ABSTRACT
Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 1A disease (CMT1A) and hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP) are common inherited disorders of the peripheral nervous system associated with duplication and deletion, respectively, of the 17p11.2 segment including the gene of peripheral myelin protein 22. We studied 48 subjects belonging to 29 families with clinical and electrophysiological signs of definite CMT1, 20 patients with suspected CMT phenotype, and 17 patients and healthy members of their families with HNPP. Blood sampling and DNA isolation, PCR, restriction analysis, southern blotting were performed using standard procedures. Of 48 patients with diagnosis of definite CMT1 in 25 (52%) we found a 1.5 Mb tandem duplication in chromosome 17p11.2. These duplications were not found in any of 20 sporadic cases with the clinical phenotype of CMT but without reliable electrophysiological data. Only 13 (44.8%) of 29 unrelated CMT1 patients from the first group had 17p11.2 duplications. Three of 4 sporadic cases (75%) with definite CMT1 had 17p11.2 duplications. Of 17 patients from 6 families with HNPP deletion of 17p11.2 segment was found in 15 (88.2%), as well as in 5 (83.3%) of six unrelated cases. Detection of CMT1A/HNPP recombination hotspot is a simple and reliable DNA diagnostic method, which is useful only for the patients with clinically already verified CMT1, and HNPP for further genetic counselling of patients and members of their families.
