PTPG, the gene for protein-tyrosine phosphatase y(PTPy), maps to a region ofhuman chromosome 3, 3p2l, that is frequently deleted in renal cell carcinoma and lung carcinoma. One of the functions of protein-tyrosine phosphatases is to reverse the effect of protein-tyrosine kinases, many of which are oncogenes, suggesting that some proteintyrosine phosphatase genes may act as tumor suppressor genes.
The Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome, inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, manifests with palmoplantar keratoderma and early, destructive periodontitis. Recently, mutations in the gene encoding cathepsin C have been disclosed in a limited number of families with Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome. We have examined two multiplex families with Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome, and evaluated the gene encoding cathepsin C for mutations. The mutation detection strategy consisted of polymerase chain reaction amplification of all seven exons and flanking intronic sequences, followed by direct nucleotide sequencing. This strategy identified two missense mutations, W39S and G301S, affecting highly conserved amino acid residues within the cathepsin C polypeptide. The affected individuals were homozygotes whereas heterozygous carriers of the mutations were clinically unaffected, confirming the recessive nature of the mutations. Addition of these cathepsin C gene mutations into the expanding Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome mutation database allows further development of genotype/phenotype correlations towards understanding this severe genodermatosis.
Pretibial epidermolysis bullosa (PEB) is a rare variant of dominant dystrophic EB (DDEB) in which recurrent blistering with scarring predominantly involves the pretibial skin. Although blistering appears to be localized clinically, electron microscopy of the dermalepidermal junction in patients with PEB reveals anchoring fibril abnormalities that are not restricted to the predilection sites. Furthermore, PEB cannot be distinguished from the generalized (Cockayne-Touraine and Pasini) types of DDEB on the basis of anchoring fibril morphology alone. The generalized forms of DDEB have been linked to the type VII collagen gene (COL7A1) on chromosome 3p21. In this study, we sought to test the hypothesis that mutations underlying PEB also reside in COL7A1. We initiated mutational analysis in COL7A1 in a large five-generation PEB family of Taiwanese descent. We identified a G-to-T transversion at nt position 7867, which results in a glycine-to-cysteine substitution (G2623C) in exon 105. This mutation was confirmed in affected family members using the loss of a SmaI restriction site, and when used for linkage analysis, together with an intragenic PvuII polymorphism and several flanking markers, resulted in a LOD score of Z = 3.61 at theta = 0 in this family. This is the first demonstration of genetic linkage and mutation analysis in PEB, and illustrates that the Cockayne-Touraine, Pasini, and now the pretibial clinical variants of DDEB are allelic, resulting from different glycine substitution mutations in the type VII collagen gene.
Background: Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a group of heritable diseases that manifest as blistering and erosions of the skin and mucous membranes. In the dystrophic forms of EB (DEB), the diagnostic hallmark is abnormalities in the anchoring fibrils, attachment structures beneath the cutaneous basement membrane zone. The major component of anchoring fibrils is type VII collagen, and DEB has been linked to the type VII collagen gene (COL7A1) at 3p21, with no evidence for locus heterogeneity. Due to life-threatening complications and significant long-term morbidity associated with the severe, mutilating form of recessive dystrophic EB (RDEB), there has been a demand for prenatal diagnosis from families with affected offspring. Materials and Methods: Intragenic polymorphisms in COL7A1 and flanking microsatellite markers on chromosome 3p2 1, as well as detection of pathogenetic mutations in families, were used to perform PCR-based prenatal diagnosis from DNA obtained by chorionic villus sampling at 10-15 weeks or amniocentesis at 12-15 weeks gestation in 10 families at risk for recurrence of RDEB. Results: In nine cases, the fetus was predicted to be normal or a clinically unaffected carrier of a mutation in one allele. These predictions have been validated in nine cases by the birth of a healthy child. In one case, an affected fetus was predicted, and the diagnosis was confirmed by fetal skin biopsy. Conclusions: DNA-based prenatal diagnosis of RDEB offers an early, expedient method of testing which will largely replace the previously available invasive fetal skin biopsy at 18-20 weeks gestation.
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