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Novel mutation of the initiation codon of PAX9 causes oligodontia
M L Klein1, P Nieminen, L Lammi
1Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Clinical Genetics, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Nørre Allé 20, DK- 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark. mette_klein@mail.dk
Abstract:
Tooth development is under strict genetic control. Oligodontia is defined as the congenital absence of 6 or more permanent teeth, excluding the third molar. The occurrence of non-syndromic oligodontia is poorly understood, but in recent years several cases have been described where a single gene mutation is associated with oligodontia. Several studies have shown that MSX1 and PAX9 play a role in early tooth development. We screened one family with non-syndromic oligodontia for mutations in MSX1 and PAX9. The pedigree showed an autosomal-dominant pattern of inheritance. Direct sequencing and restriction enzyme analysis revealed a novel heterozygous A to G transition mutation in the AUG initiation codon of PAX9 in exon 1 in the affected members of the family. This is the first mutation found in the initiation codon of PAX9, and we suggest that it causes haploinsufficiency.
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