Recent studies have demonstrated that mutations in 4 podocyte genes, NPHS1, NPHS2, CD2AP, and WT1, are associated with the pathogenesis of steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS). Systematic investigation of all 4 genes for sporadic SRNS in China has not been performed. We examined 10 Chinese children with sporadic SRNS who showed no response to immunosuppressive agents and 20 SRNS controls...

IFIH1 (interferon induced with helicase C domain 1), also known as MDA5 (melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5), is one of a family of intracellular proteins known to recognise viral RNA and mediate the innate immune response. IFIH1 is causal in type 1 diabetes based on the protective associations of four rare variants, where the derived alleles are predicted to reduce gene expression o...

To investigate the spectrum and frequency of phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene mutations in phenylketonuria (PKU) patients in Xinjiang, China. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in combination with single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and DNA sequencing analyses were performed, to screen potential mutations in the PAH gene in 46 individual PKU patients. Direct DNA sequencing was used...

Mitochondrial acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase (T2) catalyzes 2-methylacetoacetyl-CoA cleavage into acetyl-CoA and propionyl-CoA in isoleucine catabolism and interconversion between acetyl-CoA and acetoacetyl-CoA in ketone body metabolism. T2 deficiency is a rare metabolic disease of autosomal recessive inheritance. The disorder is characterized by intermittent ketoacidotic episodes. The onset of clini...

PURPOSE Screening for mutations in the entire Cystic Fibrosis gene (CFTR) of Brazilian infertile men with congenital absence of vas deferens, in order to prevent transmission of CFTR mutations to offspring with the use of assisted reproductive technologies. METHOD Specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were designed to each of the 27 exons and splicing sites of interest followed by ...

We analyzed 1,954 Spanish cystic fibrosis (CF) alleles in order to define the molecular spectrum of mutations in the CFTR gene in Spanish CF patients. Commercial panels showed a limited detection power, leading to the identification of only 76% of alleles. Two scanning techniques, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and single strand conformation polymorphism/hetroduplex (SSCP/HD), w...

Hereditary tyrosinemia type I (HTI) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by a deficiency in fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (FAH) activity. In this work, the FAH genotype was established in a group of 29 HTI patients, most of them from the Mediterranean area. We identified seven novel mutations-IVS8-1(G>A, IVS10-2(A>T), 938delC, E6/I6del26, W78X, Q328X, and G343W-and two previously des...

BACKGROUND Precise genotyping of the intron 8 poly(TG) and poly(T) tracts of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene is of clinical relevance in CFTR pathology. The (TG)(m) locus influences the penetrance of the (T)(5) allele, which may be associated with male infertility by congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) or other CFTR-related disorders (CFT...