Borgione E, Lo Giudice M, Santa Paola S, Giuliano M, Lanza G, Cantone M, Ferri R, Scuderi C. The Y831C Mutation of the
POLG Gene in Dementia.
Biomedicines 2023;
11:biomedicines11041172. [PMID:
37189790 DOI:
10.3390/biomedicines11041172]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The POLG gene encodes the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase γ, which is crucial for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) repair and replication. Gene mutation alters the stability of mtDNA and is associated with several clinical presentations, such as dysarthria and ophthalmoplegia (SANDO), progressive external ophthalmoplegia (PEO), spinocerebellar ataxia and epilepsy (SCAE), Alpers syndrome, and sensory ataxic neuropathy. Recent evidence has also indicated that POLG mutations may be involved in some neurodegenerative disorders, although systematic screening is currently lacking.
METHODS
To investigate the frequency of POLG gene mutations in neurodegenerative disorders, we screened a group of 33 patients affected by neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease, some atypical parkinsonisms, and dementia of different types.
RESULTS
Mutational analysis revealed the presence of the heterozygous Y831C mutation in two patients, one with frontotemporal dementia and one with Lewy body dementia. The allele frequency of this mutation reported by the 1000 Genomes Project in the healthy population is 0.22%, while in our group of patients, it was 3.03%, thus showing a statistically significant difference between the two groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results may expand the genotype-phenotype spectrum associated with mutations in the POLG gene and strengthen the hypothesis of a pathogenic role of the Y831C mutation in neurodegeneration.
Collapse