A molecular approach to galactosemia.

Classical galactosemia (G/G) is caused by the lack of galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GALT) activity. A more common clinical variant, Duarte/Classical (D/G) produces partial enzymatic impairment. Although neonatal death due to G/G galactosemia has been largely eliminated by population-based screening and intervention, long-term outcome in some is associated with impaired growth, ovarian failure, dyspraxic speech and neurologic deficits. At least 32 variants in the nucleotide sequence of the GALT gene have been identified and 9 have transferred impaired GALT activity to transformed cells in transfection experiments. We here define the prevalence and biochemical phenotype of two mutations. An A to G transition in exon 6 of the GALT gene converts a predicted glutamine at codon 188 to an arginine (Q188R), and introduces a new HpaII cut site into the gene which enables population screening by polymerase chain reaction. An A to G transition in exon 10 in the GALT gene produces a codon change converting an asparagine to aspartic acid at codon 314 (N314D) and adds an AVA II cut site. We screened a large population for the Q188R and N314D sequence changes to investigate the prevalence of Q188R in G/G galactosemia, the effect of homozygosity for Q188R on outcome, and the prevalence and biochemical phenotype of the N314D sequence change. We found that the Q188R mutation has a prevalence of 62% in a predominately Caucasian population of 107 patients with G/G galactosemia. Homozygosity for Q188R was associated with a poor clinical outcome in a subgroup of these patients. The N314D mutation is associated with the Duarte biochemical phenotype with extraordinary concordance.

A common mutation associated with the Duarte galactosemia allele.

The human cDNA and gene for galactose-1-phosphate uridyl transferase (GALT) have been cloned and sequenced. A prevalent mutation (Q188R) is known to cause classic galactosemia (G/G). G/G galactosemia has an incidence of 1/38,886 in 1,396,766 Georgia live-born infants, but a more common variant of galactosemia, Duarte, has an unknown incidence. The proposed Duarte biochemical phenotypes of GALT are as follows: D/N, D/D, and D/G, which have approximately 75%, 50%, and 25% of normal GALT activity respectively. In addition, the D allele has isoforms of its enzyme that have more acidic pI than normal. Here we systematically determine (a) the prevalence of an A-to-G transition at base pair 2744 of exon 10 in the GALT gene, transition that produces a codon change converting asparagine to aspartic acid at position 314 (N314D), and (b) the association of this mutation with the Duarte biochemical phenotype. The 2744G nucleotide change adds an AvaII (SinI) cut site, which was identified in PCR-amplified DNA. In 111 biochemically unphenotyped controls with no history of galactosemia, 13 N314D alleles were identified (prevalence 5.9%). In a prospective study, 40 D alleles were biochemically phenotyped, and 40 N314D alleles were found. By contrast, in 36 individuals known not to have the Duarte biochemical phenotype, no N314D alleles were found. We conclude that the N314D mutation is a common allele that probably causes the Duarte GALT biochemical phenotype and occurs in a predominantly Caucasian, nongalactosemic population, with a prevalence of 5.9%.