The Wilson disease gene: Haplotypes and mutations
- Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto (Canada)
- Middlesex Hospital, London (United Kingdom)
Wilson disease (WND) is an autosomal recessive defect of copper transport. The gene involved in WND, located on chromosome 13, has recently been shown to be a putative copper transporting P-type ATPase, designated ATP7B. The gene is highly similar to ATP7A, located on the X chromosome, which is defective in Menkes disease, another disorder of copper transport. We have available for study WND families from Canada (34 families), the United Kingdom (32 families), Japan (4 families), Iceland (3 families) and Hong Kong (2 families). We have utilized four highly polymorphic CA repeat markers (D13S296, D13S301, D13S314 and D13S316) surrounding the ATP7B locus to construct haplotypes in these families. Analysis indicates that there are many unique WND haplotypes not present on normal chromosomes and that there may be a large number of different WND mutations. We have screened the WND patients for mutations in the ATP7B gene. Fifty six patients, representing all of the identified haplotypes, have been screened using single strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP), followed by selective sequencing. To date, 19 mutations and 12 polymorphisms have been identified. All of the changes are nucleotide substitutions or small insertions/deletions and there is no evidence for larger deletions as seen in the similar gene on the X chromosome, ATP7A. Haplotypes of close markers and the ability to detect some of the mutations present in the gene allow for more reliable molecular diagnosis of presymptomatic sibs of WND patients. A reassessment of individuals previously diagnosed in the presymptomatic phase is now required, as we have have identified some heterozygotes who are biochemically indistinguishable from affected homozygotes. The identification of specific mutations will soon allow direct diagnosis of WND patients with a high level of certainty.
- OSTI ID:
- 134342
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-941009-; ISSN 0002-9297; TRN: 95:005313-1075
- 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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