Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Age-related degenerative and malignant diseases represent major challenges for health care systems. Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying carcinogenesis and age-associated pathologies is thus of growing biomedical relevance. We identified biallelic germline mutations in SPRTN (also called C1orf124 or DVC1) in three patients from two unrelated families. All three patients are affected by a new segmental progeroid syndrome characterized by genomic instability and susceptibility toward early onset hepatocellular carcinoma. SPRTN was recently proposed to have a function in translesional DNA synthesis and the prevention of mutagenesis. Our in vivo and in vitro characterization of identified mutations has uncovered an essential role for SPRTN in the prevention of DNA replication stress during general DNA replication and in replication-related G2/M-checkpoint regulation. In addition to demonstrating the pathogenicity of identified SPRTN mutations, our findings provide a molecular explanation of how SPRTN dysfunction causes accelerated aging and susceptibility toward carcinoma.

Original publication

DOI

10.1038/ng.3103

Type

Journal article

Journal

Nat Genet

Publication Date

11/2014

Volume

46

Pages

1239 - 1244

Keywords

Age of Onset, Animals, Base Sequence, Carcinoma, Hepatocellular, Chromosome Mapping, Cloning, Molecular, DNA Primers, DNA Replication, DNA-Binding Proteins, Flow Cytometry, Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Genes, cdc, Genomic Instability, Germ-Line Mutation, Humans, Liver Neoplasms, Male, Molecular Sequence Data, Pedigree, Progeria, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Zebrafish