Diagnostic accuracy of progressive supranuclear palsy in the Society for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy brain bank.

Diagnostic accuracy has been addressed previously for Parkinson's disease in a brain bank collection, but accuracy of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) has not been addressed in a similar setting. Clinical and genetic features of pathologically confirmed cases of PSP were compared with misdiagnosed cases to determine ways to improve diagnostic accuracy. Medical records were reviewed for 180 cases sent to the Society of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Brain Bank that had standardized neuropathologic evaluations as well as determination of apolipoprotein E and tau genotypes. Of the 180 cases studied, 137 had PSP and 43 had other pathologic diagnoses. Corticobasal degeneration (CBD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), and diffuse Lewy body disease (DLBD) accounted for 70% of the misdiagnosed cases. History of tremor, psychosis, dementia, and asymmetric findings were more frequent in misdiagnosed cases. The frequency of H1 tau haplotype (93 vs. 80%) and H1H1 genotype (86 vs. 66%) were significantly greater and APOE epsilon4 carrier state was significantly less (17 vs. 41 %) in PSP compared with misdiagnosed cases. Pathologic evaluation of clinically diagnosed PSP remains important for definitive diagnosis, and CBD, MSA, and DLBD are the disorders most likely to be misdiagnosed as PSP. Tremor, psychosis, early dementia, asymmetric findings, absence of H1 haplotype, and presence of APOE epsilon4 should raise questions about a diagnosis of PSP.     

东方人苯丙酮尿症的分子遗传学—苯丙氨酸羟化酶基因中一终止突变与单体型4的连锁不平衡性

应用聚合酶链反应(PCR)方法扩增苯丙氨酸羟化酶(PAH)基因的每个外显子及其侧翼的内含子,并克隆到M 13载体中进行序列分析。发现中国人苯丙酮尿症(Phenylketonuria,PKU)患者的PAH基因外显子3中有1个Arg~(111)→Ter~(111)的点突变,此突变与东方人最常见的突变单体型4呈连锁不平衡。此突变占中国人PAH等位基因的10％左右,但不存在于高加索人群中,表明在种族分化过程中PAH基因位点发生了互不相关的突变事件。     

Extended HLA profile of an inbred isolate: The Schmiedeleut Hutterites of South Dakota

HLA-A, -B, -C, -DR, and -DQ typings of the Schmiedeleut Hutterites of South Dakota were collected as part of an ongoing genetic-epidemiologic study of HLA and fertility. A total of 1,082 individuals, including 852 married adults representative of the reproductive population of this isolate, were characterized for five-locus HLA haplotypes. HLA-A1, A2, A3, and A24 accounted for 75% of observed HLA-A alleles and HLA-B27, B35, B51, and B62 accounted for 55% of observed HLA-B alleles. S-leut Hutterites are derived from 68 or fewer ancestors. However, only 48 ancestral HLA haplotypes were observed and nine of these accounted for over 52% of the observed haplotypes. Measures of two-locus linkage disequilibrium derived from these haplotypes indicated that one-third to half of the observed HLA-A/B, B/DR, and A/DR allele combinations exhibited highly statistically significant linkage disequilibrium. Allele and haplotype frequencies did not differ between males and females. Recombination rates of 0.004% and 0.005% between HLA-A and -C and between HLA-B and -DR, respectively, were observed. This HLA profile points out a paucity of HLA alleles and haplotypes in this population and marked linkage disequilibrium among the HLA alleles that are present. © Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Common human Toll-like receptor 9 polymorphisms and haplotypes: association with atopy and functional relevance

BACKGROUND: Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) is a pattern-recognition receptor that detects unmethylated CpG motifs prevalent in bacterial and viral DNA. TLR9 stimulation is a key event after bacterial infection, triggering innate immunity and T-helper type 1 skewed adaptive immunity. Synthetic CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-ODNs) represent a promising and novel class of immune adjuvants for allergy treatment, vaccination, and cancer therapy. However, common functional TLR9 gene variants could interfere with the clinical utilization of CpG-ODN in immunotherapy. Recently, a possible association of TLR9 polymorphism C-1237T with asthma has been reported. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether TLR9 polymorphisms or haplotypes have functional relevance and are associated with atopy. METHODS: We genotyped five common TLR9 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in promoter, exon, and intron regions of the gene in 527 healthy blood donors, and estimated four common haplotypes. The total IgE and specific IgE levels against the most common aeroallergens were measured (n=303). IFN-alpha production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) was analysed after stimulation with TLR9 ligand CpG-ODN (n=220). RESULTS: No significant influence of common TLR9 polymorphisms and haplotypes on the total and specific IgE levels was found. Functional analysis of CpG-ODN-induced IFN-alpha did not indicate a significant role for common TLR9 gene polymorphisms in TLR9 function. CONCLUSION: We conclude that common genetic differences in the TLR9 gene exert no major influence on allergy susceptibility, and are unlikely to have on impact on clinical application of CpG-ODNs.     

Polymorphic distribution of Y-chromosome haplotype and mitochondrial DNA in the Bouyei people in China

In the evolution of humans, many kinds of mutations in the human genome have been accumulated, providing credible genetic evidence for the study of human origins and migrations. The "out-of-Africa" hypothesis of modern human evolution and the genetic origin of the Japanese has come about by studying mitochondrial DNA.l,2 Recently, researchers have recognized the power of Y-chromosome markers in resolving migratory patterns of modern humans as more and more Y-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphism markers have been found. The markers on the nonrecombinant part of the Y-chromosome allows for the reconstruction of intact haplotypes which are probably the best genetic tools to study human migrations. We can analyze the paternal history of some people in different areas by Y-chromosome haplotypes.     

血管紧张素原基因的六种单核苷酸多态与原发性高血压的相关性

目的　研究血管紧张素原 (angiotensinogen,AGT)基因 6个位点的单核苷酸多态及其构成的单倍型与中国汉族人原发性高血压的相关性。方法　采用多重SNa Pshot反应 ,在 185例原发性高血压患者和185名健康对照者中 ,对 AGT基因启动子区域的 G- 2 17A、G- 15 2 A、A- 2 0 C、G- 6 A及第 2外显子的T174 M和 M2 35 T多态进行基因分型。结果　 6种单核苷酸多态的基因型分布及其等位基因频率在原发性高血压组和对照组中差异无显著性 (P>0 .0 5 )。单倍型分析提示由 - 15 2 A,- 2 0 C,- 6 A和 2 35 T等位基因构成的 H4单倍型在原发性高血压组中明显增加 ,与对照组相比差异有显著性 (P<0 .0 5 )。结论　AGT基因G- 15 2 A,A- 2 0 C,G- 6 A和 M2 35 T多态可能对中国汉族人原发性高血压的发病起了重要作用。     

Haplotypic association of DDAH1 with susceptibility to pre-eclampsia

Association between pre-eclampsia (PEE1) and the dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) 1 and 2 genes, which play a role in the regulation of nitric oxide synthesis and release, was studied. In a case-control study design single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were determined at eight sites in the DDAH1 gene and at one site (Pro231Pro) in the DDAH2 gene from 132 women with pre-eclampsia and 112 healthy controls. Three SNPs in the DDAH1 gene were associated with pre-eclampsia, showing complete linkage disequilibrium with each other, but none of the associations in the allele or genotype data reached statistical significance in either of the genes after the correction for multiple testing. Haplotype frequencies were estimated using a population based on a maximum likelihood method (EM algorithm). Four common DDAH1 haplotypes were present and a significant association of haplotypes H2 and H3 with pre-eclampsia (P=0.03) was found. The risk of pre-eclampsia was greatest in individuals (odds ratio: 3.93; 95% confidence interval: 1.54-9.99) who had two copies of the high-risk haplotypes (H2 or H3). The observed haplotypic association provides the first evidence of the importance of DDAH1 polymorphisms in pre-eclampsia susceptibility.     

Haplotype analysis of the BRCA2 9254delATCAT recurrent mutation in breast/ovarian cancer families from Spain

A frame-shift 9254del5 mutation was independently identified in 12 families, eleven of them with Spanish ancestors, in a BRCA2 screening performed in 841 breast and/or ovarian cancer families and in 339 women with breast cancer diagnosed before the age of 40 at different centers in France and Spain. We sought to analyze in detail the haplotype and founder effects of the 9254del5 and to estimate the time of origin of the mutation. Eight polymorphic microsatellite markers and two BRCA2 polymorphisms were used for the haplotype analyses. The markers were located flanking the BRCA2 gene spanning a region of 6.1 cM. Our results suggest that these families shared a common ancestry with BRCA2 9254del5, which is a founder mutation originating in the Northeast Spanish, with an estimated age of 92 (95% CI 56-141) generations.