A Novel ATM Gene Mutation Affecting Splicing in an Ataxia-Telangiectasia Patient

Abstract

Ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by progressive ataxia, choreoathetosis and immunodeficiency beginning in early childhood. An 8-year-old girl was referred with a diagnosis of AT. She had gait disturbance and dysarthria for 3years. Multiple cutaneous telangiectases were observed on her face, trunk and limbs. Sequence analysis of the <i>ATM</i> gene revealed a homozygous c.7308–15A&#x3e;G mutation in IVS49. Human Splicing Finder predicted that the mutation could activate an intronic cryptic acceptor site. We designed primers for amplification of related exons (48–50) from cDNA for evaluating splicing pattern. Sequencing of <i>ATM</i> exons 48–50 revealed a 14-nucleotide insertion from intron 49, between exons 49 and 50, resulting in premature termination of translation at codon 2439. To conclude, we report a novel mutation in a classical AT case, which resulted in an alternatively spliced transcript and was predicted to form a truncated protein or null protein due to nonsense-mediated decay.