A novel SACS p.Pro4154GlnfsTer20 mutation in a family with autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay

Loss-of-function mutations in the sacsin (SACS) gene lead to autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS), impairing the function of sacsin. Genotype-phenotype correlations are still unclear for the different mutations reported in ARSACS. Here, we present a Turkish ARSACS family in whom the novel homozygous frameshift mutation in SACS c.12461delC (p.Pro4154GlnfsTer20) was detected by next-generation sequencing (NGS). The index patient was admitted with progressive spastic ataxia and dysarthria. Since no common mutation in autosomal recessive (AR) cerebellar ataxias, whole gene sequencing provide an advantage to detect novel mutations and may be more effective for clinical diagnosis

The effects of a heterochromatin polymorphism in chromosome 6 on premature ovarian failure

Through cytogenetic analysis, heteromorphisms were detected in chromosomes 1,9,16 and Y and defined as non-phenotypic variations. The polymorphism in the centromeric heterochromatin region of chromosome 6 is a rare variant, and only five cases have been documented in the literature. In our study, we used cytogenetic and molecular techniques to detect an increase in the centromeric heterochromatin region in the short arm of both copies of homologous chromosome 6 in a premature ovarian failure (POF) case. The report of this case is important for determining the relationship between fertility and the frequency of rare variants of the centromeric heterochromatin region of chromosome 6 in the general population

A novel PSEN2 p.Ser175Phe variant in a family with Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be either sporadic or familial, and familial forms of AD accounts for only 5% of the cases. So far, autosomal dominantly inherited mutations in "Presenilin 1" (PSEN1), "Presenilin 2" (PSEN2), and "Amyloid precursor protein" (APP) genes were associated with familial AD. Amid the others, pathogenic mutations in the PSEN2 gene are less common. In this study, we describe a novel heterozygous PSEN2 (c.524C>T, p.Ser175Phe) alteration identified in a 58-year-old Turkish patient from a family with multiple dementia cases. This variant was further present in the patient's clinically affected maternal cousin as well as in the asymptomatic mother and two maternal aunts who were carriers of the APOE epsilon 2/epsilon 3 genotype. The variant is located in the conserved residue of transmembrane domain III encoded by exon 6 of the major transcript. In silico protein structure analyses predicted that this variant might change the architecture of interaction between the two alpha helixes of PSEN2. We propose that p.Ser175Phe may have a pathogenic effect on protein function and may play a significant role in the molecular pathways leading to Alzheimer's disease in this family