Deletion of the LMNA initiator codon leading to a neurogenic variant of autosomal dominant Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy

Mutations in the LMNA gene encoding the nuclear envelope protein, lamins A and C, have been associated with at least nine distinct disorders now called laminopathies, including Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy and Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2 disease. We identified a novel mutation in the 5' region of the LMNA gene - 3del15, resulting in the loss of 15 nucleotides from - 3 to + 12, including the translation ATG initiator codon. The mutation segregates in a previously described family with a clinical phenotype that shared features of both Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy and Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2. Thus, the mutation with this unique phenotypical expression represents the first example for a link between the neurogenic and myogenic phenotypes and extends the clinical variability of laminopathies. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.