MUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF MUSCLE AND BRAIN-SPECIFIC PROMOTER REGIONS OF DYSTROPHIN GENE IN DMD BMD ITALIAN PATIENTS BY DENATURING GRADIENT GEL-ELECTROPHORESIS (DGGE)/

In order to characterize the nature of mutations occurring in non-dele ted Duchenne (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) affected males, a total of 40 unrelated Italian patients was studied for the presence of point mutations within the muscle-specific regulatory region of th e dystrophin gene. We decided to investigate the dystrophin promoter s equences because nucleotide variations in these regions could impair t he expression of the gene and be the underlying molecular defect in so me forms of the disease. In four patients suffering from mental retard ation, the brain promoter region was also studied. To screen for point mutations, we applied molecular analysis by parallel denaturing gradi ent gel electrophoresis (DGGE). No sequence alterations were found in either the muscle or the brain promoters, suggesting that mutations in these regions do not represent a common mechanism of mutation in DMD/ BMD. (C) 1995 Academic Press Limited