Orientadores: Andréa Trevas Maciel Guerra, Maricilda Palandi de Mello / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-23T00:38:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Santos_AnaPaulados_M.pdf: 2717833 bytes, checksum: 8a3a2ff5cccd42ca60c0bc51ba3b0067 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: As disgenesias gonadais parcial (DGP) e mista (DGM) caracterizam-se por ambiguidade genital e presença de gônada disgenética associada a testículo disgenético ou dois testículos disgenéticos. Na DGP o cariótipo é 46,XY; na DGM, há mosaico 45,X/46,XY ou suas variantes (mais de duas linhagens e (ou) anomalias estruturais do cromossomo Y). Esses mosaicos podem determinar, ainda, fenótipo feminino com síndrome de Turner (ST), distúrbio da diferenciação do sexo ovotesticular (DDS OT) e esterilidade em homens com genitais normais. Independentemente do fenótipo gonadal e genital, esses indivíduos apresentam outros sinais clínicos decorrentes da linhagem 45,X, como baixa estatura, dismorfismos, anomalias cardíacas e renais e diversas afecções adquiridas. Nos últimos anos surgiram evidências de ligação entre microdeleções do Y e o mosaicismo com linhagem 45,X. Há, ainda, indicações de que a instabilidade cromossômica trazida por essas deleções possa ser mais pronunciada nas gônadas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a presença de microdeleções do Y em indivíduos com DGP e naqueles com mosaico 45,X/46,XY ou suas variantes e diferentes fenótipos. A casuística constou de 15 indivíduos com DGP e 15 com mosaicismo, dos quais a maioria apresentava DGM (11 casos). Foram analisados 38 sequence tagged sites (STS) cobrindo a região específica masculina (MSY, male specific region) em Yp, centrômero e Yq por meio da técnica de reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) multiplex e individual. Todos os STS investigados nos indivíduos com DGP tiveram amplificação positiva, porém havia STS de Yq ausentes em seis indivíduos com mosaicismo e DGM, dos quais dois sem alterações estruturais de Y evidentes ao cariótipo. Essas deleções se localizavam em regiões contendo genes relacionados à espermatogênese (AZFb e AZFc - azoospermia factor). A ausência de deleções nos indivíduos com DGP não confirma a hipótese de que a instabilidade desse cromossomo nas gônadas seja uma das causas dessa afecção. Por outro lado, as deleções encontradas no segundo grupo indicam, em alguns casos, associação entre alterações estruturais do Y detectáveis somente a nível molecular e o surgimento de mosaicismo. Caso sejam criados no sexo masculino e busquem procedimentos de fertilização in vitro, há risco de que esses indivíduos transmitam cromossomos Y instáveis na divisão celular / Abstract: Partial and mixed gonadal dysgenesis (PGD and MGD) are characterized by genital ambiguity and the finding of either a streak gonad and a dysgenetic testis or two dysgenetic testes. In PGD there is a 46,XY karyotype, whereas in MGD there is a 45,X/46,XY mosaic or its variants (more than two lineages and/or structural abnormalities of the Y chromosome). These mosaics are also compatible with a female phenotype and Turner syndrome, ovotesticular disorder of sex development, and infertility in men with normal external genitalia. Regardless of the gonadal and genital phenotypes, these individuals present other clinical features associated with the 45,X cell line, including short stature, dysmorphisms, cardiovascular and renal anomalies and various acquired diseases. During the last few years, evidences of a link between Y microdeletions and 45,X mosaicism have been reported. There are also indications that the instability caused by such deletions might be more significant in germ cells. The aim of this work was to investigate the presence of Y chromosome microdeletions in individuals with PGD and in those with 45,X/46,XY mosaicism or its variants and variable phenotypes. Our sample comprised 15 individuals with PGD and 15 with mosaicism, most of them with a MGD phenotype (n=11). Thirty-eight sequence tagged sites (STS) spanning the male specific region (MSY) on the Y chromosome (Yp, centromere and Yq) where analyzed by multiplex PCR and some individual reactions. All STS showed positive amplifications in the PGD group. Conversely, in the group with mosaicism, six individuals with MGD had been identified with Yq microdeletions, two of them did not have structural abnormalities of the Y chromosome recognized by routine cytogenetic analysis. The deleted STSs were located within AZFb and AZFc (Azoospermia Factor) regions, which harbor several genes responsible for spermatogenesis. Absence of deletions in individuals with PGD does not confirm the hypothesis that instability of the Y chromosome in the gonads could be one of the causes of such condition. However, deletions identified in the second group indicate that mosaicism may be associated with Y chromosome abnormalities detectable only at the molecular level. If patients with mosaicism and Y microdeletions reared as males decide to undergo in vitro fertilization, Y chromosomes which tend to be unstable during cell division may be transmitted to offspring / Mestrado / Ciencias Biomedicas / Mestra em Ciências Médicas

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / The primary objective of this Masters project was to investigate the maternal ancient substructure of the Griqua population in South Africa. Genetic ancestry was determined by investigating ancestry informative single nucleotide polymorphisms. These are located in the control region of the mitochondrial genome. The auxiliary aim was to test the validity of the UWC 10plex system in relation to a sample group of Griqua males. This short tandem repeat multiplex targets specific mutations confined to paternal lineages. The Khoi Khoi or Hottentots were the first inhabitants in the Cape. Indigenous Khoi Khoi female slaves had offspring with the European settlers in the 1800s which resulted in the Griqua population group. The incorporated European paternal ancestry is what set the Griqua apart from the native population groups at that time. Colonisation events from the mid-17th to 19th Century and the apartheid regime resulted in land dispossession of the native population and an extensively mixed gene pool in South Africa. One hundred and seventy six (N=176) male and female Griqua people were collectively sampled in Kokstad (2012), Vredendal (2012 and 2013) and at the Griqua National Conference in Ratelgat (2013). All 176 samples were analysed using mtDNA control region Sanger sequencing. The sample group (N=176) was separated based on birthplace (Origin sample group and post-colonial sample group). The origin sample group consists of individuals whose ancestors were not part of the Griqua Trek to Northern regions of South Africa and were less likely to be exposed to colonial influences. Mutations within the hypervariable segments of the mtDNA control region were used to infer haplogroups with geographic-specific population data. In this way one can plot the extent of ancient Khoisan (L0d) and Bantu influences (L1-L5) as well as the influence of East (M, A, B, E) and West (N, R, J, H) Eurasian haplogroups in the maternal ancestry of the Griqua population group. The origin sample group showed 91% African ancestry (76.8% L0d) while the post-colonial group had 78% African ancestry (60% L0d). The origin sample group had 2% East Eurasian and 7% West Eurasian ancestry, while the post-colonial group contained 20% Eurasian ancestry. There is greater admixture in the post-colonial group which can be attributed to the integration of surrounding populations during settlement periods in parts of the Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The UWC 10plex STR kit was tested to see if it could discriminate between male individuals of this admixed sample group (N=91 males). The markers for this multiplex were selected according to their ability to differentiate between individuals of African descent. It proved to be a viable Y chromosome short tandem repeat testing tool, displaying a statistically significant discrimination capacity value of 0.966 and only having 3 shared haplotypes in the sample group of 91 Griqua males. / National Research Foundation (NRF)

During the past 500 years, the Bahamas has been influenced by a wide array of settlers, including but not limited to, the Arawak Indians, Eleutherian Adventurers, British Loyalists, Creole slaves, liberated Africans as well as Chinese, Greek, Jewish, Lebanese, Jamaican and Haitian migrants. To date, however, only a few reports analyzing the genetic makeup and population dynamics of the Bahamas have been published, making this work pivotal in the endeavor to ascertain the genetic ancestry of these groups. As such, the current investigation was undertaken to genetically characterize six of the more densely populated islands throughout the Northwest (Grand Bahama and Abaco) and Central (Eleuthera, Exuma, Long Island and New Providence) Bahamas using different forensic marker systems. When autosomal STR markers are employed, the Bahamian collections were all found to receive differential contributions from the African, European, East Asian and Native American collections utilized in the analyses. Similar findings were also observed for two other Afro-Caribbean populations, Haiti and Jamaica, although the latter populace was found to share a greater proportion of its autosomal component with non-African sources than the former. On the contrary, analysis of the six Bahamian collections using high-resolution Y-chromosome markers identifies genetic signals emanating exclusively from Africans and Europeans, but this is likely the result of smaller sample sizes collected from each island and/or sex-biased gene flow from East Asian and Native American groups.

Archaeological and genetic evidence have long supported the notion that the Indian subcontinent played an important role in the dispersal of modern humans out of Africa. In the present study, two Dravidian populations, namely Lingayat (N=101) and Vokkaliga (N=102) were examined using high-resolution analyses of Y-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphism (Y-SNP) and their associated seventeen short tandem repeat (STR) loci. The results revealed a prevalence of the major indigenous Indian Y-haplogroups (H, L, F* and R2), which collectively accounted for three-fourths of the Lingayat and Vokkaliga paternal gene pool. In addition, the presence of ancient lineages such as F*-M213, H*-M69 and C*-M216 suggested that modern humans reached India very early after their migration out of Africa. Finally, high haplotype diversity values at 17 Y-STR loci for Lingayat (0.9981) and Vokkaliga (0.9901) populations as well as the absence of shared haplotypes between them emphasized the importance of independent databases for forensic casework.

In the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus, the female is the larger sex and the male is the smaller sex. However, males that are almost as large as females can also occur, which is due to a specific Y chromosome haplotype. This Y chromosome polymorphism is not expected since the Y chromosome does not recombine and has lost genetic variation as a consequence. Nevertheless, the Y chromosome manages to maintain this polymorphism. Thus, the questions asked are how this occurs and how the large male Y haplotype persists to exist since previous studies have shown how small males have the higher fitness. In this study, large males were from line SL3b Y and small males were from line SL1b Y. To answer the questions, two important measures of fitness were conducted, mating- and lifetime reproductive success, as well as lifetime-history traits of the SL1b Y and SL3b Y males. Males from line SL3b Y turned out to have a faster growth rate and a shorter development time compared to the SL1b Y males. Both the SL3b Y males with a shorter development time and the SL1b Y males with a longer development time had larger body sizes. Large males also showed to have heavier ejaculate weight and produced more offspring compared to the other male Y haplotype. However, neither of the males had higher pre-mating success. In conclusion, the two male Y haplotypes must coexist in nature since their traits are beneficial in different environments and circumstances.

Y-chromosome testing has become more prevalent in recent years as a means of identifying forensic samples using STRs or identifying biomarkers for disease or determining geographic origins of populations. Additionally, Y-chromosome analysis is especially useful in paternity testing as the Y chromosome is inherited paternally and the male-specific region of the Y chromosome does not undergo any recombination events, allowing the genotypic data of both the father and son to be identical. Though in most cases a father-son pair will have the same Y-allelic data, random mutations like allele insertions and deletions can occur, which can interfere and result in incorrect conclusions in regards to paternity testing, forensic analysis, or genealogy. Though the exact mechanism of Y loci mutability is unknown, postulations of factors that can cause mutations have been studied, as well as attempts to determine mutation rate specific to each locus. A multi-generational pedigree consisting of 9 males was analyzed using two different methodologies: capillary electrophoresis and next-generation sequencing. The samples were amplified using either a ForenSeq™ Signature DNA Prep Kit (Verogen, San Diego, CA) or a YFiler™ Plus PCR Amplification Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA). Between the two methods, five Y-STR loci were identified as being discordant between a father-son pair. Next-generation sequencing identified an allele insertion at DYS385a/b, resulting in a potential tri-allelic locus, but was disproved after comparison with the capillary electrophoresis data of the sample. The capillary electrophoresis data identified four discordances between father-son pairs, one of which was an allele mutation with a gain of a repeat at DYS458. At DYS 389II, an allele insertion was identified, but was contradicted after comparison with the next-generation sequencing data. There was a potential null allele at DYS518 and either an OL variant allele or a 2 base pair deletion at DYS481. Following peak height ratio, stutter, and comparative analysis between the genotypic data of the two analysis methods, two of these discordances were proven to be errors, one was a definitive mutational event, and the other two could neither be confirmed nor denied due to differences in loci tested in each kit.

I developed and tested a protocol for determining the sex of individual pinnipeds using the sex-chromosome specific genes ZFX and ZFY. I screened a total of 368 seals (168 crabeater, Lobodon carcinophagus; 159 Weddell, Leptonychotes weddellii; and 41 Ross, Ommatophoca rossii) of known or unknown sex and compared the molecular sex to the sex assigned at the time of collection in the Ross and Amundsen seas, Antarctica. Discrepancies ranged from 0.0% - 6.7% among species. It is unclear, however, if mis-assignment of sex occurred in situ or in the laboratory. It also is possible, however, that the assigned morphological and molecular sex both are correct, owing perhaps to developmental effects of environmental pollution. I sequenced a portion (ca 475 bp) of the mitochondrial control region of Weddell seals (N = 181); crabeater seals (N = 143); and Ross seals (N = 41). I resolved 251 haplotypes with a haplotype diversity of 0.98 to 0.99. Bayesian estimates of Θ from the program LAMARC ranged from 0.075 for Weddell seals to 0.576 for crabeater seals. I used the values of theta to estimate female effective population sizes (NEF), which were 40,700 to 63,000 for Weddell seals, 44,400 to 97,800 for Ross seals, and 358,500 to 531,900 for crabeater seals. Weddell seals and crabeater seals had significant, unimodal mean pairwise difference mismatch distributions (p = 0.56 and 0.36, respectively), suggesting that their populations expanded suddenly around 731,000 years ago (Weddell seals) and around 1.6 million years ago (crabeater seals). Both of these expansions occurred during times of intensified glaciations and may have been fostered by expanding pack ice habitat. Autosomal microsatellite based NEs were 147,850 for L. Weddellii, 344,950 for O. rossii, and 939,600 for L. carcinophagus. I screened one X-linked microsatellite (Lw18), which yielded a larger NE estimate for O. rossii than the other two species. Microsatellite NE estimates are compared with previously published mitochondrial NE estimates and this comparison indicates that the Ross seal may have a serially monogamous system of mating. I find no sign of a recent, sustained genetic bottleneck in any of the three species.

The application of Y-chromosome analysis is expanding in fields such as forensic science and genealogy. By researching the potential polymorphisms this chromosome can present, we can further our ability to assess DNA profiles for these disciplines to avoid erroneous exclusions of paternal linkage, wrongful convictions based on forensic evidence, and other misinformed genetic conclusions. The conservation of Y-haplotypes during transmission occurs due to a relative lack of genetic recombination events in the inheritance of the Y-chromosome [1]. However, random mutation events can occur in a paternal line resulting in haplotype changes. These changes can include allele duplications and deletions that occur at the STR and SNP loci used in forensic DNA analysis. This can become important in cases of sexual assault where male-female mixture samples have low amounts of male DNA such that the male signal is not amplified in currently used STR multiplexes [7]. In this study, we analyzed a father and his eleven sons using two different methodologies for genetic analysis; next generation sequencing and capillary electrophoresis. The samples were obtained from the Coriell Institute for Medical Research located in Hamden, NJ, in the form of frozen DNA extracts isolated from a blood-sourced lymphocyte cell culture [22]. DNA from these samples was tested with the ForenSeqTM DNA Signature Prep Kit [14] (Verogen, San Diego, CA) primer set A and the YFilerTM Plus PCR Amplification Kit [24] (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA). Using these two platforms, three Y-STR loci were identified as discordant between the father and all of his eleven sons. In all three instances, the father possessed the same allele as the sons as well as one additional allele. At two of these loci (DYS449 and DYS635), the additional allele was one repeat (4bp) longer than that of the shared allele. At the other locus (DYS458), the additional allele was three repeats (12bp) longer than that of the shared allele. Following read count and peak height analysis, it was concluded that these double allele loci are not the product of stutter and are potentially the product of a non-inheritable mutation. With the knowledge that the DNA was extracted from a blood lymphocyte cell culture, it is believed that a somatic mutation may be present in the cell line. We are not able to determine whether the mutations exist in the blood of the father (true somatic mutations) or occurred as a result of the cell culture process. Throughout the study, details concerning the position of these loci on the Y-chromosome, the repeat motifs of the alleles, and the potential for duplication and/or stutter as the originating event are discussed in an effort to further understand this phenomenon. Potential locus duplications were compared to those reported on the National Institute of Standards and Technology STRBase [21] list of allele variations and also to information found in literature. The observed DYS635 locus had an allele designation of 21,22 which is reported on STRBase. The DYS449 and DYS458 loci showed potential allele-specific locus duplications that were not found on STRBase. The implications of potentially undocumented non-inheritable allele patterns in the Y-chromosome, such as this, are significant when considering comparisons between DNA obtained from germline cells (sperm) versus a known casework sample which is usually obtained from blood or saliva [7].

BACKGROUND: Alcohol dependence is more common among men than among women. Potential explanations for this include the role of genes in sex chromosomes (X and Y). In the present study, we scanned the entire Y chromosome and its homologs on the X chromosome in men to identify male-specific risk genes for alcohol dependence. METHODS: Two thousand nine hundred and twenty-seven individuals in two independent cohorts were analyzed. The European-American male cohort (883 cases with alcohol dependence and 445 controls) served as the discovery cohort and the European-American female cohort (526 cases and 1073 controls) served as a contrast group. All individuals were genotyped on the Illumina Human 1M beadchip. Two thousand two hundred and twenty-four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the Y chromosome or in the homologs on the X chromosome were analyzed. The allele frequencies were compared between cases and controls within each cohort using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: We found that, after experiment-wide correction, two SNPs on the X chromosome were associated significantly with alcohol dependence in European-American men (P=1.0×10 for rs5916144 and P=5.5×10 for rs5961794 at 3′ UTR of NLGN4X), but not in the women. A total of 26 SNPs at 3′UTR of or within NLGN4X were nominally associated with alcohol dependence in men (5.5×10≤P≤0.05), all of which were not statistically significant in women. CONCLUSION: We conclude that NLGN4X was a significant male-specific risk gene for alcohol dependence in European-Americans. NLGN4X might harbor a causal variant(s) for alcohol dependence. A defect of synaptogenesis in neuronal circuitry caused by NLGN4X mutations is believed to play a role in alcohol dependence.

Skeletal muscle satellite cells (myoblasts) are the primary stem cells of skeletal muscle which contribute to growth, maintenance, and repair of the muscles. Satellite cells are the first stem cells used for cellular cardiomyoplasty more than 20 years ago. The isolation, culture, labeling, and identification of satellite cells are described in detail here. The implantation and outcomes of cellular cardiomyoplasty using satellite cells have been summarized in the previous chapter (Chapter 1).