Summary
Onset of Huntington’s disease (HD) negatively correlates with CAG repeat length of the HD gene, which encodes the protein huntingtin. This protein interacts with the homocysteine metabolizing enzyme cystathionine β-synthase (CBS). Objective of this study was to analyze the impact of CAG repeats, polymorphisms of various homocysteine metabolizing enzymes, like CBS, Methyltetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHTR), Methionine Synthase Reductase (MSR) and methionine synthase (MS) on HD onset in 171 patients. The significant impact of CAG repeats on HD onset (χ2 = 25.54, FG = 4, p < 0.0001) with a significant correlation between both (R = −0.521, p = 0.01) was obvious. HD patient s with the homozygous MTHFR-1298-CC significantly (p = 0.024) earlier experienced HD symptoms. There was no influence demonstrable of CBS, MSR and MS. Determination of MTHFR polymorphisms and CAG repeats enables screening for subjects with putative early HD onset in order to study neuroprotective compounds in their efficacy to delay HD symptoms.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Andrich J, Saft C, Arz A, Schneider B, Agelink MW, Kraus PH, Kuhn W, Müller T (2004) Hyperhomocysteinaemia in treated patients with Huntington’s disease. Mov Disord 19: 226–228
Benitez J, Femandez E, Garcia RP, Robledo M, Ramos C, Yebenes J (1994) Trinucleotide (CAG) repeat expansion in chromosomes of Spanish patients with Huntington’s disease. Hum Genet 94: 563–564
Boutell JM, Wood JD, Harper PS, Jones AL (1998) Huntingtin interacts with cystathionine betasynthase. Hum Mol Genet 7: 371–378
Chambers JC, McGregor A, Jean-Marie J, Kooner JS (1999) Abnormalities of vascular endothelial function may contribute to increased coronary heart disease risk in UK Indian Asians. Heart 81: 501–504
Durand P, Prost M, Loreau N, Lussier-Cancan S, Blache D (2001) Impaired homocysteine metabolism and atherothrombotic disease. Lab Invest 81: 645–672
de Boo GM, Tibben A, Lanser JB, Jennekens-Schinkel A, Hermans J, Maat-Kievit A, Roos RA (1997) Early cognitive and motor symptoms in identified carriers of the gene for Huntington disease. Arch Neurol 54: 1353–1357
Ferrante RJ, Andreassen OA, Dedeoglu A, Ferrante KL, Jenkins BG, Hersch SM, Beal MF (2002) Therapeutic effects of coenzyme QIO and remacemide in transgenic mouse models of Huntington’s disease. J Neurosci 22: 1592–1599
Furtado S, Suchowersky O, Rewcastle B, Graham L, Klimek ML, Garber A (1996) Relationship between trinucleotide repeats and neuropathological changes in Huntington’s disease. Ann Neurol 39: 132–136
Goyette P, Pai A, Milos R, Frosst P, Tran P, Chen Z, Chan M, Rozen R (1998) Gene structure of human and mouse methyl enetetrahydrofolate reducta se (MTHFR). Mammalian Genome 9: 652–656
Geisel J, Zimbelmann I, Schorr H, Knapp JP, Bodis M, Hubner U, Herrmann W (2001) Genetic defects as important factors for moderate hyperhomocysteinemia. Clin Chem Lab Med 39: 698–704
Kraus JP, Oliveriusova J, Sokolova J, Kraus E, Vlcek C, de Franchis R, Maclean KN, Bao L, Bukovska G, Patterson D, Paces V, Ansorge W, Kozich V (1998) The human cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) gene: complete sequence, alternative splicing, and polymorphisms. Genomics 52: 312–324
Kruman II, Culmsee C, Chan SL, Kruman Y, Guo Z, Penix L, Mattson MP (2000) Homocysteine elicits a DNA damage response in neurons that promotes apoptosis and hypersensitivity to excitotoxicity. J Neurosci 20: 6920–6926
Leclerc D, Wilson A, Dumas R, Gafuik C, Song D, Watkins D, Heng HHQ, Rommens JM, Scherer SW, Rosenblatt DS, Gravel RA (1998) Cloning and mapping of a cDNA for methionine synthase reductase, a flavoprotein defective in patients with homocystinuria. Proc Natl Acad Sci 95: 3059–3064
Malinow MR (1999) Homocyst(e)ine, vitamins and genetic interactions in vascular disease. Can J Cardiol 15[Suppl B]: 31B–34B
Malinow MR, Duell PB, Hess DL, Anderson PH, Kruger WD, Phillipson BE, Gluckman RA, Block PC, Upson BM (1998) Reduction of plasma homocyst(e)ine levels by breakfast cereal fortified with folic acid in patients with coronary heart disease [see comments]. N Engl J Med 338: 1009–1015
May PC, Gray PN (1985) L-Homocysteic acid as an alternative cytotoxin for studying glutamateinduced cellular degeneration of Huntington’s disease and normal skin fibroblasts. Life Sci 37: 1483–1489
Paulsen JS, Zhao H, Stout JC, Brinkman RR, Guttman M, Ross CA, Como P, Manning C, Hayden MR Shoulson I (2001) Clinical markers of early disease in persons near onset of Huntington’s disease. Neurology 57: 658–662
PenneyJr JB, Vonsattel JP, MacDonald ME, Gusella JF, Myers RH (1997) CAG repeat number governs the development rate of pathology in Huntington’s disease. Ann Neurol 41: 689–692
Sanchez-Pemaute R, Kunig G, del Barrio AA, de Yebenes JG, Vontobel P, Leenders KL (2000) Bradykinesia in early Huntington’s disease. Neurology 54: 119–125
Schilling G, Becher MW, Sharp AH, Jinnah HA, Duan K, Kotzuk JA, Slunt HH, Ratovitski T, Cooper JK, Jenkins NA, Copeland NG, Price DL, Ross CA, Borchelt DR (1999) Intranuclear inclusions and neuritic aggregates in transgenic mice expressing a mutant N-terminal fragment of huntingtin. Hum Mol Genet 8: 397–407
Watkins D, Ru M, Hwang HY, Kim CD, Murray A, Philip NS, Kim W, Legakis H, Wai T, Hilton JF Ge B, Dore C, Hosack A, Wilson A, Gravel RA, Shane B, Hudson TJ, Rosenblatt DS (2002) Hyperhomocysteinemia due to methionine synthase deficiency, cblG: structure of the MTR gene, genotype diversity, and recognition of a common mutation, P1173L. Am J Hum Genet 71: 143–153
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2004 Springer-Verlag Wien
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Brune, N. et al. (2004). Methyltetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphism influences onset of Huntington’s disease. In: Müller, T., Riederer, P. (eds) Focus on Extrapyramidal Dysfunction. Journal of Neural Transmission. Supplementa, vol 68. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-0579-5_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-0579-5_12
Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna
Print ISBN: 978-3-211-21114-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-7091-0579-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive