title: A G-to-A mutation in IVS-3 of the human gamma fibrinogen gene causing afibrinogenemia due to abnormal RNA splicing.
abstract: Congenital afibrinogenemia is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a hemorrhagic diathesis of variable severity. Although more than 100 families with this disorder have been described, genetic defects have been characterized in few cases. An investigation of a young propositus, offspring of a consanguineous marriage, with undetectable levels of functional and quantitative fibrinogen, was conducted. Sequence analysis of the fibrinogen genes showed a homozygous G-to-A mutation at the fifth nucleotide (nt 2395) of the third intervening sequence (IVS) of the gamma-chain gene. Her first-degree relatives, who had approximately half the normal fibrinogen values and showed concordance between functional and immunologic levels, were heterozygtes. The G-to-A change predicts the disappearance of a donor splice site. After transfection with a construct, containing either the wild-type or the mutated sequence, cells with the mutant construct showed an aberrant messenger RNA (mRNA), consistent with skipping of exon 3, but not the expected mRNA. Sequencing of the abnormal mRNA showed the complete absence of exon 3. Skipping of exon 3 predicts the deletion of amino acid sequence from residue 16 to residue 75 and shifting of reading frame at amino acid 76 with a premature stop codon within exon 4 at position 77. Thus, the truncated gamma-chain gene product would not interact with other chains to form the mature fibrinogen molecule. The current findings show that mutations within highly conserved IVS regions of fibrinogen genes could affect the efficiency of normal splicing, giving rise to congenital afibrinogenemia.
authors.affiliation: Unità di Aterosclerosi e Trombosi, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza," S Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Margaglione
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Santacroce
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Colaizzo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Seripa
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vecchione
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Lupone
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Lucia
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fortina
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grandone
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Perricone
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Minno
mesh_terms: D000347:Afibrinogenemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D002648:Child; D003241:Consanguinity; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000235:genetics*; D006720:Homozygote; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D010375:Pedigree; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D005340:Fibrinogen