A novel RHCE*ce 48C, 733G allele with Nucleotide 941C in Exon 7 encodes an altered red blood cell e antigen

BACKGROUND: Several RHCE*ce alleles have in common a 733C>G (Leu245Val) change. Some encode an altered expression of e on red blood cells (RBCs) and individuals with such RBCs can make e‐like alloantibodies. The identification of an apparent anti‐hr^B in the serum of an E?e+ African American patient prompted us to analyze her DNA, which revealed a novel RHCE*ce allele. We also screened blood samples from African Americans to determine the frequency of the novel allele. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Hemagglutination tests and molecular analyses were performed by standard procedures. RESULTS: Analysis of the proband's DNA revealed RHCE*ce 48C/C, 733G/G, 941T/C, and 1006G/T. Of 272 samples from African Americans, 257 were RHCE*941T/T (wild type), and 15 (6%) were RHCE*941T/C. Of these 15, 14 were RHCE*ce/ce, 10 with 733C/G and four with 733G/G, and one was RHCE*ce/cE, 733C/G. Cloning experiments confirmed the Nucleotide 941 change and showed that 48C, 733G, 941C, and 1006T were carried on the same allele. RBCs from the 15 samples carrying the RHCE*941C variant typed V/VS+ and hr^B+^W. CONCLUSION: This study identifies a novel allele, RHCE*ce 48C, 733G, 941C, 1006T which is predicted to encode 16Cys, 245Val, 314Ala, and 336CyS and was shown to encode c, V/VS, and an altered expression of e and hr^B antigens. The clinical significance of the antibody found in the proband is not established because E+e? RBC components were transfused to the patient. The novel RHCE*ce 48C, 733G, 941C, 1006T allele was present in 5.5% of samples from African Americans and thus, in this small cohort, it had a frequency of 0.028.     

The JAL antigen (RH48) is the result of a change in RHCE that encodes Arg114Trp

BACKGROUND: The JAL antigen (Rh48) was discovered more than 30 years ago when it caused hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn in an African American family. A decade later it was found to cause hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn in a Caucasian family. The presence of the same low-prevalence antigen in two different ethnic groups is rare, but additional JAL+ in both groups was subsequently identified. This study was undertaken to investigate the RH gene(s) responsible for expression of JAL and to determine the structural relationship between JAL and other Rh antigens.
STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Samples from 17 JAL+ people were included: 2 Caucasian, 6 African American, 7 African Brazilian, 1 Caribbean, and 1 Puerto Rican. RHCE and RHD were investigated at the genomic level, and Rh cDNAs were cloned and sequenced for some samples.
RESULTS: Caucasian JAL+ probands had RHCE*Ce , while JAL+ probands with African ancestry had RHCE*ce , but all had a nucleotide 340C>T change in Exon 3 of RHCE predicted to encode Arg114Trp. The JAL-encoding RHCE*ce also had 733C>G (Leu245Val) and was linked to conventional RHD or to RHD*DAU0 .
CONCLUSIONS: JAL+ results from a nucleotide 340C>T (Arg114Trp) on either a Ce or ce background. Homology modeling of the JAL+ RhCE protein suggests that the Arg→Trp change eliminates a critical loop-stabilizing H-bond between the side chain of Arg114 and the e-specific amino acid Ala226. Additionally, accommodation of the bulky tryptophan would disrupt the conformation of the extracellular loops containing C/c- and e-specific amino acids, providing a structural hypothesis for the simultaneous altered expression of C/c, e, and V/VS antigens.     

The Dc(G48)e(s) haplotype is frequent among the Dce haplotypes within a white population

BACKGROUND: The absence of hybrid Rhesus boxes denotes an RHD homozygous status and helps to detect the presence of Dce haplotypes instead of dce. RHCE exon 1 C48, characteristic of RHC alleles, and RHCE exon 5 G733, responsible for VS antigenicity, have been noted in many RHce alleles but it was not clearly established whether they occurred in the same allele and/or cosegregate together with RHD. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Samples from 148 white trios (father, mother, and child) were studied. Rh phenotype was performed by hemagglutination. Hybrid Rhesus box, RHCE exon 1 G48C, RHCE exon 5 C733G, and RHC intron 2 polymorphisms were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction. Haplotypes were determined considering serologic, molecular, and segregation data. RESULTS: RHCE exon 1 C48 and RHCE exon 5 G733 were present in RHce alleles that cosegregated with RHD forming Dce haplotypes. Both transversions were not frequently found in the same RHce allele. Of the 33 Dce haplotypes, 16 (48.5%) had a C at position 48 [Dc(C48)e], 11 (33.3%) had a G at position 48 with a G at position 733 [Dc(G48)e(s)], 5 (15.2%) had a G at position 48 [Dc(G48)e], and 1 (3.0%) had a C at position 48 with a G at position 733 [Dc(C48)e(s)]. CONCLUSIONS: The results show four molecular backgrounds for the Dce haplotype and reflect the contribution of African alleles to the genetic pool of the population under study. The molecular characterization of Dce and its frequency distribution may develop a better understanding of the phylogeny of Rh haplotypes.     

Involvement of Ser103 of the Rh polypeptides in G epitope formation

BACKGROUND: Almost all red cells that carry D and/or C antigens also express the G antigen (Rh12). A study was conducted on the molecular background of the G epitope. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Two unrelated donors with the rare ccDEe, G- phenotype and one donor with the ccEe, G+ phenotype were studied. Genomic DNA and cDNA of these donors were studied with polymerase chain reaction, Southern blot, and sequence analysis, with special focus on exon 2, because it is only in this exon that there are supposed to be similarities between RHD and the RHC allele, but not between RHD and the RHc allele. RESULTS: In both ccDEe, G- donors, a nucleotide substitution was found in exon 2 of RHD; T307 was replaced by C307, which predicted a Ser->Pro substitution at amino acid position 103 of the D polypeptide. The ccEe, G+ donor carried the complete exon 2 of RHD. Moreover, despite the absence of all known D epitopes, this donor also carried RHD characteristics in exons 1 to 3 and exon 9 and further downstream. CONCLUSION: Ser103, encoded by exon 2 of the RH genes, is involved in G epitope formation.     

一个遗传性凝血因子Ⅶ与X联合缺陷症家系的基因分析

目的 对1例遗传性凝血因子Ⅶ(FⅦ)与因子X(FX)联合缺陷患者进行基因分析和家系调查,鉴定导致FⅦ与FX联合缺陷症的基因突变.方法 检测凝血酶原时间(PT)、活化部分凝血活酶时间(APTT)、纤维蛋白原、FⅦ促凝活性(FⅦ:C)、FX:C及FⅦ抗原(FⅦ:Ag)、FX:Ag等进行表型诊断;用DNA直接测序法分析先证者FⅦ、FX基因的全部外显子、侧翼、5’和3’非翻译区及家系成员相应的突变位点区域;选择106名健康体检者作对照.结果 先证者PT、APTT延长,分别为84.5 s和63.4 s,FⅦ:C、FⅦ:Ag和FX:C、FX:Ag分别为6％、7％和4％、30％;先证者父亲、母亲、姐姐的PT稍延长,FⅦ:C分别为72％、47％、42％,FX:C分别为76％、54％、47％,FX:Ag分别为100％、69％、58％,其APTT、FⅦ:Ag均无明显异常.先证者FⅦ基因外显子8的g.11267C→T纯合突变导致Arg277Cys,FX基因外显子8的g.28139G→T纯合突变导致Val384Phe;其父亲、母亲、姐姐均存在FⅦ基因g.11267C→T和FX基因g.28139G→T杂合子.结论 FⅦ和FX基因分别存在的Arg277Cys、VM384Phe纯合突变是导致先证者FⅦ与FX联合缺陷的分子机制;Val384Phe突变为国际首次报道,推测可能影响FX蛋白合成或分泌功能.     

四个遗传性凝血因子V缺陷症家系临床表型和基因型变化的研究

目的 研究4个遗传性凝血因子V(FV)缺陷症家系的临床表型和基因突变.方法 测定家系成员活化部分凝血活酶时间(APTT)、凝血酶原时间(PT)及FV促凝活性(FV:C)和FV抗原(FV:Ag)含量进行表型诊断;用PCR法扩增先证者F5基因的25个外显子及其侧翼序列,PCR产物纯化后直接测序,检测其基因突变.结果 4例先证者APTT、PT明显延长,血浆FV:C和FV:Ag含量均显著降低.基因分析发现,先证者1的F5基因存在G16088C(Asp68His)杂合错义突变及4种位于同一条染色体上的杂合多态性T35788C(Met385Thr)、A47295G(Hisl299Arg)、A58668G(Metl736Val)和A74083G(Asp2194Gly);先证者2的F5基因存在CA6253T(Arg952Cys)和CA6724T (Glnl 109stop)两种纯合突变;先证者3的F5基因存在C67793G(Pr02006Ala)纯合错义突变;先证者4的F5基因存在C74022T(Arg2174Cys)纯合错义突变.结论 Asp68His、Arg952Cys、Glnl109stop、Pro2006Ala和Arg2174Cys这5种突变,及Met385Thr、Hisl299Arg、Metl736Val和Asp2194Gly这4种多态性是导致相应先证者I型遗传性FV缺陷症的原因.其中,Glnl109stop、Pro2006Ala和Arg2174Cys是国际七首次报道的新突变.     

深圳地区汉族无偿献血人群Kidd血型系统基因多态性的分子遗传学研究

目的 探讨深圳地区汉族无偿献血人群Kidd血型系统基因多态性的分子遗传学背景.方法 采用简单随机抽样法选择2015年1月至2015年12月于深圳市血液中心无偿献血的74例汉族献血者为研究对象.采用红细胞尿素溶血试验及常规血清学方法鉴定献血者的Kidd血型表型.采用PCR扩增JK基因第4～11外显子及部分内含子片段,并且采用直接测序法对PCR扩增产物进行序列分析.结果 ①74例献血者的Kidd血型表型分别为Jk(a+b+)37例,Jk(a+b-)16例,Jk(a-b+)21例,未筛查出稀有Kidd血型表型Jk(a-b-).②74例献血者的DNA样本均成功扩增JK基因第4～5外显子、第6外显子、第7外显子、第8～9外显子、第10外显子、第11外显子区域.③DNA序列分析结果显示,37例Jk(a+b+)表型献血者DNA样本中,JK基因存在第9外显子c.838G＞A和第7内含子c.664-68C＞T杂合突变.21例Jk(a-b+)表型献血者DNA样本中,JK基因为c.838AA和c.664-68CC纯合型,而16例Jk(a+b-)表型献血者DNA样本中,JK基因为c.838GG和c.664-68TT纯合型.74例献血者DNA样本中,JK基因均为第8内含子c.811+84TT纯合型.结论 深圳地区汉族献血人群Kidd血型系统中,除存在JK基因第9外显子c.838G＞A(p.Asp280Asn)突变以外,还存在第7内含子c.664-68C＞T碱基置换,该突变可能与JKa/JKb基因多态性相关.并且JK基因第8内含子均为c.811+84TT纯合型,其在中国人群中属于常见的基因型.     

An investigation of the relationship between the V(hrv), VS, and hrH antigens

The data from this investigation show that the anti-VS sera studied cannot be separated into anti-hrv (anti-V) and anti-hrH specificities. The antibody specificity is singular and is directed against an antigenic determinant present on VS positive red blood cells. That some anti-VS sera appear to have a separable specificity may be due to the incomplete absorption of those antisera. It was shown that V−, VS+ red blood cells adsorb more anti-VS than do those that are V+, VS+. Several absorption of anti-VS serum with V+, VS+ red blood cells may remove enough of the antibody that the absorbed serum will no longer (visibly) react with V+, VS+ red blood cells, though the same absorbed serum will react with V−, VS+ red blood cells. That this is not a separable specificity can be demonstrated by subsequent absorption to exhaustion of the same serum with V+, VS+ red blood cells. Testing of the original Hernandez serum comfirmed that it defines the antigenic specificity, hrH. The relationship of hrH to VS may be similar to the relationship of the Rh0 (D) antigen to the antigens of the Rh0 (D) mosaic.     

Molecular and biochemical basis of intermediate maple syrup urine disease. Occurrence of homozygous G245R and F364C mutations at the E1 alpha locus of Hispanic-Mexican patients.

Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is caused by a deficiency of the mitochondrial branched-chain alpha-keta acid dehydrogenase (BCKAD) complex. The multienzyme complex comprises five enzyme components, including the E1 decarboxylase with a heterotetrameric (alpha 2 beta 2) structure. Four unrelated Hispanic-Mexican MSUD patients with the intermediate clinical phenotype were diagnosed 7 to 22 mo after birth during evaluation for developmental delay. Three of the four patients were found homozygous for G to A transition at base 895 (exon 7) of the E1 alpha locus, which changes Gly-245 to Arg (G245R) in that subunit. The remaining patient was homozygous for T to G transversion at base 1,253 in the E1 alpha gene, which converts Phe-364 to Cys (F364C) in the gene product. Transfection studies in E1 alpha-deficient lymphoblasts indicate that both G245R and F364C mutant E1 alpha subunits were unable to significantly reconstitute BCKAD activity. Western blotting showed that both mutant E1 alpha subunits in transfected cells failed to efficiently rescue the normal E1 beta through assembly. The putative assembly defect was confirmed by pulse-chase labeling of E1 subunits in a chaperone-augmented bacterial overexpression system. The kinetics of initial assembly of the G245R E1 alpha subunit with the normal E1 beta was shown to be slower than the normal E1 alpha. No detectable assembly of the F364C E1 alpha with normal E1 beta was observed during the 2 h chase. Small amounts of recombinant mutant E1 proteins were produced after 15 h induction with isopropyl thiogalactoside and exhibited very low or no E1 activity. Our study establishes that G245R and F364C mutations in the E1 alpha subunit disrupt both the E1 heterotetrameric assembly and function of the BCKAD complex. Moreover, the results suggest that the G245R mutant E1 alpha allele may be important in the Hispanic-Mexican population.     

B(A)血型分子机制研究及其家系分析

目的 研究罕见B(A)血型的血清学特性和分子机制,为B(A)血型的临床输血提供理论基础.方法 利用单克隆抗体检测1例先证者、家系成员及献血者红细胞ABO血型抗原,用标准A、B、O红细胞检测其血清中的ABO抗体.采用盐水法、凝聚胺法和抗球蛋白法进行先证者与献血者交叉配合试验.采用PCR技术扩增ABO基因的第6、7外显子序列,对先证者、家系成员、献血者标本的ABO基因外显子6、7和侧翼内含子序列进行测序分析,并对先证者标本进行单倍体序列分析.结果 先证者及其2位家系成员红细胞上有A、B抗原,同时血清中存在抗A_1抗体,血清学表型为A_2B.直接测序分析发现先证者标本第6、7外显子存在261G/del、297A/G、526C/G、657C/T、700C/G、703A/G、796A/C、803G/C、930A/G杂合,可推断为B(A)_(02)/O_(01)基因型杂合子;家系中其母亲基因型为B(A)_(02)/B_(101),外祖母为B(A)_(02)/O_(01).先证者单倍体序列分析得到2个等位基因B(A)_(02)和O_(01);与B_(101)序列相比,B(A)_(02)位第700位C>G,导致1个氨基酸改变:第234位脯氨酸变成丙氨酸.既往血清学特性为A_2B的2个献血者,1个基因型为B(A)_(02)/O_(01),另1个基因型是A_(208)/B_(101).B(A)血型先证者与这2名献血者进行交叉配血试验均相合,临床输注后无不良反应.结论 α-1,3-半乳糖基转移酶等位基因(B等位基因)700C>G突变可导致形成B(A)血型,其血清学特性显示为A_2B表型.B(A)血型临床输血相配合的供者可选择A_2B表型的献血者.     

Molecular background of D(C)(e) haplotypes within the white population

BACKGROUND: D(C)(e) and D(C)e haplotypes may be encountered in the white population. Few data are available on the molecular backgrounds responsible for depressed expression of C and e. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Individuals of white origin carrying a D(C)(e) genotype resulting in depressed expression of C or both C and e were subdivided into two categories based on the RBC reactivity with the human sera Mol and Hor, which contain antibodies against low-frequency antigens of the Rh (RH) system and other non-Rh low-frequency antigens. Neither Hor+, Mol+ nor Hor+, Mol- RBCs expressed the V (RH10), VS (RH20), and/or Rh32 (RH32) low-frequency antigens. These results suggested that Hor+, Mol+ variants expressed Rh33 (RH33 or Har) and FPTT (RH50), whereas Hor+, Mol- variants might express an undefined low-frequency antigen. Further serologic and molecular analyses were performed. RESULTS: Molecular analysis of Hor+, Mol+ variants revealed a hybrid gene structure RHCe-D(5)-Ce, in which exon 5 of RHCE (RHCe allele) was replaced by exon 5 of RHD (the so-called RHCeVA allele). The presence of exon 5RHD resulted in several amino acid alterations predicted in the external loop 4 of the CeVA polypeptide. Molecular analysis of Hor+, Mol- variants revealed the presence of a new RHCe allele characterized by a single point mutation C340T within exon 3 (the so-called RHCeMA allele), resulting in a R114W substitution predicted on the external loop 2 of the CeMA polypeptide. A serologic study showed a different pattern of reactivity with C and e MoAbs. CONCLUSION: Two types of mutations resulted in amino acid substitutions predicted in external loops 4 and 2, respectively, which altered both the C and e reactivity, and indicated conformation changes or defective interaction between nonadjacent loops of the Ce polypeptide. Serologic analysis showed that together with Hor and Mol sera testing, the use of different C and e MoAbs could help to identify these variants within the white population.     

DIIIa and DIII Type 5 are encoded by the same allele and are associated with altered RHCE*ce alleles: clinical implications

BACKGROUND: The partial D phenotype DIIIa was originally reported to be associated with 455A>C in Exon 3, 602C>G in Exon 4, and 667T>G in Exon 5. Other alleles with these changes were subsequently identified and designated DIII Types 5, 6, and 7, as they had additional alterations. The observation that DNA samples associated with the DIIIa phenotype had more changes than those originally reported motivated us to reanalyze the DIIIa probands (BP and DJ) from the original study. We also studied additional DIIIa samples to clarify the RHD background and establish the associated RHCE. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Hemagglutination testing was performed by standard methods. RHD and RHCE were analyzed by combinations of polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism, exon‐specific sequencing, cloning, or direct sequencing of Rh‐cDNAs. RESULTS: The RHD alleles from BP, DJ, and 58 additional DIIIa samples had the three reported nucleotide changes as well as 186G>T, 410C>T, and 819G>A. The DIIIa allele was associated with several altered RHCE*ce‐alleles, the prominent one being ceS (48C, 733G, 1006T). CONCLUSION: The DIIIa phenotype is associated with six RHD changes, five of which encode amino acid changes, and partial DIIIa and DIII Type 5 are encoded by the same RHD allele. In all samples, RHD*DIIIa was inherited with altered RHCE*ce. Patients with partial DIIIa are at risk for production of alloanti‐D, but they are also at risk for alloanti‐e, ‐c, or antibodies to high‐prevalence Rh antigens if there is no conventional RHCE*ce in trans. Among 39 patients studied, 16 had alloanti‐D and 27 had alloanti‐e or anti‐hrB.     

Random survey for RHD alleles among D+ European persons

BACKGROUND: RHD alleles are considered more variable in African persons than in European persons. A systematic survey, however, was lacking among D+ European persons at the molecular level, precluding any definite frequency estimate. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A random survey was performed among 500 ccDee, 250 CcDee, and 250 ccDEe blood donors in southwestern Germany. They were tested by polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific priming (PCR-SSP) for up to 12 single-nucleotide polymorphisms representative for the most frequent RHD alleles among European persons. The RHD exon 5 nucleotide sequence was also tested in all 1000 samples. The nucleotide sequence of the 10 RHD exons was checked in all samples with aberrant exon 5 or positive PCR-SSP procedures. RESULTS: By PCR-SSP, 15 aberrant RHD alleles were found among the 500 ccDee, 2 among the 250 CcDee, and none among the ccDEe samples. One of these was the novel RHD(F223V, E233Q, T379M) allele dubbed DAU-5. Weak D type 4 was detected more frequently than expected, whereas the population frequencies of the other RHD alleles conformed to published estimates. Nucleotide sequencing of RHD exon 5 further revealed three novel alleles RHD(G212G), RHD(R234W), and RHD(V245L), dubbed DUC-1, DQC, and DUC-2. CONCLUSION: In a limited screen at the molecular level among 1000 random D+ donors in southwestern Germany, 20 donors were found carrying aberrant RHD alleles. Four of these alleles were new and likely sporadic. An estimate was derived of the variety that may be encountered in genotyping approaches, and it was concluded that even within the European population the variety of RHD alleles may be larger than anticipated.     

Haplotype-based association of four lymphotoxin-alpha gene polymorphisms with the risk of coronary artery disease in Han Chinese

Lymphotoxin-alpha (LTA), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis. Meanwhile, association of some single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of LTA gene with coronary artery disease (CAD) has been evaluated; however, the results are irreproducible. We therefore investigated the relationship between four SNPs of LTA gene and CAD in Han Chinese: G+10A (rs1800683, 5'-untranslated region), A+80C (rs2239704, 5'-untranslated region), T+496C (Cys13Arg, rs2229094, exon 2), and C+804A (Thr26Asn, rs1041981, exon 3). Genotyping was performed in 438 CAD patients and 330 healthy controls. Single-locus analysis showed that the genotype and allele frequencies of G+10A polymorphism exhibited marginal differences between CAD patients and controls, although no statistical significance was observed after the Bonferroni correction. Logistic regression analysis revealed that GG genotype of G+10A polymorphism was significantly associated with the risk of CAD under the dominant mode, whereas no significant association was detected between A+80C polymorphism and CAD. In contrast, individuals carrying TT or TC genotype of T+496C polymorphism showed a decreased CAD risk relative to those with CC genotype under the recessive mode. Likewise, CC genotype of C+804A polymorphism was associated with a protective effect on CAD under the dominant mode. Further, in haplotype analysis, the haplotype G-C-T-C (in order of rs1800683, rs2239704, rs2229094 and rs1041981) was significantly associated with a decreased risk of CAD after assigning the most common haplotype A-C-T-A as a reference. In conclusion, we show a protective effect of the haplotype G-C-T-C on the occurrence of CAD, suggesting the involvement of LTA in CAD pathogenesis.     

Identification of ACKR1 variants associated with altered Duffy phenotype expression in blood donors from southern Brazil

The atypical chemokine receptor 1 gene (ACKR1) is responsible for the clinically significant Duffy blood group. The main antigens of this system, Fya and Fyb, can be related to a null or weak expression of the DARC protein. In the present work, we aimed to identify ACKR1 gene variants in blood donors from southern Brazil based on discrepancies between their serological and molecular typing results. Then, we analyzed the association of these variants with the expression of the Duffy phenotype. The Fy antigen types were determined via hemagglutination and real-time PCR (c.125 G > A, c.265C > T and c.−67T > C SNPs) tests in a sample composed of 382 regular repetitive voluntary blood donors to the Blood Bank of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. An inconclusive correlation between phenotype-genotype analyses was found in 11 (2.88 %) donors, and the entire ACKR1 gene was sequenced in these samples. Our investigation found 11 genetic variants, four of which (c.−541C > T, c.21 + 150C > T, c.22−58A > G, and c.298 G > A SNPs) seem to have putative functional effects on the structure and expression of DARC undertaken for in silico analysis (SIFT, PolyPhen-2 and RegulomeDB). Molecular events can result in apparent discrepancies between red cell genotypes and phenotypes. Our findings provided insight into the molecular background of FY antigens to improve technical approaches for red cell genotyping.     

Identification of a novel exonic mutation at -13 from 5' splice site causing exon skipping in a girl with mitochondrial acetoacetyl-coenzyme A thiolase deficiency.

We identified a novel exonic mutation which causes exon skipping in the mitochondrial acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase (T2) gene from a girl with T2 deficiency (GK07). GK07 is a compound heterozygote; the maternal allele has a novel G to T transversion at position 1136 causing Gly379 to Val substitution (G379V) of the T2 precursor. In case of in vivo expression analysis, cells transfected with this mutant cDNA showed no evidence of restored T2 activity. The paternal allele was associated with exon 8 skipping at the cDNA level. At the gene level, a C to T transition causing Gln272 to termination codon (Q272STOP) was identified within exon 8, 13 bp from the 5' splice site of intron 8 in the paternal allele. The mRNA with Q272STOP could not be detected in GK07 fibroblasts, presumably because pre-mRNA with Q272STOP was unstable because of the premature termination. In vivo splicing experiments revealed that the exonic mutation caused partial skipping of exon 8. This substitution was thought to alter the secondary structure of T2 pre-mRNA around exon 8 and thus impede normal splicing. The role of exon sequences in the splicing mechanism is indicated by the exon skipping which occurred with an exonic mutation.     

Simple PCR heteroduplex, SSCP mutation screening methods for the detection of novel catalase mutations in Hungarian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: The enzyme catalase is the main regulator of hydrogen peroxide metabolism. Deficiency of catalase may cause high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and increase the risk of the development of pathologies for which oxidative stress is a contributing factor, for example, type 2 diabetes mellitus. Catalase deficiency has been reported to be associated with increased frequency of diabetes mellitus in a cohort of patients in Hungary. In this cohort, the majority of mutations in the catalase gene occur in exon 2. METHODS: Type 2 diabetic patients (n=308) were evaluated for mutations in intron 1 (81 bp), exon 2 (172 bp) and intron 2 (13 bp) of the catalase gene. Screening for mutations utilized PCR single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) and PCR heteroduplex methods. Verification of detected mutations was by nucleotide sequence analysis. RESULTS: A total of 11 catalase gene mutations were detected in the 308 subjects (3.57%, p<0.001). Five of the 11 were at two previously reported mutation sites: exon 2 (79) G insertion and (138) GA insertion. Six of the 11 were at five previously unreported catalase mutation sites: intron 1 (60) G-->T; intron 2 (7) G-->A and (5) G-->C; exon 2 (96) T-->A; and exon 2 (135) T-->A. The novel missense mutations on exon 2 (96 and 135) are associated with 59% and 48% decreased catalase activity, respectively; the novel G-->C mutation on intron 2 (5) is associated with a 62% decrease in catalase activity. Mutations detected on intron 1 (60) and intron 2 (7) showed no change in catalase activity. The G-->C mutation on intron 2 (5) might be a splicing mutation. The two missense mutations on exon 2 (96) and (135) cause substitutions of amino acids 53 (Asp-->Glu) and 66 (Glu-->Cys) of the catalase protein. These are close to amino acids that are important for the binding of heme to catalase, 44 (Val) and 72-75 (Arg, Val, Val, His). Changes in heme binding may be responsible for the activity losses. CONCLUSION: Mutations that cause decreased catalase activity may contribute to susceptibility to inherited type 2 diabetes mellitus. Exon 2 and neighboring introns of the catalase gene may be minor hot spots for type 2 diabetes mellitus susceptibility mutations.