Molecular analysis of the SMN gene mutations in spinal muscular atrophy patients in China.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is one of the most common autosomal recessive diseases. Survival motor neuron1 (SMN1) is the SMA disease-determining gene. We examined the molecular basis of SMA in 113 Chinese SMA patients. Homozygous exon 7 and 8 deletions in SMN1 were detected by PCR-RFLP. Heterozygous deletion of SMN1 was analyzed based on variation of the sequencing peak height of the two different base pairs of exons 7 and 8 between SMN1 and SMN2. Subtle mutation was detected by genomic sequencing in the patients with heterozygous deletion of SMN1. In our study, the rate of deletion of SMN1 exon 7 and/or 8 was 91.2%; the rate of subtle mutations was 1.8%. We detected the same subtle mutation (p.Leu228X) of SMN exon 5 in two patients (one type I, one type III). The p.Ser8LysfsX23 and p.Leu228X mutations accounted for 13 of the 23 families with subtle mutations reported in the SMN1 gene of Chinese SMA. This is the first report where the phenotype of SMA-type III is associated with p.Leu228X. We found two subtle mutation hotspots (p.Ser8LysfsX23 and p.Leu228X) of SMN1 exons 1 and 5 in Chinese SMA patients. These two mutations have not been reported from America or Europe. It is proposed that the distribution of subtle mutations of SMN1 of SMA is associated with ethnicity or geographic origin.

Novel and recurrent COL2A1 mutations in Chinese patients with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia.

Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia (SED) is an autosomal dominant skeletal dysplasia characterized by short stature, abnormal epiphyses and flattened vertebral bodies. SED is mainly caused by mutations in the gene encoding the type II procollagen α-1 chain (COL2A1). We looked for mutations in COL2A1 in three unrelated Chinese families with SED. Putative mutations were confirmed by RFLP analysis. We identified three missense mutations (p.G504S, p.G801S and p.G1176V) located in the triple-helical domain; p.G801S and p.G1176V are novel mutations. The p.G504S mutation has been associated with diverse phenotypes in previous studies. Our study extends the mutation spectrum of SED and confirms a relationship between mutations in the COL2A1 gene and clinical findings of SED.

Identification of novel and recurrent mutations in the calcium binding type III repeats of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein in patients with pseudoachondroplasia.

Pseudoachondroplasia is an autosomal dominant osteochondrodysplasia characterized by disproportionate short stature, joint laxity, and early onset osteoarthrosis. Pseudoachondroplasia is caused by mutations in the gene encoding cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP). We looked for mutations in the COMP gene in three sporadic Chinese pseudoachondroplasia patients and identified two novel mutations, c.1189G>T (p.D397Y) and c.1220G>A (p.C407Y), and one recurrent mutation, c.1318G>C (p.G440R), in the calcium binding type III repeats of COMP. This study confirms the relationship between mutations of the COMP gene and clinical findings of pseudoachondroplasia; it also provides evidence for the importance of the calcium binding domains to the functioning of COMP.