Type III collagen deficiency in saccular intracranial aneurysms. Defect in gene regulation?
OBJECTIVE
We sought to determine whether there are mutations in the COL3A1 gene in patients with saccular intracranial aneurysms with a type III collagen deficiency and whether there is an association between a marker in the COL3A1 gene and saccular intracranial aneurysms. One of the heritable factors possibly involved in the pathogenesis of saccular intracranial aneurysms is a reduced production of type III collagen, demonstrated earlier by protein studies.


METHODS
We analyzed the type III collagen gene in a group of 41 consecutive patients with an intracranial aneurysm, of whom 6 patients had shown a reduced production of type III collagen in cultured diploid fibroblasts from a skin biopsy.


RESULTS
No mutations could be demonstrated in the COL3A1 gene, especially not in the globular N- and C-terminal regions. A null allele was excluded in 25 patients, including 1 patient with a decreased type III collagen production. No differences were found between 41 patients and 41 controls in allele frequencies of a DNA tandem repeat polymorphism located in the COL3A1 gene.


CONCLUSIONS
It is concluded that the COL3A1 gene is not directly involved in the pathogenesis of most of intracranial aneurysms. The reduced type III collagen production in cultured fibroblasts found in some patients with an intracranial aneurysm is not explained by the present study and needs further exploration.
van den Berg
J S
JS
Department of Neurology, Institute for Human Genetics University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. J.vandenberg@czzoneu.azn.nl
Pals
G
G
Arwert
F
F
Hennekam
R C
RC
Albrecht
K W
KW
Westerveld
A
A
Limburg
M
M
D000483:Alleles; D001706:Biopsy; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003094:Collagen / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis*; D005091:Exons; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017354:Point Mutation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D020080:Tandem Repeat Sequences
D005819:Genetic Markers; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D003094:Collagen; D004247:DNA