Data Management And Sharing System of China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases

Clinical presentation and mutation analysis of VHL disease in a large Chinese family

First author:Qing Zhang • De-Ling Li

Corresponding author:Gui-Jun Jia

essential_information

2015-09-04

Published articles

Journal:Journal of Neuro-oncology

Publication type: Clinical Study

IF(IF): 4.13

PMID: 26341373 Link To Pubmed Full text Download

Background And Purpose

Method

Systematic physical examinations, imaging assessments and molecular genetic tests for the VHL gene were performed in a large Chinese VHL family. The examined Chinese VHL family, which has 25 members from four generations, including 7 diagnosed VHL patients and 2 asymptomatic mutation carriers.

Conclusion

We speculate that the p.Q145X nonsense mutation leads to relatively obvious familial aggregation. This mutation causes the type I phenotype of VHL disease and is associated with a high risk of retinal and central nervous system (CNS) hemangioblastomas (HGBs) and visceral cysts, but a low risk of renal cell carcinoma. Moreover, within a VHL family, the average ages of first onset became younger in successive generations, and the CNS HGBs are more likely to occur in male patients.

Main results

The average ages of first onset for generations I, II, and III were 37, 30 and 16, respectively. The male:female ratio among VHL patients was 6:1. Molecular genetic investigations detected the c.433C>T [p.Q145X] nonsense mutation in the VHL gene. Molecular modeling of the VHL-ElonginC- ElonginB-HIF-1α complex predicted that the p.Q145X mutation markedly alters the L7 loop structure of the β-domain of the VHL protein (pVHL), destabilizes the VHL-HIF-1αcomplex, and induces the truncation of pVHL.