Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a family of genetic disorders associated with bone
loss and fragility. Mutations associated with OI have been found in genes encoding
the type I collagen chains. People with OI type I often produce insufficient α1-chain
type I collagen because of frameshift, nonsense, or splice site mutations in
COL1A1 or COL1A2. This report is of a Chinese
daughter and mother who had both experienced two bone fractures. Because skeletal
fragility is predominantly inherited, we focused on identifying mutations in
COL1A1 and COL1A2 genes. A novel mutation in
COL1A1, c.700delG, was detected by genomic DNA sequencing in the
mother and daughter, but not in their relatives. The identification of this mutation
led to the conclusion that they were affected by mild OI type I. Open reading frame
analysis indicated that this frameshift mutation would truncate α1-chain type I
collagen at residue p263 (p.E234KfsX264), while the wild-type protein would contain
1,464 residues. The clinical data were consistent with the patients’ diagnosis of
mild OI type I caused by haploinsufficiency of α1-chain type I collagen. Combined
with previous reports, identification of the novel mutation
COL1A1-c.700delG in these patients suggests that
additional genetic and environmental factors may influence the severity of OI.