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  • Title: A new mtDNA mutation in the tRNA(Lys) gene associated with myoclonic epilepsy and ragged-red fibers (MERRF).
    Author: Silvestri G, Moraes CT, Shanske S, Oh SJ, DiMauro S.
    Journal: Am J Hum Genet; 1992 Dec; 51(6):1213-7. PubMed ID: 1361099.
    Abstract:
    Myoclonic epilepsy with ragged-red fibers (MERRF) has been associated with an A--G transition at mtDNA nt 8344, within a conserved region of the tRNA(Lys) gene. Although the 8344 mutation is highly prevalent in patients with MERRF, it is not observed in 10%-20% of the cases, suggesting genetic heterogeneity. We have sequenced the tRNA(Lys) gene of five MERRF patients lacking the common 8344 mutation. One of these showed a novel T-->C transition at nucleotide position 8356, disrupting a highly conserved base pair in the T psi C stem. The mutant mtDNA population was essentially homoplasmic in muscle but was heteroplasmic in blood (47%). Neither 20 patients with other mitochondrial diseases nor 25 controls carried this mutation. These findings suggest that tRNA(Lys) alterations may play a specific role in the pathogenesis of MERRF syndrome.
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