Detection of ten new mutations by screening the gene encoding factor IX of Danish hemophilia B patients

Hemophilia B is caused by a wide range of mutations. In order to characterize the mutations among patients in Denmark, we have systematically screened the entire coding region, the promoter region and exon flanking sequences of the gene encoding factor IX using single strand conformation and heteroduplex analyses. Patients from 32 different families were examined, and point mutations (23 different) were found in all of them. Ten of the mutations have not been reported by others; they include a splice site mutation, a single base pair deletion, and missense mutations. Notably, the study contains a female patient and a previously described Leyden mutation. In ten families with sporadic cases of hemophilia B, all 10 mothers were found to be carriers. The origin of two of these mutations was established.