Date:8/29/2010

the blood values of those affected. The raised level of the enzyme alkaline phosphatase, which usually plays a role in bone metabolism, can be measured in the blood. The researchers succeeded in showing that in the case of Mabry Syndrome the PIGV gene is mutated. PIGV codes, in turn, for an enzyme that is involved in the formation of the GPI anchor. This carbohydrate molecule binds proteins to the cell membrane. According to the scientists in Berlin, the gene for PIGV is mutated in such a way that the alkaline phosphatase is not adequately connected to the cell membrane. It separates from the membrane, accumulates in the blood, and thereby leads to an increase in blood levels. The researchers assume that PIGV in the brain is responsible for the anchoring of many other proteins and that this malfunction is responsible for the mental retardation associated with Mabry Syndrome.

Based on these results, the scientists will be able to carry out further research on the disease and develop new options for its treatment. The methods of genome analysis developed here enable the identification of mutations even in the case of extremely rare diseases and represent an important step forward in the direction of individualised molecular medicine.

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Contact: Patricia Marquardt patricia.marquardt@molgen.mpg.de 49-308-413-1716 Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Source:Eurekalert

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