中国南方汉族健康人TATA结合蛋白基因三核苷酸重复变异研究

目的 研究中国大陆脊髓小脑性共济失调（spinocerebellar ataxias,SCA）17型（SCA17）的分布频率,以及南方汉族健康人群TATA结合蛋白（TATA-binding protein,TBP）基因CAG/CAA重复次数正常变异范围.方法 应用荧光聚合酶链反应（PCR）、毛细管电泳等技术,对已经排除了SCA1、2、3、6、7和齿状核-红核-苍白球路易体萎缩的67个常染色体显性遗传SCA家系的先证者、66例散发SCA患者及110名健康人进行TBP基因CAG/CAA重复次数分析.结果 南方汉族健康人群TBP基因CAG/CAA重复次数范围为26～43次,杂合频率为76.36%,共有14种等位基因.在一个散发SCA患者中发现TBP基因CAG/CAA重复次数为44次.结论 SCA17在中国内地为罕见的SCA亚型,南方汉族健康人群TBP基因常见的CAG/CAA重复次数为34和35次.     

齿状核红核苍白球路易体萎缩一例:临床表型与基因突变分析

目的 报告1例齿状核红核苍白球路易体萎缩(DRPLA)患者的临床特征和基因突变特点.方法 采用聚合酶链反应对388例脊髓小脑共济失调患者(234例常染色体显性遗传家系先证者和154例散发病例)进行初步筛查,对琼脂糖凝胶电泳中出现2条电泳条带的样品应用荧光标记毛细管电泳基因片段分析方法进行脊髓小脑共济失调致病基因三核苷酸(CAG)重复序列突变检测并精确计数,最后经pUC18-T载体克隆测序验证重复次数达异常范围的样本.结果 仅发现1例表现为轻度脊髓小脑共济失调和可疑癫(癎)瘸发作的女性患者具有DRPLA基因CAG重复扩展突变.基因片段分析2个等位基因的CAG重复次数分别为14和54次,克隆测序重复次数为15和58次.其家系另2例成员均有癫瘸发作史.但无明显共济失调表现.19例无异常扩展样本基因片段分析显示CAG重复次数为7.20次,其中9次重复最为常见.结论 DRPLA可能存在临床变异.388例脊髓小脑共济失调患者中仅发现l例DRPLA,说明该病在中国共济失调患者中相对罕见.在重复突变检测过程中,由于高度重复序列可产生局部二级结构,在复制过程中可能会出现DNA聚合酶的滑动,从而导致扩增产物的不忠实,这一问题在基因片段分析和克隆测序中均存在,且后者在操作过程中还可能出现克隆过程的不稳定,因此基于这两种方法的结果需要相互验证.     

脊髓小脑性共济失调2型的分子遗传学诊断及临床分析

目的:研究分析脊髓小脑性共济失调2型(SCA2)的分子遗传学诊断、应用以及临床表现特征。方法:对来自广西地区临床诊断为SCA的1个家系2例患者和8名"健康"家系成员,以及35名正常对照人员,通过聚合酶链式反应、琼脂糖电泳等技术检测SCA2基因位点内CAG三核苷酸重复扩增次数,并对异常等位基因片段进行DNA测序。结果:我国广西正常人群SCA2等位基因CAG重复数为20～29次,1家系中2例患者与1例症状前患者存在SCA2(CAG)n扩展突变,拷贝数分别为42、45、55次。结论:首次发现广西SCA2,利用分子遗传学分析可进行SCA2基因诊断,为症状前诊断及遗传咨询提供依据。     

齿状核红核苍白球丘脑底核萎缩1例家系报道及文献复习

目的探讨中国汉族人群齿状核红核苍白球丘脑底核萎缩(DRPLA)患者的临床表现及基因突变特点。方法收集以共济失调伴不自主动作为主要表现的常染色体显性遗传家族史一家系的临床资料。应用重复引物多聚酶链反应(TP-PCR)和毛细管电泳技术对脊髓小脑性共济失调1、2、3、6、7、12、1 7亚型相关基因、亨廷顿病相关HTT基因和DRPLA相关ATN1基因的动态突变进行检测,发现异常扩增进一步用PCR及Sanger测序法验证。结合文献复习回顾分析中国DRPLA家系的临床和基因特点。结果该家系先证者检出ATN1基因5号外显子上CAG三核苷酸重复序列异常扩增,扩增数为9/59。ATNl CAG三核苷酸重复序列异常扩增数48次,可确诊为DRPLA。文献报道DRPLA家系16例,患者临床表现均较典型,异常扩增重复数为54~71次,平均(62.3±4.20)次。结论中国DRPLA病例报道较少,临床应对疑似病例进行基因筛查,提高诊断率。     

脊髓小脑共济失调17型临床特征和基因突变分析

目的 探讨脊髓小脑共济失调17型(spinocerebellar ataxia 17,SCA17)患者的临床特征和基因突变的特点.方法 对708个常染色体显性遗传SCA家系的先证者和另外119例临床拟诊SCA的散发患者进行常规基因检测,按照患病率不同依次筛选:SCA3、SCA1、SCA2、SCA6、SCA7、SCA8、SCA12、SCA17、齿状核-红核-苍白球-路易体萎缩致病基因三核苷酸重复动态突变分析.其中SCA17致病基因检测采用聚合酶链反应扩增TATA结合蛋白(TBP)基因CAG重复序列,琼脂糖凝胶电泳检测扩增产物;对出现2个电泳条带的样品应用毛细管电泳片段分析方法进行TBP基因CAG重复次数检测,并对其临床表型、神经影像学特征以及表型与基因型相关性进行细致分析.结果 通过上述检测及分析,发现5例患者具有TBP基因CAG重复扩展突变.片段分析显示CAG重复次数分别为37/50、36/45、38/52、38/53、36/54次,长片段重复次数已达到异常范围.5例患者的临床表型各异,以共济失调、记忆力减退为主要症状.结论 在827例共济失调病例中仅发现5例SCA17,说明该病在中国人群中较为罕见;通过对5例患者的临床表型进行分析,初步认为国人SCA17存在临床变异.     

脊髓小脑性共济失调一家系的基因诊断

目的 对1个常染色体显性遗传的脊髓小脑性共济失调(SCA)家系进行基因诊断.方法 采用PCR技术,对一汉族SCA家系(包括3例患者及3位无症状成员)及50名正常对照者的SCA1 ～3基因进行检测,通过琼脂糖凝胶电泳和产物直接测序法计数等位基因内CAG三核苷酸重复次数.结果 该家系中所有成员SCA1、SCA2基因CAG三核苷酸重复次数在正常范围;3例患者SCA3 CAG重复次数分别为67、68和66次,1位无症状成员为71次.结论 该家系为SCA3,基因检测诊断出1例症状前患者.     

基于脐带血和短串联重复序列分析的脊髓小脑共济失调3型产前诊断

目的 探讨脊髓小脑共济失调3型(SCA3)的产前诊断方法 .方法 对1个SCA3家系女性先证者的胎儿进行产前检测,于妊娠20周抽取脐带血进行胎儿DNA提取,采用PCR和基于CEQ8000核酸分析仪的短串联重复序列分析技术进行SCA3基因CAG重复序列动态突变检测.结果 先证者SCA3基因CAG重复数目为31/75次,其配偶CAG重复数目为14/27次,胎儿CAG重复数目为14/31次,其中14次重复来自父亲,31次重复来自母亲的正常等位基因,符合孟德尔遗传规律.本次检测的胎儿携带患者的正常等位基因.胎儿出生后的检测结果 与产前检测完全相同.结论 通过脐带血和短串联重复序列分析技术检测SCA3基因CAG重复序列动态突变,可快速、可靠地进行SCA3产前诊断.     

遗传性脊髓小脑型共济失调7型遗传学诊断及临床特征

目的研究中国人遗传性脊髓小脑型共济失调(SCA)7型(SCA7)的基冈突变和临床特征。方法应用聚合酶链反应(PCR)、聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(PAGE)等技术对临床表现为SCA的92个家系112例患者和16例散发SCA患者的SCA7基因内CAG三核苷酸重复序列进行检测,对异常等位基因片段进行DNA测序,分析基因型和表型之间的关系,并与表型正常的家系成员和健康人对照。结果在1个SCA7家系的6位成员中检测出2例患者的SCA7等化基因内CAG重复数目为71;临床表现主要为共济失调、视力下降、黄蓝色盲及视网膜色素变性。该家系内表型正常的4位成员SCA7等位基因CAG重复数目为7～9,另126例临床表现为SCA的患者、71名表型正常的家系成员及60名健康对照者SCA7等位基因内CAG三核甘三酸重复数为6—21。结论CAG过度扩增为SCA7的致病原因,分子遗传学分析有助于SCA7的诊断;视网膜色素变性为SCA7的重要特征。     

遗传性脊髓小脑型共济失调6型两个家系的临床特征及基因突变研究

目的 研究中国人遗传性脊髓小脑型共济失调6型(SCA6)的基因突变和临床特征。方法 应用聚合酶链反应(PCR)、聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(PAGE)等技术，检测临床诊断脊髓小脑型共济失调(SCA)的120个家系210例患者和47例散发SCA患者的SCA6基因内CAG三核苷酸重复序列，并对异常等位基因片段进行DNA测序。结果 检出2个家系(4例患者)为SCA6，阳性率为1，7％，测序证实其异常等位基因的CAG重复数目为25和26。另253例SCA患者的SCA6等位基因CAG重复数目为7-17，健康人SCA6等位基因CAG重复数目为5-16。2个家系均存在遗传早现现象，异常扩展的CAG序列呈代间稳定性。结论 从临床及基因诊断方面首次确认中国大陆存在SCA6家系；CAG过度扩增为SCA6的致病原因。     

少年型、成年型齿状核红核苍白球路易体萎缩症临床特征分析

目的探讨少年型、成年型齿状核红核苍白球路易体萎缩症(DRPLA)患者临床特征的异同。方法收集3例少年型、1例成年型DRPLA患者的临床资料,对比分析他们的临床表现、影像学特征、脑电图结果、DRPLA基因CAG重复次数。结果 3例少年型起病年龄平均13岁,均有肌阵挛及癫痫史、智力低下、小脑性共济失调明显、伴有全身不自主运动和精神症状;1例成年型起病年龄22岁,有肌阵挛及癫痫史、记忆力下降、轻度小脑性共济失调、双手震颤,无精神症状。磁共振显示少年型有明显脑干、小脑、大脑皮质萎缩,对称性脑白质变性,成年型仅有轻度脑干、小脑萎缩。少年型的脑电图显示脑电背景弥漫性慢化,成年型的脑电背景正常。DRPLA基因检测CAG重复数少年型分别为15/64次、17/65次和15/68次。成年型为12/62次。结论 DRPLA的临床异质性明显,CAG重复数与起病年龄、临床表现相关。对有肌阵挛、癫痫、伴共济失调、智力低下的青少年患者进行特异性基因检测能提高少年型DRPLA检出率,避免漏诊。     

CAG repeat expansions in patients with sporadic cerebellar ataxia

CAG repeat expansions cause spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1), SCA2, SCA3, SCA6 and dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA). So far these expansions have been examined mainly in ataxia patients with a family history. However, some sporadic cases with SCA have recently been reported. To elucidate the frequency and characteristics of sporadic SCAs, we screened 85 Japanese ataxia patients without a family history for the SCA1, SCA2, SCA3, SCA6 and DRPLA mutations. As a result, 19 patients (22%) were found to have expanded CAG repeats. Among sporadic SCAs, the SCA6 mutation was most frequently observed. The sporadic SCA6 patients had smaller CAG repeats and a later age of onset than SCA6 patients with an established family history. We also identified one father-child pair in which intermediate sized CAG repeats expanded into the SCA2 disease range during transmission. These findings suggest that patients with ataxia even without a family history should be examined for a CAG repeat expansion.     

Brain regional differences in the expansion of a CAG repeat in the spinocerebellar ataxias: Dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy,machado-joseph disease,and spinocerebellar ataxia type 1

Three autosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxias, dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA), Machado-Joseph disease (MJD), and spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1), are associated with the expansion of a CAG repeat in the respective genes. To investigate the association between CAG repeat expansion and neuropathological findings, we analyzed several brain regions from 9 cases of DRPLA, 3 cases of MJD, and 1 case of SCA1. We found that the expanded alleles were smaller in the cerebellar cortex than in other brain regions, such as the frontal cortex, in these three diseases. The discrepancy in the expanded CAG repeat length between cerebellar cortex and other tissues was most prominent in DRPLA, and especially in cases of adult-onset DRPLA. A significant correlation was found between the age at onset of DRPLA and the size of the CAG repeat expansion. Cerebella of DRPLA patients were microscopically dissected into three layers, the molecular and granularlayers and the white matter, which were analyzed separately. The lower level of CAG repeat expansion in DRPLA cerebella was representative of CAG repeat expansion in the granule cells. The microdissected samples of the granular layer of the hippocampal formation, which is densely packed with neuronal cells, revealed that the degree of CAG repeat expansion in this layer was similar to that in the cerebellum. These observations suggest that granule cells in the cerebellum and hippocampus have low levels of CAG repeat expansion, and that other types of cells exhibit a higher level of CAG repeat expansion, in spinocerebellar ataxias.     

Dentatorubro-Pallidoluysian Atrophy (DRPLA) among 700 Families with Ataxia in Brazil

Dentatorubro-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) is a spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) very rare in non-Asian populations. To date, DRPLA was undetected in the general Brazilian population. Adult-onset ataxic patients have been recruited from several Brazilian neurology and neurogenetics centers. CAG lengths at SCA1, SCA2, SCA3/MJD, SCA6, SCA7, SCA12, SCA17 and DRPLA associated genes, and ATTCT expansions at SCA10 gene were studied. A single DRPLA case detected is reported. Proband was a 69-year-old Brazilian woman of mixed ancestry, with a late-onset pure ataxia: her alleles at the associated gene, ATN1, presented 14/52 CAG repeats. History of gait ataxia and dementia was observed in two out of six siblings but was absent in her parents. This was the single DRPLA diagnosis obtained from 700 Brazilian unrelated cases with adult-onset ataxia, 487 of them with clear autosomal dominant inheritance. DRPLA accounted for 0.14% of all adult-onset ataxia cases and for 0.2% of families with autosomal dominant inheritance. Normal CAG repeats at ATN1 had a median (range) of 14 (5–20) repeats in other 410 Brazilian chromosomes. DRPLA is quite rare in Brazilian SCA families, which is consistent with the lack of large normal alleles in our population.     

Mutation Analysis of the TATA box-binding protein (TBP) gene in Chinese Han patients with spinocerebellar ataxia

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 17 (SCA17) is a rare autosomal dominant progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by the CAG/CAA expansion in the TATA box-binding protein (TBP) gene. This study aimed to assess the frequency of SCA17 in patients from mainland China. Analysis of CAG/CAA expansion in this gene was performed in 263 patients consisting of 100 probands with dominantly inherited ataxias and 163 patients with sporadic ataxias. Abnormal expansion of CAG/CAA repeats in the SCA17 locus was found in a proband and her younger sister. To our knowledge, we are providing the first kindred analysis of SCA17 in mainland China.     

The molecular diagnosis of spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 in patients with ataxia

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by an expanded CAG trinucleotide repeat in the SCA1 gene on chromosome 6. We screened 40 probands with ataxia for the CAG repeat expansion and found five probands with SCA1 representing five different families. The SCA1 gene was analysed in 50 members of these families, and the CAG repeat expansion was found in all 17 affected persons and in 14 unaffected at-risk individuals. The range of expansion was 41–53 repeat units, while the range of normal alleles was 22–36 repeat units. We found pronounced inter- and intrafamilial phenotypical variation. One of the families had a comparatively mild phenotype which correlates with a CAG repeat length in the low end of the range of expansions and a late age at onset. With few exceptions, normal alleles of the SCA1 gene have one to three CAT interruptions in the middle of the CAG repeat, while all expanded alleles are uninterrupted. We report the hitherto longest normal uninterrupted allele of 22 repeat units and stress the importance of analysis for the presence of CAT interruptions in the diagnosis of SCA1.     

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6: CAG trinucleotide expansion, clinical characteristics and sperm analysis

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6) is an autosomal dominant spinocerebellar degeneration caused by CAG repeat expansions in the human α1A voltage-dependent calcium channel subunit gene. We analyzed 16 SCA6 patients in 14 unrelated Japanese families, and documented the clinical and molecular properties correlating with the CAG repeat expansion. Three of them were sporadic. The CAG repeat number of the expanded and normal alleles was 22.7 ± 2.0 (mean ± SD, n = 15) and 13.8 ± 2.0 (n = 15), respectively, and the repeat size of the expanded alleles correlated inversely with age at onset. The patients presented here were clinically characterized by a slowly progressive cerebellar ataxia and nystagmus. In leukocytes, the strict pattern of the peak in the expanded allele on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis did not show the presence of cell mosaicism in SCA6, in contrast to other trinucleotide disorders. Moreover, in each patient, the number of CAG repeats in sperm was the same as in leukocytes, and the expanded alleles in sperm indicated uniform peaks as well. In our geographic area, the frequency of SCA6 was as high as MJD, in contrast to the low frequency of other autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias. Thus, a geographic difference in the frequency of autosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxias may be present in Japan.     

Trinucleotide repeats in 202 families with ataxia: a small expanded (CAG)n allele at the SCA17 locus

BACKGROUND: Ten neurodegenerative disorders characterized by spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) are known to be caused by trinucleotide repeat (TNR) expansions. However, in some instances the molecular diagnosis is considered indeterminate because of the overlap between normal and affected allele ranges. In addition, the mechanism that generates expanded alleles is not completely understood. OBJECTIVE: To examine the clinical and molecular characteristics of a large group of Portuguese and Brazilian families with ataxia to improve knowledge of the molecular diagnosis of SCA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We have (1) assessed repeat sizes at all known TNR loci implicated in SCA; (2) determined frequency distributions of normal alleles and expansions; and (3) looked at genotype-phenotype correlations in 202 unrelated Portuguese and Brazilian patients with SCA. Molecular analysis of TNR expansions was performed using polymerase chain reaction amplification. RESULTS: Patients from 110 unrelated families with SCA showed TNR expansions at 1 of the loci studied. Dominantly transmitted cases had (CAG)(n) expansions at the Machado-Joseph disease gene (MJD1) (63%), at SCA2 (3%), the gene for dentatorubropallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) (2%), SCA6 (1%), or SCA7 (1%) loci, or (CTG)(n) expansions at the SCA8 (2%) gene, whereas (GAA)(n) expansions in the Freidreich ataxia gene (FRDA) were found in 64% of families with recessive ataxia. Isolated patients also had TNR expansions at the MJD1 (6%), SCA8 (6%), or FRDA (8%) genes; in addition, an expanded allele at the TATA-binding protein gene (TBP), with 43 CAGs, was present in a patient with ataxia and mental deterioration. Associations between frequencies of SCA2 and SCA6 and a frequency of large normal alleles were found in Portuguese and Brazilian individuals, respectively. Interestingly, no association between the frequencies of DRPLA and large normal alleles was found in the Portuguese group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that (1) a significant number of isolated cases of ataxia are due to TNR expansions; (2) expanded DRPLA alleles in Portuguese families may have evolved from an ancestral haplotype; and (3) small (CAG)(n) expansions at the TBP gene may cause SCA17.     

Possible reduced penetrance of expansion of 44 to 47 CAG/CAA repeats in the TATA-binding protein gene in spinocerebellar ataxia type 17

BACKGROUND: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 17 (SCA17) is an autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia caused by expansion of CAG/CAA trinucleotide repeats in the TATA-binding protein (TBP) gene. Because the number of triplets in patients with SCA17 in previous studies ranged from 43 to 63, the normal number of trinucleotide units has been considered to be 42 or less. However, some healthy subjects in SCA17 pedigrees carry alleles with the same number of expanded repeats as patients with SCA17. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the minimum number of CAG/CAA repeats in the TBP gene that causes SCA17. DESIGN: We amplified the region of the TBP gene containing the CAG/CAA repeat by means of polymerase chain reaction and performed fragment and sequence analyses. PATIENTS: The subjects included 734 patients with SCA (480 patients with sporadic SCA and 254 patients with familial SCA) without CAG repeat expansions at the SCA1, SCA2, Machado-Joseph disease, SCA6, SCA7, or dentatorubral-pallidolluysian atrophy loci, with 162 healthy subjects, 216 patients with Parkinson disease, and 195 with Alzheimer disease as control subjects. RESULTS: Eight patients with SCA possessed an allele with more than 43 CAG/CAA repeats. Among the non-SCA groups, alleles with 43 to 45 repeats were seen in 3 healthy subjects and 2 with Parkinson disease. In 1 SCA pedigree, a patient with possible SCA17 and her healthy sister had alleles with 45 repeats. A 34-year-old man carrying alleles with 47 and 44 repeats (47/44) had developed progressive cerebellar ataxia and myoclonus at 25 years of age, and he exhibited dementia and pyramidal signs. He was the only affected person in his pedigree, although his father and mother carried alleles with mildly expanded repeats (44/36 and 47/36, respectively). In another pedigree, 1 patient carried a 43-repeat allele, whereas another patient had 2 normal alleles, indicating that the 43-repeat allele may not be pathologic in this family. CONCLUSIONS: We estimate that 44 CAG/CAA repeats is the minimum number required to cause SCA17. However, the existence of unaffected subjects with mildly expanded triplets suggests that the TBP gene mutation may not penetrate fully. Homozygosity of alleles with mildly expanded triplet repeats in the TBP gene might contribute to the pathologic phenotype.     

Trinucleotide repeat expansion in neurological disease

Expansion of trincleotide repeats is now recognized as a major cause of neurological disease. At least seven disorders result from trinucleotide repeat expansion: X-linked spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), two fragile×syndromes of mental retardation (FRAXA and FRAXE), myotonic dystrophy, Huntington's disease, spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1), and dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA). The expanded trinucleotide repeats are unstable, and the phenomenon of anticipation, i.e., worsening of disease phenotype over successive generations, correlates with increasing expansion size. In this review, we compare the clinical and molecular features of the trinucleotide repeat diseases, which may be classified into two types. Fragile×and myotonic dystrophy are multisystem disorders usually associated with large expansions of untranslated repeats, while the four neurodegenerative disorders, SBMA, Huntington's disease, SCA1, and DRPLA, are caused by smaller expansions of CAG repeats within the protein coding portion of the gene. CAG repeats encode polyglutamine tracts. Polyglutamine tract expansion thus appears to be a common mechanism of inherited neurodegenerative disease. Although polyglutamine tract lenghthening presumably has a toxic gain of function effect in the CAG trinucleotide repeat disorders, the basis of this neuronal toxicity remains unknown.