Intergeneration CAG expansion in a Wuhan juvenile-onset Huntington disease family.
OBJECTIVE
To make early diagnosis of IT15 gene mutation in a Wuhan juvenile-onset Huntington disease (HD) family, for providing them with genetic counseling, and making preparation for the further research on pathogenesis and experimental therapy of HD.


METHODS
According to the principle of informed consent, we extracted genomic DNA from peripheral blood samples and carried genetic diagnosis of pathogenic exon 1 of IT15 gene by modified touchdown PCR and DNA sequencing methods.


RESULTS
Eight of twenty-five family members carried abnormal allele: III(10), III(12), III(14), IV(3), and V(2) carried (CAG) (48), IV(11) and IV(12) carried (CAG) (67), and IV(14) carried (CAG) (63), in contrast with the 8-25 CAG trinucleotides in the members of control group. IV(14) carried 15 more CAG trinucleotides than her father III(10).


CONCLUSIONS
The results definitely confirm the diagnosis of HD and indicate the CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion of IT15 gene in this HD family. In addition, CAG expansion results in juvenile-onset and anticipation (characterized by earlier age of onset and increasing severity) of the patient IV(12).
Department of Medical Biology, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Yuan
Y
Liu
Yan
Y
Shen
He
H
Li
Hui
H
Wang
Zhen-Rong
ZR
Yang
Yan
Y
Chen
Yan-Ping
YP
Tang
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000071058:Huntingtin Protein; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000379:methods; D019680:Trinucleotide Repeat Expansion / Q000235:genetics*
C086055:HTT protein, human; D000071058:Huntingtin Protein; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins