Mutations of the tyrosinase gene in patients with oculocutaneous albinism from various ethnic groups in Israel

Am J Hum Genet. 1994 Apr;54(4):586-94.

Abstract

We have analyzed the tyrosinase (TYR) gene in 38 unrelated patients with oculocutaneous albinism (OCA), derived from several different ethnic groups of the diverse population of Israel. We detected TYR gene mutations in 23 of the 34 patients with apparent type I (i.e., tyrosinase-deficient) OCA and in none of the patients with other clinical forms of albinism. Among Moroccan Jews with type IA (i.e., tyrosinase-negative) OCA, we detected a highly predominant mutant allele containing a missense substitution, Gly47Asp (G47D). This mutation occurs on the same haplotype as in patients from the Canary Islands and Puerto Rico, suggesting that the G47D mutation in these ethnically distinct populations may stem from a common origin.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Albinism, Oculocutaneous / enzymology
  • Albinism, Oculocutaneous / ethnology
  • Albinism, Oculocutaneous / genetics*
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Base Sequence
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • Female
  • Genetics, Population
  • Haplotypes
  • Humans
  • Jews / genetics*
  • Libya / ethnology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Morocco / ethnology
  • Mutation*
  • Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes / analysis
  • Point Mutation
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / genetics*
  • Spain / ethnology
  • Tunisia / ethnology

Substances

  • Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases