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PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

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  • Title: [From gene to disease; HD gene and Huntington disease].
    Author: Maat-Kievit JA, Losekoot M, Roos RA.
    Journal: Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd; 2001 Nov 03; 145(44):2120-3. PubMed ID: 11723754.
    Abstract:
    Huntington's disease (HD) is a late onset, incurable, autosomal dominantly-inherited, progressive neuropsychiatric disease, characterised by chorea, changes in personality, mood and behaviour, and dementia. Huntington's disease is a clinical diagnosis. The advent of DNA diagnosis has made predictive, prenatal and preimplantation testing possible for at-risk persons or asymptomatic carriers. The prevalence is estimated to be 3-10/100,000 among individuals of European descent; HD is less common in other ethnic groups. Huntington's disease is caused by an expanded trinucleotide CAG repeat in the HD gene on chromosome 4. The gene encodes for the protein huntingtin, with an as yet unknown function. The mutated huntingtin has an elongated stretch of glutamines which leads to a gain of function such as overactivity, excitotoxicity, or to interactions with other proteins.
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