A missense mutation in the extracellular domain of Fas: the most common change in Argentinean patients with autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome represents a founder effect.

unlabelledMutations in the Fas gene (TNFRSF6) are the most common causes of Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome (ALPS-FAS). PURPOSE: In Argentina almost a third of patients with ALPS-FAS present a missense mutation affecting the extracellular cysteine rich domain 2 of Fas, p.Cys107Tyr (C107Y). This change was found in homozygous state in 2 patients from a consanguineous family, and heterozygously, in 3 other patients from 3 unrelated families. In these families, 12 relatives were identified as healthy carriers of the mutation. We sought to test the hypothesis that this mutation actually represents a single haplotype of TNFRSF6.

methodsDNAs from ALPS-C107Y patients and their families, as well as from 150 Argentinean control subjects were sequenced for the known higher frequency single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TNFRSF6. The C107Y-carriers were also genotyped at 5 microsatellites proximal to the Fas gene locus.

resultsAll C107Y alleles presented a unique intragenic haplotype that could be restricted to this group. Extent of haplotype sharing and variability of microsatellite alleles in C107Y chromosomes support the presence of a single haplotype block including the mutation and encompassing 2.395 Mb.

conclusionsA founder effect for C107Y has been evidenced in this work and the most common recent ancestor to the patients probably lived 350 years ago. This constitutes the first report of a founder event in ALPS.