Intermediate Repeat Expansion in the ATXN2 Gene as a Risk Factor in the ALS and FTD Spanish Population.

Intermediate CAG expansions in the gene ataxin-2 (ATXN2) are a known risk factor for ALS, but little is known about their role in FTD risk. Moreover, their contribution to the risk and phenotype of patients might vary in populations with different genetic backgrounds. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship of intermediate CAG expansions in ATXN2 with the risk and phenotype of ALS and FTD in the Spanish population. Repeat-primed PCR was performed in 620 ALS and 137 FTD patients in three referral centers in Spain to determine the exact number of CAG repeats. In our cohort, ≥27 CAG repeats in ATXN2 were associated with a higher risk of developing ALS (odds ratio [OR] = 2.666 [1.471-4.882]; p = 0.0013) but not FTD (odds ratio [OR] = 1.446 [0.558-3.574]; p = 0.44). Moreover, ALS patients with ≥27 CAG repeats in ATXN2 showed a shorter survival rate compared to those with <27 repeats (hazard ratio [HR] 1.74 [1.18, 2.56], p = 0.005), more frequent limb onset (odds ratio [OR] = 2.34 [1.093-4.936]; p = 0.028) and a family history of ALS (odds ratio [OR] = 2.538 [1.375-4.634]; p = 0.002). Intermediate CAG expansions of ≥27 repeats in ATXN2 are associated with ALS risk but not with FTD in the Spanish population. ALS patients carrying an intermediate expansion in ATXN2 show more frequent limb onset but a worse prognosis than those without expansions. In patients carrying C9orf72 expansions, the intermediate ATXN2 expansion might increase the penetrance and modify the phenotype.

Analysis of the C9orf72 gene in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Spain and different populations worldwide.

A hexanucleotide repeat expansion in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) can cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and/or frontotemporal dementia (FTD). We assessed its frequency in 781 sporadic ALS (sALS) and 155 familial ALS (fALS) cases, and in 248 Spanish controls. We tested the presence of the reported founder haplotype among mutation carriers and in 171 Ceph Europeans from Utah (CEU), 170 Yoruba Africans, 81 Han Chinese, and 85 Japanese subjects. The C9orf72 expansion was present in 27.1% of fALS and 3.2% of sALS. Mutation carriers showed lower age at onset (P = 0.04), shorter survival (P = 0.02), greater co-occurrence of FTD (P = 8.2 × 10(-5)), and more family history of ALS (P = 1.4 × 10(-20)), than noncarriers. No association between alleles within the normal range and the risk of ALS was found (P = 0.12). All 61 of the mutation carriers were tested and a patient carrying 28 hexanucleotide repeats presented with the founder haplotype. This haplotype was found in 5.6% Yoruba Africans, 8.9% CEU, 3.9% Japanese, and 1.6% Han Chinese chromosomes.

Genetic biomarkers for ALS disease in transgenic SOD1(G93A) mice.

The pathophysiological mechanisms of both familial and sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) are unknown, although growing evidence suggests that skeletal muscle tissue is a primary target of ALS toxicity. Skeletal muscle biopsies were performed on transgenic SOD1(G93A) mice, a mouse model of ALS, to determine genetic biomarkers of disease longevity. Mice were anesthetized with isoflurane, and three biopsy samples were obtained per animal at the three main stages of the disease. Transcriptional expression levels of seventeen genes, Ankrd1, Calm1, Col19a1, Fbxo32, Gsr, Impa1, Mef2c, Mt2, Myf5, Myod1, Myog, Nnt, Nogo A, Pax7, Rrad, Sln and Snx10, were tested in each muscle biopsy sample. Total RNA was extracted using TRIzol Reagent according to the manufacturer's protocol, and variations in gene expression were assayed by real-time PCR for all of the samples. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the linear correlation between transcriptional expression levels throughout disease progression and longevity. Consistent with the results obtained from total skeletal muscle of transgenic SOD1(G93A) mice and 74-day-old denervated mice, five genes (Mef2c, Gsr, Col19a1, Calm1 and Snx10) could be considered potential genetic biomarkers of longevity in transgenic SOD1(G93A) mice. These results are important because they may lead to the exploration of previously unexamined tissues in the search for new disease biomarkers and even to the application of these findings in human studies.

Miotonías no distróficas. Aproximación diagnóstica en un caso relacionado con una mutación en el gen del canal del sodio / No disponible

No disponible