[Molecular genetic analysis of neurologic diseases]

With the recent progress in molecular genetics, our understanding of neurologic diseases on molecular basis has improved tremendously. Molecular analyses of gene mutations in hereditary neurologic diseases bring us not only the identification of mutations but also better understanding of molecular mechanisms involved in the neurologic diseases. We have identified a missense mutation (444Leu----Pro) in glucocerebrosidase gene of a type 2 Gaucher patient. The mutant glucocerebrosidase carrying 444Pro is unstable and degraded rapidly before the mutant protein is targetted to lysosomes. Detailed analysis on the 444Leu----Pro mutations among three phenotypes (types 1, 2 and 3) of Gaucher disease, it has been demonstrated that patients homozygous for the mutation frequently have the neurologic involvement (types 1 and 2). Very recently we have identified a mutation in tRNA(Lys) gene of mitochondrial genome of patients with myoclonus epilepsy associated with ragged-red fibers. The pathophysiologic mechanism with the tRNA(Lys) mutation is considered to be based on the impaired function of tRNA(Lys).