, because they were either absent from or had a frequency lower than 0.001 in the databases. In these patients, the posterior pituitary was also ectopic, but none had polydactyly. A third group of variants found in patients with hypopituitarism were considered benign because their frequency was >= 0.001 in the databases. GLI2 is a large and polymorphic gene, and sequencing may identify variants whose interpretation may be difficult. Incomplete penetrance implies in the participation of other genetic and/or environmental factors. An interaction between Gli2 mutations and prenatal ethanol exposure has been demonstrated in mice dysmorphology. In conclusion, a relatively high frequency of GLI2 mutations and variants were identified in patients with congenital GH deficiency without other brain defects, and most of these patients presented with combined pituitary hormone deficiency and an ectopic posterior pituitary lobe. Future studies may clarify the relative role and frequency of GLI2 alterations in the aetiology of hypopituitarism.
- HESX1 mutations in patients with congenital hypopituitarism: variable phenotypes with the same genotype(2016) FANG, Qing; BENEDETTI, Anna Flavia Figueredo; MA, Qianyi; GREGORY, Louise; LI, Jun Z.; DATTANI, Mehul; SADEGHI-NEJAD, Abdollah; ARNHOLD, Ivo J. P.; MENDONCA, Berenice Bilharinho; CAMPER, Sally A.; CARVALHO, Luciani R.IntroductionMutations in the transcription factor HESX1 can cause isolated growth hormone deficiency (IGHD) or combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD) with or without septo-optic dysplasia (SOD). So far there is no clear genotype-phenotype correlation. Patients and ResultsWe report four different recessive loss-of-function mutations in three unrelated families with CPHD and no midline defects or SOD. A homozygous p.R160C mutation was found by Sanger sequencing in two siblings from a consanguineous family. These patients presented with ACTH, TSH and GH deficiencies, severe anterior pituitary hypoplasia (APH) or pituitary aplasia (PA) and normal posterior pituitary. The p.R160C mutation was previously reported in a case with SOD, CPHD and ectopic posterior pituitary (EPP). Using exome sequencing, a homozygous p.I26T mutation was found in a Brazilian patient born to consanguineous parents. This patient had evolving CPHD, normal ACTH, APH and normal posterior pituitary (NPP). A previously reported patient homozygous for p.I26T had evolving CPHD and EPP. Finally, we identified compound heterozygous mutations in HESX1, p.[R159W];[R160H], in a patient with PA and CPHD. We showed that both of these mutations abrogate the ability of HESX1 to repress PROP1-mediated transcriptional activation. A patient homozygous for p.R160H was previously reported in a patient with CPHD, EPP, APH. ConclusionThese three examples demonstrate that HESX1 mutations cause variable clinical features in patients, which suggests an influence of modifier genes or environmental factors on the phenotype.
- Homozygous CDH2 variant may be associated with hypopituitarism without neurological disorders(2023) FERREIRA, Nathalia G. B. P.; MADEIRA, Joao L. O.; GERGICS, Peter; KERTSZ, Renata; MARQUES, Juliana M.; TRIGUEIRO, Nicholas S. S.; BENEDETTI, Anna Flavia Figueredo; V, Bruna Azevedo; V, Bianca H. Fernandes; BISSEGATTO, Debora D.; BISCOTTO, Isabela P.; FANG, Qing; MA, Qianyi; OZEL, Asye B.; LI, Jun; CAMPER, Sally A.; JORGE, Alexander A. L.; MENDONCA, Berenice B.; ARNHOLD, Ivo J. P.; CARVALHO, Luciani R.Context: Congenital hypopituitarism is a genetically heterogeneous condition. Whole exome sequencing (WES) is a promising approach for molecular diagnosis of patients with this condition. Objectives: The aim of this study is to conduct WES in a patient with congenital hypopituitarism born to consanguineous parents, CDH2 screening in a cohort of patients with congenital hypopituitarism, and functional testing of a no vel CDH2 variant. Design: Genomic DNA from a proband and her consanguineous parents was analyzed by WES. Copy number variants were evaluated. The genetic variants were filtered for population frequency (ExAC, 1000 genomes, gnomAD, and ABraOM), in silico prediction of pathogenicity, and gene expression in the pituitary and/or hypothalamus. Genomic DNA from 145 patients was screened for CDH2 by Sanger sequencing. Results: One female patient with deficiencies in growth hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone and ectopic posterior pituitary gland contained a rare homozygous c.865G>A (p.Val289Ile) variant in CDH2. To determine whether the p.Val289Ile variant in CDH2 affects cell adhesion properties, we stably transfected L1 fibroblast lines, labeled the cells with lipophilic dyes, and quantified aggregation. Large aggregates formed in cells expressing wildtype CDH2, but aggregation was impaired in cells transfected with variant CDH2 or non-transfected. Conclusion: A homozygous CDH2 allelic variant was found in one hypopituitarism patient, and the variant impaired cell aggregation function in vitro. No disease-causing variants were found in 145 other patients screened for CDH2 variants. Thus, CDH2 is a candidate gene for hypopituitarism that needs to be tested in different populations.
- Relatively high frequency of non-synonymous GLI2 variants in patients with congenital hypopituitarism without holoprosencephaly(2013) FRANCA, Marcela M.; JORGE, Alexander A. L.; CARVALHO, Luciani R. S.; COSTALONGA, Everlayny F.; OTTO, Aline P.; CORREA, Fernanda A.; MENDONCA, Berenice B.; ARNHOLD, Ivo J. P.Objective GLI2 is a downstream transcription factor in Sonic Hedgehog signalling, acting early in ventral forebrain and pituitary development. Heterozygous nonsense GLI2 mutations have been reported in patients with isolated or combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD), with or without holoprosencephaly. The aim of this study was to screen for GLI2 mutations in a large cohort of patients with congenital GH deficiency. Design and Patients The GLI2 coding region of 41 patients with severe isolated GH deficiency (IGHD) and 136 patients with CPHD was amplified by PCR using intronic primers and sequenced. The frequency of GLI2 variants was verified in up to 155 Brazilian controls and in the 1000 Genomes database. The consequences of allelic variants were analysed by the Polyphen, SIFT, Mutationtaster and SNAP prediction sites. Results Eighteen different heterozygous non-synonymous GLI2 variants were identified in 24 patients. Twenty-three patients had CPHD and one had IGHD. Two patients had additional diabetes insipidus, indicating deficiencies of anterior and posterior pituitary lobes. The posterior pituitary lobe on MRI was ectopic in 16, not visible in 4, normally placed in 2 and imaging was not available in two patients, but there were no signs of holoprosencephaly. Sixteen GLI2 variants were considered deleterious in at least one of the prediction sites. Conclusions A relatively high frequency of non-synonymous GLI2 variants was identified in patients with congenital GH deficiency without other brain defects, and most of these patients presented with CPHD and an ectopic posterior pituitary lobe. In vitro functional assays may contribute to ascertain the deleterious consequences of these variants.
- Genetic diagnosis of congenital hypopituitarism by a target gene panel: novel pathogenic variants in GLI2, OTX2 and GHRHR(2019) NAKAGUMA, Marilena; CORREA, Fernanda A.; SANTANA, Lucas S.; BENEDETTI, Anna F. F.; V, Ricardo Perez; HUAYLLAS, Martha K. P.; MIRAS, Mirta B.; FUNARI, Mariana F. A.; LERARIO, Antonio M.; MENDONCA, Berenice B.; CARVALHO, Luciani R. S.; JORGE, Alexander A. L.; ARNHOLD, Ivo J. P.Aim: Congenital hypopituitarism has an incidence of 1:3500-10,000 births and is defined by the impaired production of pituitary hormones. Early diagnosis has an impact on management and genetic counselling. The clinical and genetic heterogeneity of hypopituitarism poses difficulties to select the order of genes to analyse. The objective of our study is to screen hypopituitarism genes (candidate and previously related genes) simultaneously using a target gene panel in patients with congenital hypopituitarism. Methods: Screening of 117 subjects with congenital hypopituitarism for pathogenic variants in 26 genes associated with congenital hypopituitarism by massively parallel sequencing using a customized target gene panel. Results: We found three novel pathogenic variants in OTX2 c.295C>T:p.Gln99*, GLI2 c.1681G>T:p.Glu561* and GHRHR c.820_821insC:p.Asp274Alafs*113, and the previously reported variants in GHRHR c.57+1G>A and PROP1 [c.301_302delAG];(c.109+1G>A]. Conclusions: Our results indicate that a custom-designed panel is an efficient method to screen simultaneously variants of biological and clinical relevance for congenital GH deficiency. A genetic diagnosis was possible in 5 out of 117 (4%) patients of our cohort. We identified three novel pathogenic variants in GHRHR, OTX2 and GLI2 expanding the spectrum of variants associated with congenital hypopituitarism.