A Novel Animal Model for Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a genetic metabolic disease with autosomal recessive inheritance caused by mutations in the ABCC6 gene. The lack of functional ABCC6 protein leads to ectopic mineralization that is most apparent in the elastic tissues of the skin, eyes and blood vessels. The clinical prevalence of PXE has been estimated at between 1 per 100,000 and 1 per 25,000, with slight fem...

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum

Novel ABCC6 mutations in pseudoxanthoma elasticum.

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a heritable connective tissue disorder caused by mutations in an ABC (ATP-Binding Cassette) transporter gene (ABCC6), which manifests with cutaneous, ophthalmologic, and cardiovascular findings. We studied a cohort of 19 families with PXE, and identified 16 different mutations, nine of which were novel variants. The mutation detection rate was about 77%. We fou...

Periumbilical perforating pseudoxanthoma elasticum.

A 58-year-old, gravida 6, obese woman presented with a pruritic yellowish plaque around the umbilicus, which first appeared about 3 years ago. She also had flat yellow papules on the axilla and neck. After a burn from a heating device, a few perforating papules and a violaceous hue occurred on the plaque. Histological examination revealed pathological elastic fibers with a keratotic plug and pe...

Autosomal dominant pseudoxanthoma elasticum.

very severe choroidoretinitis, often complicated by blindness. Dominant type II PXE, on the other hand, is a much milder form of the disease, with a macular rash (though identical histological changes), no vascular changes, and a very mild retinal degeneration, which does not progress to either blindness or choroidoretinitis. Younger members of these families often have prominent choroidal vess...