title: Linkage disequilibrium analysis in Machado-Joseph disease patients of different ethnic origins.
abstract: Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) is an autosomal dominant spinocerebellar degeneration originally described in families of Portuguese-Azorean ancestry. The hypothesis that its present world distribution could result from the spread of an original founder mutation has been raised. To test this possibility we have conducted a linkage disequilibrium study of markers segregating with the MJD1 locus in a total of 64 unrelated families of different geographical origins. Significant association was detected between the MJD1 locus and marker alleles at loci D14S280, D14S1050 and D14S81. All affected individuals, except one Chinese family, had allele 3 (237 bp) at D14S280. This finding is consistent with a founder effect in our MJD population. However, distinct haplotypes were observed in patients originating from the two Azorean islands showing the highest disease prevalence; therefore, the possible existence of more than one founder mutation can not be excluded with the markers currently available.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal General Hospital Research Institute, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gaspar
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lopes-Cendes
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: DeStefano
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maciel
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coutinho
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: MacLeod
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sequeiros
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Farrer
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Rouleau
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000067699:Ataxin-3; D005260:Female; D006238:Haploidy; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D017827:Machado-Joseph Disease / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012097:Repressor Proteins
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C092341:ATXN3 protein, human; D000067699:Ataxin-3