ABSTRACT
To carry out the genetic screening for the common mutation in the first tyrosine kinase domain (TK1) of the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 gene (FGFR3) in a Russian population, a cohort of 16 patients with hypochondroplasia diagnosed previously were studied, among them twelve familial cases and four sporadic cases. The heterozygous N540K FGFR3 mutation was detected in 9 cases (56.3%) due to that C1659A substitution in 6 patients and C1659G substitution in 3 patients, respectively. The ratios of familial and sporadic cases among patients which carried FGFR3 mutation were similar. Seven (43.7%) patients, negative cases of N540K mutation, were all familial cases. Our results support evidence of similar frequency of common type N540K mutation of FGFR3 in Russian hypochondroplasia and of the genetic heterogeneity of hypochondroplasia, suggesting the need for further search for responsible molecular abnormalities for phenotypically similar hypochondroplasia patients negative for TK1 domain mutation in FGFR3, reported in hypochondroplasia.
