0000000000649926
AUTHOR
G. Majorana
Sporadic ALS is not associated with VAPB gene mutations in Southern Italy
Abstract Mutations in the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Sod1) gene have been reported to cause adult-onset autosomal dominant Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (FALS). In sporadic cases (SALS) de novo mutations in the Sod1 gene have occasionally been observed. The recent finding of a mutation in the VAMP/synaptobrevin-associated membrane protein B (VAPB) gene as the cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS8), prompted us to investigate the entire coding region of this gene in SALS patients. One hundred twenty-five unrelated patients with adult-onset ALS and 150 healthy sex-age-matched subjects with the same genetic background were analyzed. Genetic analysis for all exons of the VAPB gene by DH…
Further evidence that D90A-SOD1 mutation is recessively inherited in ALS patients in Italy.
Mutations in the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene have been reported to cause adult-onset autosomal dominant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS). In sporadic cases (SALS), de novo mutations in the SOD1 gene have occasionally been observed. All the SOD1 mutations are autosomal dominantly inherited with the exception of D90A. To date, in Italy, only two sporadic ALS cases carrying the D90A mutation have been reported in a homozygous state. We investigated for the presence of this mutation in 169 unrelated ALS patients from southern Italy. The genetic analysis revealed three ALS patients (1.8%) with mild phenotype carrying the homozygous D90A mutation.
Could mitochondrial haplogroups play a role in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?
Mitochondrial impairment has been implicated in the pathogenesis of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Furthermore, mitochondrial-specific polymorphisms were previously related to other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson, Friedreich and Alzheimer disease. To investigate if specific genetic polymorphisms within the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) could act as susceptibility factors and contribute to the clinical expression of sporadic ALS (sALS), we have genotyped predefined European mtDNA haplogroups in 222 Italian patients with sALS and 151 matched controls. Individuals classified as haplogroup I demonstrated a significant decrease in risk of ALS versus individuals carrying t…
A novel Angiogenin gene mutation in a sporadic patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis from southern Italy
Mutations in the Angiogenin gene (ANG) linked to 14q11.2 have been recently discovered to be associated with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in Irish and Scottish populations. In our study we investigated the role of ANG gene in ALS patients from southern Italy. We found a novel mutation in the signal peptide of the ANG gene in a sporadic patient with ALS (SALS). The molecular analysis of the ANG gene also demonstrated an allelic association with the rs11701 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in familial ALS (FALS) but not in SALS patients. Our finding supports the evidence that the ANG gene is involved in ALS.