A TRANSTHYRETIN VARIANT (ALANINE-49) ASSOCIATED WITH FAMILIAL AMYLOIDOTIC POLYNEUROPATHY IN A FRENCH FAMILY

A transthyretin mutation was discovered in a French family with familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy originally described in 1983. The syndrome is of early onset (approximate age 35 to 40) with carpal tunnel syndrome. Death is from cardiac disease. By direct genomic DNA sequencing an A-->G mutation was found in the position corresponding to the first base of transthyretin codon 49. The predicted alanine for threonine substitution in the transthyretin protein was proven by amino acid sequencing of transthyretin isolated from the plasma of an affected subject. Since the DNA mutation does not result in the creation or abolition of a restriction endonuclease recognition site, a new DNA analysis technique was used in which site directed mutagenesis is used to create an RFLP when the introduced mutation is in proximity to the natural mutation. Using a 27 nucleotide mutagenesis primer in the PCR reaction, a new Bg1I site was created on amplification of the variant allele. Using this test, termed PCR-IMRA, four affected members of the family were shown to have the mutation.