Autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia type I in Morocco: presence of the SCA1 and SCA3/MJD mutations

We searched for CAG repeat expansions at the SCA1 and SCA3/MJD loci in nine families, including 15 examined patients, with autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia type I from Morocco. Expansion of the CAG repeat was found in one family at the SCA1 and two at the SCA3/MJD locus, demonstrating the existence of genetic heterogeneity among ADCA type I families in Morocco. Instability during transmission was observed at both loci as in other unstable mutations. The phenotypes of the SCA1 and SCA3/MJD patients were similar.     

Identification of five Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 2 pedigrees in patients with autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia in Taiwan

OBJECTIVES: The autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias (ADCAs) are a group of genetically diverse neurological conditions linked by progressive deterioration in balance and coordination. Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 2 (SCA2) is one of the ADCAs and also belongs to a special group caused by the expansion of an unstable CAG repeat encoding a polyglutamine tract. We aimed to investigate the frequency of SCA2 mutation in the ataxia patients referred to the clinic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We screened 58 families with inherent cerebellar ataxia and 57 normal individuals by the use of radioactive genomic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. A simple non-radioactive PCR for rapid detection of the expanded SCA2 alleles via agarose gel electrophoresis was also employed. RESULTS: Eight SCA2 affected patients and 1 at-risk individual in 5 unrelated SCA2 families were identified. The CAG repeats of normal alleles in the sample studied range in size from 16 to 30 repeat units, while those of SCA2 chromosomes are expanded to 34 to 49 repeat units. Our results also showed that unlike SCA 1 and SCA3/MJD, the size distribution of the normal alleles showed few polymorphisms, with the 22 repeat allele accounting for 90.1%. Homozygosity in normal individuals was 80.2%. No overlap in ataxin-2 allele size between normal and expanded chromosomes was observed. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of the SCA2 gene distributions in the population of Taiwan. The SCA2 mutation accounts for 8.6% of ADCA type I families referred to us, intermediate between SCA1(1.7%) and SCA3/MJD (24%) of the ADCA type I families in our collection.     

Frequency of SCA1, SCA2, SCA3/MJD, SCA6, SCA7, and DRPLA CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion in patients with hereditary spinocerebellar ataxia from Chinese kindreds

OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency of SCA1 (spinocerebellar ataxia type 1), SCA2, SCA3/MJD (spinocerebellar ataxia type 3/Machado-Joseph disease), SCA6, SCA7, and DRPLA (dentatorubropallidoluysian atrophy) CAG trinucleotide repeat expansions [(CAG)n] among persons diagnosed with hereditary SCA from Chinese families. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, SCA2, SCA3/MJD, SCA6, SCA7, and DRPLA (CAG)n mutation were detected with the polymerase chain reaction, highly denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and silver staining technique in 167 patients with autosomal dominant SCA from 85 Chinese families and 37 patients with sporadic SCA. RESULTS: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (CAG)n mutation in 7 patients from 4 kindreds (4.70%) was expanded to 53 to 62 repeats. Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (CAG)n mutation in 12 patients from 5 kindreds (5.88%) was expanded to 42 to 47 repeats. Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3/Machado-Joseph disease (CAG)n mutation in 83 patients from 41 kindreds (48.23%) was expanded to 68 to 83 repeats. Sixty-five patients from 35 kindreds (41.19%) and 37 patients with sporadic SCA did not test positive for SCA1, SCA2, SCA3/MJD, SCA6, SCA7, or DRPLA. There was a predictable inverse relationship between the number of CAG repeats and the age at onset for SCA3/MJD and SCA2. Clinically, dementia and hyporeflexia were more frequent in patients with SCA2, while spasticity, hyperreflexia, and Babinski signs were more frequent in patients with SCA3/ MJD, and those might be helpful in clinical work to primarily distinguish patients with SCA3/MJD and SCA2 from others with different types of SCA. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of SCA3/MJD is substantially higher than that of SCA1 and SCA2 in patients with autosomal dominant SCA from Chinese kindreds, who are non-Portuguese. Clinical expressions of the various types of SCAs overlap one another; therefore, for clinical study it is important to make a gene diagnosis and genetic classification for patients with SCA.     

Autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia: frequency analysis and clinical characterization of 45 families from Portugal

Background and purpose:  The relative frequency of the different autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia (ADCA) varies widely amongst different geographic locations. Here we describe a series of 45 ADCA families from Portugal.
Methods:  Patients with progressive cerebellar dysfunction of autosomal dominant transmission underwent a clinical examination protocol and genetic testing for spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA)1 to Machado-Joseph disease (MJD)/SCA3, SCA6, SCA7, SCA10, SCA12, SCA17 and dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA). We registered the clinical characteristics and frequency of each type of ataxia.
Results:  MJD/SCA3 was the most frequent ADCA (26 families, 57.8% of all families), followed by DRPLA (5 families, 11.2%), SCA7 (2 families, 4.4%), SCA2 and SCA1 (1 family each, 2.2% each); 10 families (22.2%) had no molecular diagnosis. SCA1 and SCA7 patients had African ancestry. DRPLA patients had Portuguese ancestry and were characterized by prominent anticipation and a variable combination of epilepsy, extra-pyramidal symptoms and dementia. Ophtalmoparesis, slow saccades and retinopathy were most distinctive of SCA3, SCA2 and SCA7 cases, respectively.
Conclusions:  MJD/SCA3 was the most common ADCA in this group of families. The high frequency of DRPLA and presence of SCA1 and SCA7 cases was unexpected. The presence of these rarer ADCA types probably reflects migration phenomena, posing a challenge for differential diagnosis.     

Spinocerebellar ataxia 3 and machado-joseph disease: Clinical,molecular, and neuropathological features

Patients with spinocerebellar ataxia 3 (SCA3) and Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) carry an expanded CAG repeat in the MJDl gene. One hundred twenty families of different geographic origin with autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia (ADCA) type I were tested. Thirty-four families (126 patients) carried an expanded CAG repeat. The expanded and the normal allele did not overlap and the repeat was unstable during transmission, with variation in the size of the CAG length ranging from ?8 to +5 and a mean expansion of 0.86 repeats without differences according to the parental sex. There was a combined effect of the number of CAG repeats of the expanded and normal allele on the age at onset, which accounted for 70% of its variability. The length of the CAG repeat influenced the frequency of clinical signs associated with cerebellar ataxia, such as abnormal tendon reflexes or decreased vibration sense, whereas the interindividual variation of supranuclear ophthalmoplegia, sphincter and swallowing difficulties, and amyotrophy was mostly determined by different disease durations. We compared the clinical profile of 91 SCA3/MJD patients with 51 SCAl and 32 SCA2 patients. There were striking differences between the SCA3/MJD and SCA2 but not with SCAl groups of patients. Despite their clinical similarities, distinct neuropathological features were observed in 2 SCA3/MJD and SCAl patients.     

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 in Russia

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) is one form of autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia (ADCA) caused by trinucleotide (CAG) repeat expansion within a mutant gene. We investigated 25 patients from 15 Russian ADCA families for SCA1 mutation and found an expanded CAG repeat in 5 families. Mutant chromosomes contained 41–51 CAG repeats (mean 46.1, SD 3.1), and normal chromosomes displayed 21–27 repeat units (mean 24.7, SD 1.3). Progressive cerebellar ataxia in our series of SCA1 patients was very commonly associated with dysarthria (in all cases) and pyramidal signs (in 10 of 11 cases). In three patients from one family we found optic atrophy, which has never been described before in genetically proven cases of SCA1. We observed no specific clinical features distinguishing SCA1 from non-SCA1 patients. In contrast to the high frequency of SCA1 in our series, we found no patients with Machado-Joseph disease, another form of ADCA caused by expanded CAG repeat.     

Typische Antizipation bei spinozerebellärer Ataxie Typ 7

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) belongs to the category of autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias (ADCA). The clinical picture is characterised by progressive ataxia and macular degeneration. Other common signs are slow saccades, external ophthalmoplegia, and pyramidal tract signs. The disease is caused by the expansion of an unstable CAG trinucleotide repeat in the gene for ataxin 7 on chromosome 3. SCA7 is a rare disorder. The first case in Germany was described only recently. We report two additional patients, father and son, with the molecular genetic diagnosis of SCA7. The father carries a trinucleotide expansion of 42 CAG repeats, the son 51. Normal alleles range from 7 to 35 CAG repeats. Both patients show the typical picture with progressive ataxia and macular degeneration. We found a pronounced anticipation (earlier disease onset in subsequent generations), which is highly characteristic of CAG repeat disorders.     

SCA2 trinucleotide expansion in German SCA patients

Autosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA) are a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorders which lead to progressive cerebellar ataxia. A gene responsible for SCA type 2 has been mapped to human chromosome 12 and the disease causing mutation has been identified as an unstable and expanded (CAG)_n trinucleotide repeat. We investigated the (CAG)_n repeat length of the SCA2 gene in 842 patients with sporadic ataxia and in 96 German families with dominantly inherited SCA which do not harbor the SCA1 or MJD1/SCA3 mutation, respectively. The SCA2 (CAG)_n expansion was identified in 71 patients from 54 families. The (CAG)_n stretch of the affected allele varied between 36 and 64 trinucleotide units. Significant repeat expansions occurred most commonly during paternal transmission. Analysis of the (CAG)_n repeat lengths with the age of onset in 41 patients revealed an inverse correlation. Two hundred and forty-one apparently healthy octogenerians carried alleles between 16 and 31 repeats. One 50-year old, healthy individual had 34 repeats; she had transmitted an expanded allele to her child. The small difference between ‘normal’ and disease alleles makes it necessary to define the extreme values of their ranges. With one exception, the trinucleotide expansion was not observed in 842 ataxia patients without a family history of the disease. The SCA2 mutation causes the disease in nearly 14% of autosomal dominant SCA in Germany. Received December 30, 1996; Revised and Accepted January 31, 1997     

Polyneuropathy in autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias: phenotype-genotype correlation.

Autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias (ADCAs) are clinically and genetically heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate electrophysiologically peripheral nervous system involvement in each of the groups studied and its correlation with the number of CAG repeats. Forty patients with ADCA were clinically and electrophysiologically investigated. Thirty-five patients belonged to the ADCA type I group (SCA1, 12; SCA2, 10; SCA3, 13) and five to the ADCA type II group. Axonal sensory or sensorimotor polyneuropathy was found in 42% of the SCA1 patients, 80% of the SCA2 patients, and 54% of the SCA3 patients, whereas electrophysiological studies were normal in all those with ADCA type II. The number of CAG repeats was significantly higher in SCA1 patients with polyneuropathy than in those without polyneuropathy (P = 0.01), whereas the reverse was observed in SCA3/MJD (Machado-Joseph disease) patients (P = 0.05). We conclude that axonal polyneuropathy is often associated with ADCA type I, but its frequency varies according to factors such as the locus responsible and the number of CAG repeats.     

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.     

Analysis of SCA2 and SCA3/MJD repeats in Parkinson's disease in mainland China: Genetic,clinical, and positron emission tomography findings

To investigate the prevalence and clinical feature(s) of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with expanded (ATXN2 and MJD1) genes of spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 and 3 (SCA2 and SCA3/MJD) in a mainland Chinese population, CAG triplet repeat expansions of (SCA2 and SCA3/MJD) genes (ATXN2 and MJD1) were analyzed in a cohort of 452 PD patients, including 386 sporadic and 66 familial forms. Striatal dopamine transporter was evaluated in two SCA2 and two SCA3/MJD‐positive family members, an idiopathic PD patient and a healthy control using carbon (C11) [¹¹C]‐radiolabeled‐CFT positron emission tomography (PET). We found two patients in one familial PD (FPD) family (1.5%) and two sporadic PD patients (0.5%) with expanded CAG repeats in the ATXN2 locus, four patients in two FPD families (3%) and another three sporadic PD patients (0.8%) in the MJD1 locus. [¹¹C]‐CFT PET in detected members in SCA2 and SCA3/MJD families showed decrements of ¹¹C‐CFT uptake. These findings suggest that a mutation in SCA2 or SCA3/MJD may be one of the genetic causes of PD. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society     

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.     

SCA12 is a rare locus for autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia: a study of an Indian family

Spinocerebellar ataxia 12 (SCA12) is an autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia (ADCA) described in a single family with a CAG repeat expansion in the PPP2R2B gene. We screened 247 index cases, including 145 families with ADCA, for this expansion. An expanded repeat ranging from 55 to 61 triplets was detected in 6 affected and 3 unaffected individuals at risk in a single family from India. The association of the PPP2R2B CAG repeat expansion with disease in this new family provides additional evidence that the mutation is causative.     

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) - correlations between phenotype and genotype in one large Belgian family.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7), in which the degenerative process also affect the retina, belongs to the category of the autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia type II (ADCA II). We have described the neuropathology of this condition [Martin JJ, Van Regemorter N, Krols L, Brucher JM, de Barsy T, Szliwowski H, et al. On an autosomal dominant form of retino-cerebellar degeneration: an autopsy study of five patients in one family. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 1994;88:277-286] in a very large Belgian family (CA-1). We have observed anticipation in the age of onset with increasing severity of the symptoms in consecutive generations. The SCA7 gene was mapped to chromosome 3p12-13 [David G, Abbas N, Stevanin G, Dürr A, Yvert G, Cancel G, et al. Cloning of the SCA7 gene reveals a highly unstable CAG repeat expansion. Nat Genet 1997;17:65-70; Del-Favero J, Krols L, Michalik A, Theuns J, L?fgren A, Goossens D, et al. Molecular genetic analysis of autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia with retinal degeneration (ADCA type II) caused by CAG triplet repeat expansion. Hum Mol Genet 1998;7:177-186], and the gene identified. SCA7 is a new gene of unknown function that contains an expansion of CAG repeats in SCA7 patients. During the procedure of positional cloning, we examined 26 patients belonging to the CA-1 family and realized, in some of them, an ophthalmologic examination and neuro-imaging of the brain. This allowed us to differentiate four groups: (1) asymptomatic young carriers with 38 to 43 CAG repeats; (2) mildly symptomatic, older patients with 38-41 CAG repeats; (3) patients with the full-blown picture of SCA7 and age of onset during adolescence, with 54-55 CAG repeats; (4) children with early onset and rapid fatal course of the disease who had over 55 CAG repeats. We were able to draw correlations between clinical phenotype, age at onset and CAG repeat number and to make predictions, to some extent, as to the clinical course of the disease in new patients.     

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 in China: molecular analysis and genotype-phenotype correlation in 5 families

BACKGROUND: Twelve genetic types of autosomal dominant hereditary ataxia have been recently identified and the genes responsible for most of them cloned. Molecular identification of the type of ataxia is important to determine the disease prevalence and its natural history in various populations. OBJECTIVES: To perform molecular analysis of 75 Chinese families affected with spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) and to evaluate the spectrum of mutations in these genes and the correlation between genotypes and phenotypes in Chinese patients. SETTING: Neurogenetics Unit, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China. METHODS: One hundred nine patients from 75 kindreds diagnosed as having autosomal dominant SCA, 16 patients with sporadic SCA or spastic paraplegia, 280 control chromosomes of the Chinese population, and 120 control chromosomes of the Sakha population were selected for this study. We conducted detailed mutational analysis by direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction products amplified from genomic DNA. RESULTS: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) was identified in 5 families with 12 studied patients. All affected family members were heterozygous for a CAG repeat expansion in the SCA1 gene containing 51 to 64 trinucleotide repeats. Normal alleles had 26 to 35 repeats. Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 accounted for 7% of the studied Chinese families with ataxia. In addition, we determined the frequency of a single vs double CAT interruption in 120 control chromosomes of the Siberian Sakha population, which has the highest known prevalence of SCA1, and compared this with 280 control chromosomes from the Chinese populations. The results show that 64.7% of the Siberian normal alleles contain a single CAT interruption, whereas 92% of the Chinese had more than 1 interruption. CONCLUSIONS: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 is responsible for 7% of affected families in the Chinese population. A correlation between the prevalence of SCA1 and the number of CAT interruptions in the trinucleotide chain suggests that a CAT-to-CAG substitution may have been the initial event contributing to the generation of expanded alleles and influencing relative prevalence of SCA1.     

Clinical and molecular analysis of 11 Sicilian SCA2 families: influence of gender on age at onset

Autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias (ADCAs) are a complex group of slowly progressive neurodegenerative disorders characterized by gait and stance ataxia, dysarthria and other symptoms of nervous system involvement. ADCA type I is the commonest form and is genetically heterogeneous; several loci have been identified. Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) has been mapped to chromosome 12, with expanded cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeats being identified as the mutational cause of the disease. We investigated 15 families, all originating from mid-eastern Sicily, with ADCA type I; molecular studies performed in 12 families showed the SCA2 mutation to be present in 11 of them (91.6%) - the highest occurrence so far reported in the literature. The CAG repeat of the affected alleles varied between 34 and 44 repeats. Age at onset and repeat length revealed an inverse correlation. Mean age at onset was 37.32 +/- 16. 74 years, and occurred earlier in males than in females. There were no differences in mean CAG repeat units between the sexes. However, a higher instability of CAG repeats was observed for paternal transmission than for maternal transmission. Age at onset and anticipation were not related to parental transmission. Our data suggest that in SCA2 an unknown sex-linked factor may play a role in the modulation of toxic effects of the polyglutamine tract.     

广东汉族人遗传性脊髓小脑型共济失调基因突变的研究

目的 研究广东汉族人遗传性脊髓小脑型共济失调（SCA）的亚型（SCA1、SCA2、SCA3和SCA7）基因突变分布频率。方法 对临床诊断为SCA的18个家系24例SCA患者、22例散发SCA患者、45名家系“正常人”及30名非家系健康人,通过聚合酶链反应（PCR）及聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳（PAGE）等技术检测SCA1、2、3、7基因内CAG三核苷酸重复序列突变,并利用ABI310、377测序仪对异常等位基因片段进行DNA测序。结果 在18个SCA家系中,1个家系（5.55％）有SCA1基因突变,2个家系（11.11％）有SCA2基因突变,7个家系（38.88％）有SCA3基因突变,未发现SCA7突变,。在家系成员中检出1例症状前SCA3患者。22例散发性患者中检出SCA1、SCA2、SCA3和SCA7各1例,各占4.54％。SCA1患者CAG重复数为53～56次,正常人19～34次;SCA2患者CAG重复数为38～45次,正常人20～25次;SCA3患者CAG重复数为74～81次,正常人14～40次。SCA7患者CAG重复数为65次,正常人为9～19次。结论 提示中国人SCA主要为SCA3/MJD型,其次为SCA2和SCA1。基因分析对家族性以及散发性SCA患者的临床确诊和遗传咨询均有重要意义。     

Spinocerebellar ataxias in the Netherlands: prevalence and age at onset variance analysis

BACKGROUND: International prevalence estimates of autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias (ADCA) vary from 0.3 to 2.0 per 100,000. The prevalence of ADCA in the Netherlands is unknown. Fifteen genetic loci have been identified (SCA-1-8, SCA-10-14, SCA-16, and SCA-17) and nine of the corresponding genes have been cloned. In SCA-1, SCA2, SCA3, SCA6, SCA7, SCA-12 and SCA-17 the mutation has been shown to be an expanded CAG repeat. Previously, the length of the CAG repeat was found to account for 50 to 80% of variance in age at onset. Because of heterogeneity in encoded proteins, different pathophysiologic mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration could be involved. The relationship between CAG repeat length and age at onset would then differ accordingly. METHOD: Based on the results of SCA mutation analysis in the three DNA diagnostic laboratories that serve the entire Dutch population, the authors surveyed the number of families and affected individuals per SCA gene, as well as individual repeat length and age at onset. Regression analysis was applied to study the relationship between CAG repeat length and age at onset per SCA gene. The slopes of the different regression curves were compared. RESULTS: On November 1, 2000, mutations were found in 145 ADCA families and 391 affected individuals were identified. The authors extrapolated a minimal prevalence of 3.0 per 100,000 (range 2.8 to 3.8/100,000). SCA3 was the most frequent mutation. CAG repeat length contributed to 52 to 76% of age at onset variance. Regression curve slopes for SCA-1, SCA2, SCA3, and SCA7 did not differ significantly. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated minimal prevalence of ADCA in the Netherlands is 3.0 per 100,000 inhabitants. Except for SCA6, the relationship between age at onset and CAG repeat expansion does not differ significantly between SCA-1, SCA2, SCA3, and SCA7 patient groups in our population, indicating that these SCA subtypes share similar mechanisms of polyglutamine-induced neurotoxicity, despite heterogeneity in gene products.     

中国大陆南方汉族正常人群齿状核红核苍白球路易体萎缩基因三核苷酸重复变异研究

目的研究中国大陆南方正常人群齿状核红核苍白球路易体萎缩(DRPLA)基因(以CAG)n正常变异范围,以及DRPLA基因(CAG)n扩展突变在中国大陆脊髓小脑型共济失调(SCA)患者中的分布。方法应用荧光PCR,毛细管电泳等技术,对67个已经排除了SCA1、SCA2、SCA3、SCA6、SCA7的常染色体显性遗传SCA家系的先证者和66个散发SCA患者以及94个南方正常汉族人进行DRPLA基因CAG重复次数分析。结果未发现DRPLA基因(CAG)n扩展突变；DRPLA基因(CAG)n正常变异范围为5～21个拷贝,15个拷贝最多见,杂合频率为89．13%,共14种等位基因。结论DRPLA在中国大陆为罕见的SCA亚型,DRPLA基因(CAG)n正常变异范围存在地区和种族差异,中国大陆DRPLA发病率低可能同正常国人较大重复次数的等位基因少见有关。