Scoliosis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Scoliosis, including details on treatment, exercises, surgery, symtpoms.

Founder SH3TC2 mutations are responsible for a CMT4C French-Canadians cluster.

Gosselin I, Thiffault I, Tétreault M, Chau V, Dicaire MJ, Loisel L, Emond M, Senderek J, Mathieu J, Dupré N, Vanasse M, Puymirat J, Brais B

Laboratoire de neurogénétique de la motricité, Centre d’Excellence en Neuromique de l’Université de Montréal, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, M4211-L3, Hôpital Notre-Dame-CHUM, 1560 Sherbrooke East, Montréal, Que., Canada H2L 4M1.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth polyneuropathies (CMT) are clinically and genetically heterogeneous. We describe a French-Canadian cluster of 17 recessive CMT cases belonging to 10 families with variable early-onset CMT and scoliosis. The patients demonstrate great intra- and inter-familial variability. Linkage analysis confirmed that all families are linked to CMT4C locus on chromosome 5q32 (multipoint LOD score of 9.06). Haplotype analysis suggests that two SH3TC2 mutations are present in this cohort. The majority of carrier chromosomes, 26 of 34 (76%), carry the c.2860C-->T mutation. Despite extensive sequencing, the other mutation is not yet uncovered. This study demonstrates that the clinical variability observed in CMT4C is due to other factors than the nature of the mutation and that further work is needed to better define the SH3TC2 gene to ensure the identification of all CMT4C mutations.

Published 24 June 2008 in Neuromuscul Disord, 18(6): 483-492.
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