RFLP HAPLOTYPING AND MUTATION ANALYSIS OF THE PHENYLALANINE-HYDROXYLASE GENE IN DUTCH PHENYLKETONURIA FAMILIES

Restriction fragment length polymorphism haplotyping of mutated and normal phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) alleles in 49 Dutch phenylketonuria (PKU) families was performed. All mutant PAH chromosomes identified by haplotyping (n=98) were screened for eight of the most predominant mutations. Compound heterozygosity was proven in 40 kindreds. Homozygosity was found for the IVS12ntl mutation in 5 families, and for the R158Q and IVS10nt546 mutations in one family each. All patients from these families suffer from severe PKU, providing additional proof that these mutations are deleterious for the PAH gene. Genotypical heterogeneity was evident for mutant haplotype 1 (n=27) carrying the mutations R261Q (n=12), E280K (n=4, P281L (n=1) and unknown (n=10), and likewise for mutant haplotype 4 (n =30) carrying the mutations R158Q (n=13), Y414C (n=1) and unknown (n=16). Mutant haplotype 3 (n=20), in tight association with mutation IVS12ntl, appeared to be in strong linkage disequilibrium (LDE) with its normal counterpart allele (n=4). Mutant haplotype 6 (n=4), in tight association with the IVS10nt546 mutation, showed moderate LDE with its counterpart allele (n=1). The distribution of the mutant PAH haplotypes 1, 3 and 4 among the Dutch PKU population resembles that in other Northern and Western European countries, but it is striking that mutant haplotype 2 and its associated mutation R408W is nearly absent in The Netherlands, in strong contrast to its neighbouring countries.