Familial amyloid polyneuropathy related to transthyretin Gly42 in a Japanese family.

A Japanese family is described in which 6 persons showed familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP). Mean ages of onset were 38 for 4 males and 54 for 2 females. Three of the 6 became emaciated and died after 4 to 10 years. In 5, muscular weakness and autonomic dysfunction were the initial symptoms followed by sensory disturbances. Amyloidotic cardiomyopathy was present in 3 of the subjects. Amyloid deposits showed an immunohistological relation to transthyretin (TTR). Analysis of 1 patient's TTR gene revealed a single base change (A----G) that led to amino acid substitution (Glu42----Gly). This base change produced a new restriction site for endonuclease Cfr13 I in exon 2. Polymorphic analysis of the length of the Cfr13 I-restriction fragment confirmed the base change, and made it possible to detect the mutant TTR Gly42 gene in the FAP subjects. Amino acid sequencing analysis showed a variant of TTR Gly42 in 1 patient's serum.