Maternal uniparental heterodisomy with partial isodisomy of a chromosome 2 carrying a splice acceptor site mutation (IVS9-2A>T) in ALS2 causes infantile-onset ascending spastic paralysis (IAHSP)

Neurogenetics. 2009 Feb;10(1):59-64. doi: 10.1007/s10048-008-0148-y. Epub 2008 Sep 23.

Abstract

Infantile-onset ascending spastic paralysis (OMIM #607225) is a rare autosomal recessive early onset motor neuron disease caused by mutations in the gene ALS2. We report on a splice acceptor site mutation in intron 9 of ALS2 (IVS9-2A>T) in a German patient from nonconsanguineous parents. The mutation results in skipping of exon 10. This causes a frame-shift in exon 11 and a premature stop codon. Analysis of the parental ALS2 gene revealed heterozygosity for the mutation in the mother but not in the father. Therefore, we studied polymorphic markers scattered along chromosome 2 in both parents and the patient and found maternal uniparental disomy in the patient. While homozygosity was observed at several loci of chromosome 2 including ALS2, other loci were heterozygous, i.e., both maternal alleles were present. The findings can be explained by at least four recombination events during maternal meiosis followed by a meiosis I error and postzygotic trisomy rescue or gamete complementation.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / genetics*
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / physiopathology
  • Base Sequence
  • Child, Preschool
  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 2*
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • Female
  • Genetic Markers
  • Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation*
  • Pregnancy
  • RNA Splice Sites*
  • Uniparental Disomy*

Substances

  • ALS2 protein, human
  • Genetic Markers
  • Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors
  • RNA Splice Sites