Importance
Transient neonatal zinc deficiency (TNZD) occurs in breastfed infants due to abnormally low breast milk zinc levels. Mutations in the solute carrier family 30 member 2 (
SLC30A2
) gene, which encodes the zinc transporter ZNT2, cause low zinc concentration in breast milk.
Objective
This study aimed to provide further insights into TNZD pathophysiology.
Methods
SLC30A2
sequencing was performed in three unrelated Japanese mothers, whose infants developed TNZD due to low‐zinc milk consumption. The effects of the identified mutations were examined using cell‐based assays and luciferase reporter analysis.
Results
Novel
SLC30A2
mutations were identified in each mother. One harbored a heterozygous missense mutation in the ZNT2 zinc‐binding site, which resulted in defective zinc transport. The other two mothers exhibited multiple heterozygous mutations in the
SLC30A2
promoter, the first mutations in the
SLC30A2
regulatory region reported to date.
Interpretation
This report provides new genetic insights into TNZD pathogenesis in breastfed infants.
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