Pseudo-exon activation caused by a deep-intronic mutation in the fibrinogen gamma-chain gene as a novel mechanism for congenital afibrinogenaemia

Br J Haematol. 2007 Oct;139(1):128-32. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.2007.06758.x.

Abstract

Congenital afibrinogenaemia, characterized by severe fibrinogen deficiency, is caused by mutations within FGA, FGB or FGG. Conventional sequencing of coding regions and splice signals of these three genes did not reveal any mutation in an afibrinogenaemic proband. After confirming disease co-segregation with the fibrinogen cluster, full intron sequencing was tackled leading to the identification of a novel transvertion within FGG intron 6 (IVS6-320A-->T). Its effect on mRNA processing was evaluated in-vitro: the in-frame inclusion of a 75-bp pseudo-exon carrying a premature stop was found, representing the first report of pseudo-exon activation as a mechanism leading to afibrinogenaemia.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Afibrinogenemia / congenital*
  • Afibrinogenemia / genetics*
  • Alternative Splicing
  • Codon, Terminator
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
  • Exons
  • Female
  • Fibrinogen / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Introns*
  • Male
  • Mutation*
  • Pedigree

Substances

  • Codon, Terminator
  • Fibrinogen