The Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase gene in ALS and parkinsonism-dementia of Guam.
Guam is one of three endemic foci whose indigenous (Chamorro) people have an unusually high incidence of fatal neurodegenerative disorders, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinsonism-dementia (PD). Recently, mutations in the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD-1) gene have been identified in some familial cases of ALS. To investigate if mutations in the SOD-1 gene are also involved in the pathogenesis of ALS and PD of Guam, we analyzed the SOD-1 gene in Chamorros. No mutations were found in Chamorros with ALS or PD, indicating that mutations in the SOD-1 gene do not underlie the high-incidence neurodegenerative disorders of Guam.
Figlewicz
D A
DA
Centre for Research in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, P.Q., Canada.
Garruto
R M
RM
Krizus
A
A
Yanagihara
R
R
Rouleau
G A
GA
D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D003704:Dementia / Q000201:enzymology / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics*; D005796:Genes; D006141:Guam / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000201:enzymology / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000235:genetics*
D013482:Superoxide Dismutase