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C M Eng

Publications and source records attributed to C M Eng.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Fabry disease: fourteen alpha-galactosidase A mutations in unrelated families from the United Kingdom and other European countries.

The nature of the molecular lesions in the alpha-galactosidase A gene causing Fabry disease in 12 unrelated families from the United Kingdom and 4 from other European countries was determined in order to provide precise heterozygote detection and prenatal diagnosis for these families. The entire alpha-galactosidase A coding region and flanking intronic sequences were analyzed by amplification of genomic DNA and solid-phase direct sequencing or by SSCP analysis followed by solid-phase direct sequencing. Fourteen new mutations were identified including 10 missense mutations (M42V, R49S, C56Y, D92H, D93G, P205T, W236C, W287G, N298H, and W340R), 2 nonsense mutations (Q107X and Q119X) and 2 small deletions (257del18 and 1087del1). Together with the previously reported mutations, a total of 33 lesions in the alpha-galactosidase A gene have been identified in unrelated British families, further documenting the molecular genetic heterogeneity of this disease.

Fabry Disease↗

Prenatal diagnosis of familial dysautonomia by analysis of linked CA-repeat polymorphisms on chromosome 9q31-q33.

Familial Dysautonomia (FD) is an autosomal recessive sensory neuropathy that affects about 1 in 3,700 individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. The underlying biochemical and genetic defects are unknown, thereby precluding prenatal diagnosis in at-risk families. Recently, the FD gene (DYS) was mapped with strong linkage disequilibrium to polymorphic markers in the chromosome 9 region q31-q33. In this report, the use of these markers for the prenatal diagnosis of FD by linkage analysis in families with a previously affected child was evaluated. Genomic DNA from appropriate family members was analyzed to construct haplotypes using informative CA repeat polymorphisms closely linked to and flanking the FD locus. The calculation of risk for the prenatal diagnoses was performed by linkage analysis. All seven FD families were informative for the closely linked polymorphic markers and fetal diagnoses were made in eight pregnancies. Six fetal diagnoses were predicted with > 98% accuracy, while two with recombinations were predicted with at least 88% and 92% accuracy. Use of these closely linked markers permitted the reliable prenatal diagnosis of FD in families with a previously affected child.

Abortion, Eugenic↗

Molecular basis of Fabry disease: mutations and polymorphisms in the human alpha-galactosidase A gene.

Fabry disease, an X-linked inborn error of glycosphingolipid catabolism, results from mutations in the alpha-galactosidase A gene at Xq22.1. Studies of the mutations in unrelated Fabry families have identified a variety of lesions indicating the molecular genetic heterogeneity underlying the disease. Forty-nine different mutations have been described including five partial gene deletions, one partial gene duplication, nine small deletions and insertions, three splice junction consensus site alterations, and 31 coding region single base substitutions. Most mutations resulted in the classical disease phenotype; however, five missense mutations were detected in atypical hemizygotes who were asymptomatic or had symptoms confined to the heart, including N215S, which was described in three unrelated atypical males. Most mutations were confined to a single pedigree with the exception of N215S, R227Q, R227X, R342Q, and R342X, which were each found in several unrelated families. Five of the 14 coding region CpG dinucleotides were sites of point mutations including the CpGs in codons 227 and 342, which were each mutated in both orientations. The identification of the mutation in a given Fabry family permits precise prenatal diagnosis and heterozygote detection of other family members with this X-linked recessive disease. Studies of additional Fabry families will provide information on the nature and frequency of the mutations causing this disease as well as potential insights into the structure/function relationships of this lysosomal hydrolase.

Base Sequence↗

Fabry disease: twenty-three mutations including sense and antisense CpG alterations and identification of a deletional hot-spot in the alpha-galactosidase A gene.

Fabry disease, an X-linked inborn error of glycosphingolipid catabolism, results from mutations in the alpha-galactosidase A gene at Xq22.1. To determine the nature and frequency of the molecular lesions causing the classical and milder variant Fabry phenotypes, and for precise carrier detection in Fabry families, the alpha-galactosidase A coding and flanking intronic sequences from 23 unrelated Fabry hemizygotes were analyzed. In patients with the classic phenotype, 16 new missense and nonsense mutations and four small exonic gene rearrangements were identified: C52S, C56F, E59K, L89R, R100K, R112H, L131P, A143P, G144V, C172Y, D244N, N272K, A288D, W81X, Q99X, Q157X, R301X, 25del1, 333del18, 358del6, and 1020del1. The R112H mutation at a CpG dinucleotide resulted in residual activity and a mild variant phenotype while the R112C lesion caused the classic disease manifestations, defining a genotype/phenotype correlation for sense and antisense mutations at the same CpG dinucleotide. In addition, two complex rearrangements, each involving two mutational events, occurred in classic hemizygotes. Both rearrangements resulted in missense mutations that did not change the reading frame. Notably, three of the deletions occurred within 11 codons in exon 2, thereby defining a 'hot-spot' for deletions. These studies revealed that most mutations in the alpha-galactosidase A gene causing Fabry disease were private, that codons 111-122 defined a deletion hot-spot, and that different substitutions of the same codon resulted in markedly different disease phenotypes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Common mutations in the phosphofructokinase-M gene in Ashkenazi Jewish patients with glycogenesis VII--and their population frequency.

Phosphofructokinase (PFK) catalyzes the rate-limiting step of glycolysis. Deficiency of the muscle enzyme is manifested by exercise intolerance and a compensated hemolytic anemia. Case reports of this autosomal recessive disease suggest a predominance in Ashkenazi Jews in the United States. We have explored the genetic basis for this illness in nine affected families and surveyed the normal Ashkenazi population for the mutations we have found. Genomic DNA was amplified using PCR, and denaturing gradient-gel electrophoresis was used to localize exons with possible mutations. The polymorphic exons were sequenced or digested with restriction enzymes. A previously described splicing mutation, delta 5, accounted for 11 (61%) of 18 abnormal alleles in the nine families. A single base deletion leading to a frameshift mutation in exon 22 (delta C-22) was found in six of seven alleles. A third mutation, resulting in a nonconservative amino acid substitution in exon 4, accounted for the remaining allele. Thus, three mutations could account for all illness in this group, and two mutations could account for 17 of 18 alleles. In screening 250 normal Ashkenazi individuals for all three mutations, we found only one delta 5 allele. Clinical data revealed no correlation between the particular mutations and symptoms, but male patients were more symptomatic than females, and only males had frank hemolysis and hyperuricemia. Because PFK deficiency in Ashkenazi Jews is caused by a limited number of mutations, screening genomic DNA from peripheral blood for the described mutations in this population should enable rapid diagnosis without muscle biopsy.

Adult↗

Nature and frequency of mutations in the alpha-galactosidase A gene that cause Fabry disease.

Fabry disease, an X-linked inborn error of glycosphingolipid catabolism, results from mutations in the alpha-galactosidase A (alpha-Gal A) gene at Xq22.1. To determine the nature and frequency of the molecular lesions causing the classical and milder-variant Fabry phenotypes, and for precise carrier detection in Fabry families, the alpha-Gal A transcripts or genomic sequences from unrelated Fabry hemizygotes were analyzed. In patients with the classical phenotype, 18 new mutations were identified: N34S, C56G, W162R, R227Q, R227X, D264V, D266V, S297F, D313Y, G328A, W340X, E398X, IVS2+2, IVS5 delta-2,3, 773 delta 2, 954 delta 5, 1016 delta 11, and 1123 delta 53. Unrelated asymptomatic or mildly affected patients with symptoms confined to the heart had a missense mutation, N215S, that expressed residual enzymatic activity. Related, moderately affected patients with late-onset cardiac and pulmonary manifestations had a small deletion, 1208 delta 3, that predicted the in-frame deletion of arginine 404 near the terminus of the 429 residue enzyme polypeptide. In addition, five small gene rearrangements involving exonic sequences were identified in unrelated classically affected patients. Two small deletions and one small duplication had short direct repeats at their respective breakpoint junctions and presumably resulted from slipped mispairing. A deletion occurred at a potential polymerase alpha arrest site, while the breakpoints of another deletion occurred at an inverted tetranucleotide repeat. Screening of unrelated Fabry patients with allele-specific oligonucleotides for seven mutations revealed that these were private, with the notable exception of N215S, R227Q, and R227X, which were each found in several unrelated families from different ethnic backgrounds. The CpG dinucleotide at codon 227 was the most common site of mutation, having been altered in 5% of the 148 unrelated Fabry alleles. These studies revealed that most alpha-Gal A lesions were private, that codon 227 was a mutational hot spot, and that certain mutations predicted a milder disease phenotype.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Phenotype/genotype correlations in Gaucher disease type I: clinical and therapeutic implications.

Gaucher disease is the most frequent lysosomal storage disease and the most prevalent genetic disease among Ashkenazi Jews. Gaucher disease type 1 is characterized by marked variability of the phenotype and by the absence of neuronopathic involvement. To test the hypothesis that this phenotypic variability was due to genetic compounds of several different mutant alleles, 161 symptomatic patients with Gaucher disease type 1 (> 90% Ashkenazi Jewish) were analyzed for clinical involvement, and their genotypes were determined. Qualitative and quantitative measures of disease involvement included age at onset of the disease manifestations, hepatic and splenic volumes, age at splenectomy, and severity of bony disease. Highly statistically significant differences (P < .005) were found in each clinical parameter in patients with the N370S/N370S genotype compared with those patients with the N370S/84GG, N370S/L444P, and N370S/? genotypes. The symptomatic N370S homozygotes had onset of their disease two to three decades later than patients with the other genotypes. In addition, patients with the latter genotypes have much more severely involved livers, spleens, and bones and had a higher incidence of splenectomy at an earlier age. These predictive genotype analyses provide the basis for genetic care delivery and therapeutic recommendations in patients affected with Gaucher disease type 1.

Adolescent↗

Invariant exon skipping in the human alpha-galactosidase A pre-mRNA: Ag+1 to t substitution in a 5'-splice site causing Fabry disease.

Fabry disease, an inborn error of glycosphingolipid catabolism, results from lesions in the X-linked gene encoding the human lysosomal hydrolase, alpha-galactosidase A (alpha-D-galactoside galactohydrolase; EC 3.2.1.22). To detect alpha-galactosidase A RNA processing or stability defects causing Fabry disease, Northern hybridization analyses were performed with poly(A)+ RNA isolated from cultured lymphoblasts from unrelated Fabry hemizygotes. Using a riboprobe complimentary to the normal 1.45-kb alpha-galactosidase A mRNA, a single 1.25-kb transcript was identified in three classically affected brothers from a Japanese Fabry family. Densitometric analysis revealed that the 1.25-kb transcripts were present at 50 to 60% of normal amounts. RNase A analysis identified a deletion of about 200 bp that appeared to include the entire 198 bp of exon 6. Amplification and direct sequencing of a genomic region containing exon 6 from an affected hemizygote revealed a g+1 to t transversion in the invariant gt consensus 5'-splice site of intron 6, which resulted in the deletion of the entire exon 6 sequence. This novel splicing lesion causing Fabry disease is the first g+1 to t transversion of a mammalian 5'-splice site that consistently eliminates the preceding exon.

Base Sequence↗

Isolation, mapping, and characterization of two cDNA clones expressed in the cerebellum.

In an effort to characterize genes expressed in the cerebellum, we have isolated two cDNA clones, H11B (D16S286) and 507 (D5S344), that hybridized to a cerebellar cDNA probe. Using a panel of human-rodent somatic cell hybrids, cDNA clone H11B was mapped to human chromosome 16, and clone 507 was mapped to human chromosome 5. TaqI RFLPs were identified with both clones and were used for linkage analysis in the CEPH families. D16S286 was tightly linked to several markers near chromosome 16p13, and D5S344 was tightly linked to several markers on chromosome 5q. Sequence tagged sites or expressed sequence tags were generated from the 3' untranslated regions of both cDNA clones.

Animals↗

Mapping of multiple subunits of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor to chromosome 15 in man and chromosome 9 in mouse.

The alpha 3, alpha 5, and beta 4 genes (human gene symbols CHRNA3, CHRNA5, and CHRNB4 respectively; mouse gene symbols Acra-3, Acra-5, and Acrb-4, respectively) are members of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene family and are clustered within a 68-kb segment of the rat genome (Boulter et al., 1990, J. Biol. Chem. 265:4472). By somatic cell hybrid analysis, three cDNAs corresponding to these genes were used to map the homologous loci to human chromosome 15 and to mouse chromosome 9. Linkage analysis using CEPH pedigrees showed that the CHRNA5 gene was closely linked to the following chromosome 15 loci: D15S46, D15S52, D15S28, D15S34, and D15S35. Using interspecies crosses in mice, the Acra-5 gene was found closely linked to the Mpi-1 locus. The mapping of these members of a neurotransmitter receptor gene family may facilitate the identification of relationships between the neurotransmitter receptors and murine or human phenotypes.

Animals↗

Fabry disease: six gene rearrangements and an exonic point mutation in the alpha-galactosidase gene.

Fabry disease, an X-linked recessive disorder of glycosphingolipid catabolism, results from the deficient activity of the lysosomal hydrolase, alpha-galactosidase. Southern hybridization analysis of the alpha-galactosidase gene in affected hemizygous males from 130 unrelated families with Fabry disease revealed six with different gene rearrangements and one with an exonic point mutation resulting in the obliteration of an Msp I restriction site. Five partial gene deletions were detected ranging in size from 0.4 to greater than 5.5 kb. Four of these deletions had breakpoints in intron 2, a region in the gene containing multiple Alu repeat sequences. A sixth genomic rearrangement was identified in which a region of about 8 kb, containing exons 2 through 6, was duplicated by a homologous, but unequal crossover event. The Msp I site obliteration, which mapped to exon 7, was detected in an affected hemizygote who had residual enzyme activity. Genomic amplification by the polymerase chain reaction and sequencing revealed that the obliteration resulted from a C to T transition at nucleotide 1066 in the coding sequence. This point mutation, the first identified in Fabry disease, resulted in an arginine356 to tryptophan356 substitution which altered the enzyme's kinetic and stability properties. The detection of these abnormalities provided for the precise identification of Fabry heterozygotes, thereby permitting molecular pedigree analysis in these families which revealed paternity exclusions and the first documented new mutations in this disease.

Blotting, Southern↗