Kenna, Kevin P, Doormaal, Perry, Dekker, Annelot, Ticozzi, Nicola, Kenna, Brendan, Diekstra, Frank, van Rheenen, Wouter, Leigh, P Nigel and et al, (2016) NEK1 variants confer susceptibility to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nature Genetics, 48 (9). pp. 1037-1042. ISSN 1061-4036

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Abstract

To identify genetic factors contributing to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we conducted whole-exome analyses of 1,022 index familial ALS (FALS) cases and 7,315 controls. In a new screening strategy, we performed gene-burden analyses trained with established ALS genes and identified a significant association between loss-of-function (LOF) NEK1 variants and FALS risk. Independently, autozygosity mapping for an isolated community in the Netherlands identified a NEK1 p.Arg261His variant as a candidate risk factor. Replication analyses of sporadic ALS (SALS) cases and independent control cohorts confirmed significant disease association for both p.Arg261His (10,589 samples analyzed) and NEK1 LOF variants (3,362 samples analyzed). In total, we observed NEK1 risk variants in nearly 3% of ALS cases. NEK1 has been linked to several cellular functions, including cilia formation, DNA-damage response, microtubule stability, neuronal morphology and axonal polarity. Our results provide new and important insights into ALS etiopathogenesis and genetic etiology.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Genomics Motor neuron disease
Schools and Departments:	Brighton and Sussex Medical School > Neuroscience
Subjects:	R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry > RC0346 Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system Including speech disorders
Depositing User:	Patricia Butler
Date Deposited:	30 Jan 2017 10:14
Last Modified:	06 Sep 2019 16:30
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/66489

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