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Title: Mutations in acid [beta]-galactosidase cause GM[sub 1]-gangliosidosis in American patients

Journal Article · · American Journal of Human Genetics; (United States)
OSTI ID:5135838
;  [1];  [2]
  1. Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)
  2. Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States)

The authors describe four new mutations in the [beta]-galactosidase gene. These are the first mutations causing infantile and juvenile GM[sub 1]-gangliosidosis to be described in American patients. Cell lines from two patients with juvenile and from six patients with infantile GM[sub 1]-gangliosidosis were analyzed. Northern blot analysis showed the acid [beta]-galactosidase message to be of normal size and quantity in two juvenile and four infantile cases and of normal size but reduced quantity in two infantile cases. The mutations are distinct from the Japanese mutations. All are point mutations leading to amino acid substitutions: Lys[sup 577] [yields] Arg, Arg[sup 590] [yields] His, and Glu[sup 632] [yields] Gly. The fourth mutation, Arg[sup 208] [yields] Cys, accounts for 10 of 16 possible alleles. Two infantile cases from Puerto Rico of Spanish ancestry are homozygous for this mutation, suggesting that this allele may have come to South America and North America via Puerto Rico. That these mutations cause clinical disease was confirmed by marked reduction in catalytic activity of the mutant proteins in the Cos-1 cell expression system. 12 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.

OSTI ID:
5135838
Journal Information:
American Journal of Human Genetics; (United States), Vol. 53:4; ISSN 0002-9297
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English