Abstract
About 80% of female patients with Rett syndrome (RTT) display a mutation in the methyl-CpG-binding
protein 2 (MECP2) gene, but most males with MECP2 mutation experience severe fatal encephalopathy or non-specific X-linked mental retardation
(XLMR). The existence of male RTT has been extensively discussed. We report herein
a boy with classic RTT in a family with a missense mutation in MECP2. The mother exhibited slight mental retardation and was a carrier for R133C. The
patient could stand with support at 12-months-old, and stereotypic hand movements
appeared at 3-years-old. He became bed-ridden by 8-years-old. The R133C mutation was
present in MECP2 without somatic mosaicism. A sister with R133C displayed classic RTT. The R133C mutation
has been detected in female patients with classic and preserved speech variant RTT,
but not in males with non-specific XLMR. These results suggest that clinical phenotypes
caused by DNA mutation in MECP2 are determined by position of the mutation in the gene, and R133 represents a critical
amino acid residue in the induction of RTT symptoms in humans.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
October 12,
2004
Received in revised form:
September 20,
2004
Received:
December 17,
2003
Identification
Copyright
© 2004 Elsevier B.V. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
