Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2A resulting from homozygous G2338C transversion mutation in the calpain-3 gene

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy represents a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of myopathies. Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy Type 2A, which is transmitted in an autosomal-recessive pattern, is caused by mutations in the calpain-3 (CAPN3) gene. A number of mutations have been reported in patients from throughout the world but not in the Asian-Indian population. We describe a genotype/phenotype analysis of an Asian-Indian patient with a history, neurologic examination, and investigations consistent with muscular dystrophy. Genetic analysis of this patient showed a homozygous G2338C transversion resulting in an amino acid change from aspartic acid 780 histidine in the CAPN3 gene confirming Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy Type 2A. Subsequent testing of the patient's family revealed that his parents and sister were heterozygous unaffected carriers. The G2338C transversion was detected as a compound heterozygous mutation in one patient in Germany. We report a homozygous case and expand the clinical spectrum of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy Type 2A to include Asian-Indians.