Genetic linkage studies in autosomal dominant ataxia families with an MJD phenotype
- McGill Univ., Montreal (Canada); and others
Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) is an autosomal dominant spinocerebellar degeneration which was originally described in patients originating from the Portuguese islands of the Azores. The first non-Portuguese kindred was described in 1979 and was an American black family originating from North Carolina. Since then the number of pedigrees of non-Azorean, non-Portuguese origin has increased with families being reported from other European countries, as well as Brazil, Japan, India, The United States and Australia. The autosomal dominant ataxias are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of disorders. To date, genetic analysis of families with autosomal dominant ataxias has permitted the identification of four loci, the SCA1 (spinocerebellar ataxia type 1) locus on chromosome 6p, the SCA2 locus on chromosome 12q, a third locus on chromosome 14q, the MJD/SCA3 and, more recently, the DRPLA (Dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy) locus on chromosome 12p. We ascertained a total of 181 individuals with 60 affected from eight Indian, two Brazilian and one Sicilian-American family; all of them have received the clinical diagnosis of MJD. Recently, we have begun molecular genetic studies in these families in order to test these four candidate regions. The SCA1 mutation and the DRPLA mutation has been found to be an expansion of a CAG repeat. Direct analysis of the SCA1 and DRPLA expansion has been performed in all families and no expansion was found in the affected individuals. We are now running flanking markers for the SCA2 and MJD/SCA3 loci. These results will also be presented.
- OSTI ID:
- 134723
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-941009-; ISSN 0002-9297; TRN: 95:005313-1461
- Journal Information:
- American Journal of Human Genetics, Vol. 55, Issue Suppl.3; Conference: 44. annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics, Montreal (Canada), 18-22 Oct 1994; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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