Wilson's Disease Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Wilson's Disease, including details on treatment, causes, symptoms, medication. | ||||||||
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Twenty-four novel mutations in Wilson disease patients of predominantly European ancestry.Cox DW, Prat L, Walshe JM, Heathcote J, Gaffney D Department of Medical Genetics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. diane.cox@ualberta.ca Wilson disease (WND), an autosomal recessive disorder of copper transport, shows wide genotypic and phenotypic variability, with hepatic and/or neurological symptoms. The WND gene, ATP7B, encodes a copper transporting ATPase that is involved in the transport of copper into the plasma protein ceruloplasmin, and in the excretion of copper from the liver. ATP7B mutations result in copper storage in liver and brain. From 247 WND patients worldwide whose DNA has been sequenced in our laboratory, we have identified 24 new mutations. The origins of the patients were European white (one deletion, one nonsense, one splice site, and 18 missense), Chinese (one deletion, one missense) and Bangladeshi (one missense). Most of these had strong support as disease causing mutations, based on conservation between species, structural changes, and absence in controls. One missense mutation in a Chinese patient was considered uncertain because of its conservative nature and position in the protein. We also identified 15 nucleotide substitutions (11 of them new) causing silent or intronic changes, none of which produce an additional splice site that could lead to disease. Characterization of mutations, both disease-causing and normal variants, is essential for accurate molecular diagnosis of this condition. Published 18 August 2005 in Hum Mutat, 26(3): 280.
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