• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2016

Newborn screening (NBS) is important if early intervention is effective in a disorder and if there are sensitive and specific biochemical markers to detect disorder. Methionine is a useful marker to detect abnormal methionine-homocysteine metabolism, especially homocystinuria which needs urgent medical intervention. However, hypermethioninemia could occur in other metabolic disorder including liver disease, tyrosinemia type I, methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) I/III deficiency, glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT) deficiency, or adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase deficiency. However, experience with NBS for homocystinurias and methylation disorders is limited. Especially, MAT I/III deficiency which is the most common cause of persistent hypermethioninemia have two inheritance, autosomal recessive (AR) and autosomal dominant (AD), and their clinical manifestation is different between AR and AD. Here, author reviewed recent articles of guideline and proposed guideline for homocystinuria and methylation disorder.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.98-103
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• 2013

Purpose: MAT-I/III deficiency by MAT1A gene mutation causes isolated hypermethioninemia, which is considered to be a clinically benign disease. But in some patients, mental retardation, developmental delay, myelination disorder may be shown. This study was performed to find out the clinical manifestations and genetic characteristics of patients with isolated hypermethioninemia. Methods: Clinical, biochemical and genetic analysis were done to 10 patients with isolated hypermethioninemia who were referred to department of pediatrics, Soonchunhyang University Hospital from March 1999 to March 2012. Results: At first visit, all patients' mean plasma methionine level was 5.5 mg/dL (2.1-14.6) and there were no increase of amino acid levels including homocystine in all patients. Serum homocysteine level was evaluated in seven patients who visited after year 2003, and ranged from 4.96 to $11.15{\mu}mol/L$ (normal < $25{\mu}mol/L$). Methionine restricted diet was started to all patients. Nine patients who managed regularly showed normal development, but one patient whose initial plasma methionine level was 14.6 mg/dL showed language delay at 1 year of age and was diagnosed as mild mental retardation (IQ=66) at 6 years of age. Genetic analysis was done to eight patients, R264H mutation was identified in seven patients. Also, both R299C and R356Q mutation were identified in one patient. Conclusion: Clinical findings in patients with isolated hypermethioninemia were generally good, but one patient showed mental retardation and language difficulty. R264H mutation which usually inherits as an autosomal dominant trait was most frequently found in our patients, and R299C/R356Q mutation were also identified.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.686-693
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• 2014

Restricted supply of nutrients may affect genes at the molecular level as well as physiological functions. Understanding the cellular responses during starvation is necessary for developing strategies to reduce damage caused by starvation stress. After 1 h of starvation, Got1 gene expression was increased but its expression returned to the normal state after 24 h. Mat1 gene expression continuously increased with starvation from 1 h until 24 hr. Rats starved for 1-3 days showed significant changes in expression of the Got1 and Mat1 genes, which were significantly reduced in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum. In the lung, gene expression was increased by starvation for 1-2 days but decreased on the third day. No differences were observed in gene expression in the heart. Strong Got1 lung gene expression was seen in the starvation group one day after restoration of the food supply. Muscle mass was significantly reduced at the start of starvation and remained the same after two days of starvation and one day after the food supply was restored. The Mat1 gene expression did not change. The Got1 was induced by NaCl and showed strong expression in the lung and the thymus, but the apparent decrease of the remaining changes were not observed in male rats. The Mat1 gene was not as sensitive as the Got1 gene to induction by NaCl. However, differences in gene induction by NaCl were evident between males and females, indicating that diet control of gene expression is associated with hormones.