The Clinical Neurogenetics Unit research program is focused on identification and characterization of genes and genetic mechanisms involved in hereditary movement disorders and neuromuscular disorders. Major findings: We have identified and characterized a new group of patients in which Myofibrillar myopathy was associated with mutations in Myotilin (MYOT) gene. We outlined several phenotypically distinct variants of desminopathy; a correlation between the clinical syndrome and the position and type of the causative mutation in the desmin gene have been established. Clinical/pathological characteristics of spinal muscular atrophy (dSMA-V) and type 2D of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT2D) were analysed in 60 patients from 5 unrelated families; diagnostic criteria for this disorder were proposed. We described an unusual form of spinocerebellar ataxia type 17 mimicking Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Tremor-dystonia type of essential tremor in two large American families was shown to be linked to a 7 cM locus on chromosome 6p and 21 cM region on chromosome 11p. Patients with definite Viliuisk encephalomyelitis show evidence for intrathecal IgG synthesis correlating with the clinical manifestations of the disease; we have recently established that these immunoglobulins strongly react with Herpes simplex type 1 and 2, suggesting an etiological role for these or related viruses.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Intramural Research (Z01)
Project #
1Z01NS002973-08
Application #
7324550
Study Section
(OCD)
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
Budget End
Support Year
8
Fiscal Year
2006
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
City
State
Country
United States
Zip Code
Platonov, Fedor A; Tyryshkin, Kathrin; Tikhonov, Dmitriy G et al. (2016) Genetic fitness and selection intensity in a population affected with high-incidence spinocerebellar ataxia type 1. Neurogenetics 17:179-85
Goldfarb, Lev G; Dalakas, Marinos C (2009) Tragedy in a heartbeat: malfunctioning desmin causes skeletal and cardiac muscle disease. J Clin Invest 119:1806-13
Vladimirtsev, Vsevolod A; Nikitina, Raisa S; Renwick, Neil et al. (2007) Family clustering of Viliuisk encephalomyelitis in traditional and new geographic regions. Emerg Infect Dis 13:1321-6
Salajegheh, M; Rakocevic, G; Raju, R et al. (2007) T cell receptor profiling in muscle and blood lymphocytes in sporadic inclusion body myositis. Neurology 69:1672-9
Olive, Montse; Armstrong, Judith; Miralles, Francesc et al. (2007) Phenotypic patterns of desminopathy associated with three novel mutations in the desmin gene. Neuromuscul Disord 17:443-50
Kostera-Pruszczyk, Anna; Pruszczyk, Piotr; Kaminska, Anna et al. (2007) Diversity of cardiomyopathy phenotypes caused by mutations in desmin. Int J Cardiol :
Bar, Harald; Goudeau, Bertrand; Walde, Sarah et al. (2007) Conspicuous involvement of desmin tail mutations in diverse cardiac and skeletal myopathies. Hum Mutat 28:374-86
Dalakas, Marinos C; Rakocevic, Goran; Shatunov, Alexey et al. (2007) Inclusion body myositis with human immunodeficiency virus infection: four cases with clonal expansion of viral-specific T cells. Ann Neurol 61:466-75
Pruszczyk, Piotr; Kostera-Pruszczyk, Anna; Shatunov, Alexey et al. (2007) Restrictive cardiomyopathy with atrioventricular conduction block resulting from a desmin mutation. Int J Cardiol 117:244-53
Shatunov, Alexey; Sambuughin, Nyamkhishig; Jankovic, Joseph et al. (2006) Genomewide scans in North American families reveal genetic linkage of essential tremor to a region on chromosome 6p23. Brain 129:2318-31

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