TBG deficiency: description of two novel mutations associated with complete TBG deficiency and review of the literature

J Mol Med (Berl). 2006 Oct;84(10):864-71. doi: 10.1007/s00109-006-0078-9. Epub 2006 Sep 1.

Abstract

Thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) is the main thyroid hormone transport protein in serum. Inherited TBG defects lead to a complete (TBG-CD) or a partial (TBG-PD) deficiency and have a diagenic transmission, being clinically fully expressed only in hemizygous males and in homozygous females. In the present study, seven patients from two unrelated families with TBG-CD were studied and two novel TBG mutations were documented. In particular, a T insertion at the 5' donor splice site of exon 0, between nucleotides 2 and 3 at the beginning of intron 1 (g.IVS1+2_3insT) was found in one family and was named TBG-Milano. The other novel mutation is a T deletion at nucleotide 214 of exon 1, which leads to a frameshift at codon 50 with a premature stop codon at position 51 (c.214delT, P50fsX51) and was named TBG-Nikita. According to the X-linked transmission of the defect, females harboring the mutation showed a reduction in TBG levels with normal TSH and total thyroid hormone values at the lower limit of normal. Males harboring either TBG-Milano or TBG-Nikita, showed normal TSH values and low levels of total thyroid hormones and lacked TBG. In conclusion, we report two novel mutations of the TBG gene associated with a complete TBG defect. The first mutation lies at the 5' donor splice site of exon 0 and probably alters the start of translation, while the second is a single nucleotide deletion and leads to a premature stop codon.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Base Sequence
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Codon, Nonsense*
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • Exons / genetics
  • Female
  • Frameshift Mutation*
  • Heterozygote
  • Homozygote
  • Humans
  • Isoelectric Focusing
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Models, Genetic
  • Pedigree
  • Thyroxine-Binding Proteins / deficiency*
  • Thyroxine-Binding Proteins / genetics*

Substances

  • Codon, Nonsense
  • Thyroxine-Binding Proteins