Mutations in the caveolin-3 gene: When are they pathogenic?

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMD) are a heterogeneous group of genetic disorders usually with autosomal recessive (AR) inheritance and, less often, displaying autosomal dominant (AD) inheritance. Mutations in the caveolin-3 gene (CAV-3) associated with a reduction of protein expression cause AD-LGMD1C muscular dystrophy. Based on a previous study in the American and Brazilian population, it has been suggested that CAV-3 mutations might also cause AR-LGMD. Here we report the analysis of the CAV-3 gene in 61 additional Brazilian LGMD patients and 100 additional Brazilian normal controls. Two rare G55S and C71W missense changes previously detected only in LGMD patients (and not detected in 100 normal controls from the American population) were now found in normal Brazilian controls. In addition, we have identified a novel R125H missense change in one LGMD female patient that was also found in two of her unaffected siblings. These observations, together with the normal immunofluorescence caveolin pattern in the muscle biopsy from two patients with the G55W and R125H changes in the CAV-3 gene suggest that the G55S, C71W, and R125H polymorphisms, on their own, are not sufficient to produce the pathology.

Molecular analysis in Brazilian cystic fibrosis patients reveals five novel mutations

We have performed molecular genetic analyses on 160 Brazilian patients diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF). Screening of mutations in 320 CF chromosomes was performed through single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and heteroduplex analyses assay followed by DNA sequencing of the 27 exons and exon/intron boundaries of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. The frequency of CFTR variants of T-tract length of intron 8 (IVS8 Tn) was also investigated. This analysis enabled the detection of 232/320 CF mutations (72.2%) and complete genotyping of 61% of the patients. The deltaF508 mutation was found in 48.4% of the alleles. Another fifteen mutations (previously reported) were detected: G542X, R1162X, N1303K, R334W, W1282X, G58E, L206W, R553X, 621+1G-->T, V232D, 1717-1G-->A, 2347 delG, R851L, 2789+5G-->A, and W1089X. Five novel mutations were identified, V201M (exon 6a), Y275X (exon 6b), 2686 insT (exon 14a), 3171 delC (exon 17a), and 3617 delGA (exon 19). These results contribute to the molecular characterization of CF in the Brazilian population. In addition, the identification of the novel mutation Y275X allowed prenatal diagnosis in a high-risk fetus.

Sweat electrolyte and cystic fibrosis mutation analysis allows early diagnosis in Brazilian children with clinical signs compatible with cystic fibrosis

A total of 540 individuals with clinical signs suggestive of cystic fibrosis (CF) was studied. The sweat chloride was measured and the DF508, G542X, R553X, and W1282X mutations of the CF gene were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). With this approach the diagnosis of CF was confirmed in 12 children, while 7 additional cases, who are heterozygous for the DF508 mutation, have had minor clinical signs. The frequency of the DF508 allele among the 540 individuals was approximately 3%. The mean age of children diagnosed with CF was 1.81 years, which is significantly earlier than in other studies of the Brazilian population. We also demonstrated that this approach has important clinical implications for earlier and adequate treatment, which was shown to be fundamental for increasing significantly the quality of life and life expectancy. This is particularly true in countries such as Brazil where most CF cases remain undiagnosed, mainly in families of low socio-economical status.