• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.33-37
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• 1997

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the second most common fatal disease of childhood with autosomal dominant mode of inheritance, and in its less severe form the third most common neuromuscular disease of childhood after Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The genetic defect was found to be on the long arm of chromosome 5 (5q11.2-q13.3) where many genes and microsatellite markers were missing. One of the most important genes is the Survival Motor Neuron (SMN) gene which is homozygously missing in 90% of SMA patients. Another important gene, the Neuronal Apoptosis Inhibitory Protein (NAIP) gene was found to be defective in 67% of SMA type I patients. Studies so far suggest SMA occurs when the genes on the long arm of chromosome 5 are mutated or deleted. Recently our hospital encountered 2 SMA patients of type I and II respectively. These patients both had homozygously defective SMN genes but intact NAIP genes. We are reporting these cases with bibliographic review and discussion. Korean SMA patients presumably have defects in SMN genes similar to those found in European patients, although the significance of NAIP genes remains to be established. SMN gene defects can be easily diagnosed using PCR and restriction enzymes, and this method could be applied towards convenient prenatal diagnosis and towards screening for family members at risk.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• 제2권2호
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• pp.53-57
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• 1998

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type I is a common severe autosomal recessive inherited neuromuscular disorder that has been mapped to chromosome 5q11.2-13.3. The survival motor neuron (SMN) gene, a candidate gene, is known to be deleted in 96% of patients with SMA type I. Presently, PCR and single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analyses have been made possible for application to both archival slides and paraffin-embedded tissues. Archival materials represent valuable DNA resources for genetic diagnosis. We applied these methods for the identification of SMN gene of SMA type I in archival specimens for the prenatal diagnosis. In this study, we performed the prenatal diagnosis with chorionic villus sampling (CVS) cells on two women who had experienced neonatal death of SMA type I. DNA extraction was done from archival slide and tissue materials and PEP-PCR was performed using CVS cells. In order to identify common deletion region of SMN and neuronal apoptosis-inhibitory protein (NAIP) genes, cold PCR-SSCP and PCR-restriction site assay were carried out. Case 1 had deletions of the exons 7 and 8, and case 2 had exon 7 only on the telomeric SMN gene. Both cases were found to be normal on NAIP gene. These results were the same for both CVS and archival biopsied specimens. In both cases, the fetuses were, therefore, predicted to be at very high risk of being affected and the pregnancy were terminated. These data clearly demonstrate that archival slide and paraffin-embedded tissues can be a valuable source of DNA when the prenatal genetic diagnosis is needed in case any source for genetic analysis is not readily available due to previous death of the fetus or neonate.

• 대한유전성대사질환학회지
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.1-13
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• 2020

Gaucher disease (GD)는 glucocerebrosidase 유전자(GBA)의 돌연변이에 의하여 발병하는 전세계적으로 가장 유병율이 높은 리소좀 축적질환이다. GD는 신경학적인 증상의 유무에 따라 3가지 임상형으로 구분된다. 신경병증 GD인 2형과 3형의 경우는 대뇌에서 glucosylceramide (GlcCer)와 glucosylsphingosine (GlcSph)의 농도가 증가하면서 신경세포의 심각한 손실이 야기되는 특징을 보인다. 신경교종에서 유래한 H4 세포를 GD에서 증가하는 기질인 GluCer와 GlcSph를 첨가하여 배양하였을 때, 심각한 DNA손상과 더불어 세포의 사멸이 야기되는 것과 이러한 신경세포의 사멸은 GluCer 보다는 GlcSph을 처리하였을 때 더 현저하게 증가하는 것을 관찰하였다. H4 세포에 히스톤 탈아세틸화 효소(HDAC) 6의 저해제인 tubacin과 GlcSph을 함께 처리하였을 경우에는 DNA손상은 물론 GlcSph에 의하여 유도된 세포사멸과 관련된 단백질 인자들의 발현이 모두 감소되었다. 본 연구를 통해 GlcSph이 세포사멸을 통하여 신경병증 GD의 발병에 주요한 역할을 한다는 것을 알 수 있었고, HDAC6 저해제가 신경병증 GD 환자를 위한 치료제 후보물질로 제시될 수 있는 가능성을 확인하였다.