The GM2 gangliosidoses databases: allelic variation at the HEXA, HEXB, and GM2A gene loci

The GM2 gangliosidoses are a group of recessive disorders characterized by accumulation of GM2 ganglioside in neuronal cells. The genes responsible for these disorders are HEXA (Tay-Sachs disease and variants), HEXB (Sandhoff disease and variants), and GM2A (AB variant of GM2 gangliosidosis). We report the establishment of three relational locus-specific databases recording allelic variation at the HEXA, HEXB, and GM2A genes and accessed at the GM2 gangliosidoses home page (http://data.mch.mcgill.ca/gm2-gangliosidoses). Submission forms are available for the addition of new mutations to the databases. The databases are available online for users to search and retrieve information about specific alleles by a number of fields describing mutations, phenotypes, or author(s).