Homozygosity for an allele carrying intermediate CAG repeats in the dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) gene results in spastic paraplegia

Neurology. 1997 Apr;48(4):1087-90. doi: 10.1212/wnl.48.4.1087.

Abstract

We report a family with autosomal recessive spastic paraplegia. Patient 1 was a 37-year-old woman and patient 2 was her 35-year-old sister. They showed spastic paraplegia with mild truncal ataxia and dysarthria but no dementia, epilepsy, myoclonus, or other involuntary movements. They were the products of a consanguineous marriage but the parents were neurologically normal. We analyzed the CAG repeats of the dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) gene in the family members. The patients were homozygous for an allele carrying an intermediate size of CAG repeats (41 or 40 repeats) in the DRPLA gene; the parents were heterozygous for an intermediate allele and a normal allele in this gene. Homozygosity for an intermediate allele in the DRPLA gene appears to have resulted in spastic paraplegia different from any DRPLA phenotype.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Alleles*
  • Atrophy
  • Brain Diseases / genetics
  • Dentate Gyrus / pathology
  • Dentate Gyrus / physiology*
  • Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
  • Female
  • Genes, Recessive
  • Genotype
  • Globus Pallidus / pathology
  • Globus Pallidus / physiology*
  • Homozygote*
  • Humans
  • Paraplegia / genetics*
  • Pedigree
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Red Nucleus / pathology
  • Red Nucleus / physiology*
  • Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid*