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Molecular genetics and characterisation of functional methionine synthase deficiency : mutation analysis and gene cloning

Methionine synthase (MS) is a vitamin B12(cobalamin;cbl) dependent enzyme that catalyses the methylation of homocysteine to methionine. It uses methyl-cbl as coenzyme and in ethyl tetrahydrofolate as the methyl donor. Methionine sythase reductase (MSR) maintains MS in it active state using S-adenosyl methionine as the methyl donor. Functional MS deficiency may occur as a result of a defect in either enzyme. Patients with this disorder have been classified into two complemetation groups according to which protein is defective: cblG patients are deficient in MS and cblE patients in MSR. A subset of cblG, known as cblG variant, is unique in showing barely detectable MS activity and failure of cbl incorporation into MS in patient fibroblasts. I report the mutations responsible for three cblG variant patients, two of them siblings, and connect their phenotype to lack of protein expression. I also report the cloning of the MSR cDNA, aided by confirming the identity of the cDNA through the discovery of two deleterious mutations in three cblE patients. These findings contribute to the overall understanding of functional MS deficiency.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.21665
Date January 1998
CreatorsWilson, Aaron.
ContributorsGravel, Roy (advisor)
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageMaster of Science (Department of Biology.)
RightsAll items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
Relationalephsysno: 001658079, proquestno: MQ50907, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

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