title: Four novel mutations in patients from the Middle East with the infantile form of GM1-gangliosidosis.
abstract: GM1-gangliosidosis is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency of beta-galactosidase. It is mainly characterized by progressive neurodegeneration and in its most severe infantile form it leads to death before the age of four. We have performed molecular analysis of five patients with the infantile form of GM1-gangliosidosis originating from the Middle East (two from Saudi Arabia and three from the United Arab Emirates). We have identified four novel mutations and one previously reported mutation in the GLB1 gene. The first novel mutation found in the homoallelic state in a patient from Saudi Arabia, is a c.171C>G transversion in exon 2 which creates a premature stop codon. Northern blot analysis in fibroblasts from the patient showed no mRNA and expression studies in COS-1 cells showed complete absence of the 85kDa precursor protein and no catalytic activity. The second novel mutation is a splicing error in intron 2, c.245+1G>A. This mutation was found in the heteroallelic state in a patient from Saudi Arabia, the second mutation being the previously described c.145C>T mutation. The third novel mutation is a missense mutation in exon 4, c.451G>T, found in the homoallelic state in a patient from the United Arab Emirates. Expression studies of this mutation in COS-1 cells showed complete absence of the 85kDa precursor protein and no catalytic activity. The fourth novel mutation is a splicing mutation in intron 8, c.914+4A>G, found in the homoallelic state in two siblings from the United Arab Emirates. This study has revealed genetic heterogeneity of the beta-galactosidase deficiency in the Arabic population [corrected]
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Biochemical Genetics, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, P.O. Box 23462, Nicosia, Cyprus.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Georgiou
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drousiotou
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caciotti
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sztriha
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gururaj
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ozand
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zammarchi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morrone
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Azzo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019556:COS Cells; D002384:Catalysis; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D018389:Codon, Nonsense; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D016537:Gangliosidosis, GM1 / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D018740:Genetic Heterogeneity; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D020125:Mutation, Missense; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014479:United Arab Emirates / Q000453:epidemiology; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018389:Codon, Nonsense; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C061901:GLB1 protein, human; D001616:beta-Galactosidase