Variance of age at onset in a Japanese family with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis associated with a novel Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase mutation.
Although about 5 to 10% of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases are familial, the pathophysiology of ALS remains unknown. A new point mutation in exon 4 of the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) gene, resulting in an amino acid substitution of leucine84 by valine (L84V), in a Japanese patient with familial ALS (FALS) was identified. This L84V substitution was not observed in 57 normal Japanese control subjects. The enzymatic activities of Cu/Zn SOD of skin fibroblasts were significantly reduced to 75% of the control level in the affected patient. The progression of the disease with this mutation is very rapid, but the age at onset varies with sex or generation within a family.
Aoki
M
M
Department of Neurology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
Abe
K
K
Houi
K
K
Ogasawara
M
M
Matsubara
Y
Y
Kobayashi
T
T
Mochio
S
S
Narisawa
K
K
Itoyama
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003300:Copper; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010375:Pedigree; D017354:Point Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000235:genetics*; D015032:Zinc
D003300:Copper; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D015032:Zinc