Analysis of FUS gene mutation in familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis within an Italian cohort

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Abstract
Mutations in the FUS gene on chromosome 16 have been recently discovered as a cause of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS). This study determined the frequency and identities of FUS gene mutations in a cohort of Italian patients with FALS. We screened all 15 coding exons of FUS for mutations in 94 Italian patients with FALS. We identified 4 distinct missense mutations in 5 patients; 2 were novel. The mutations were not present in 376 healthy Italian controls and thus are likely to be pathogenic. Our results demonstrate that FUS mutations cause approximately 4% of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cases in the Italian population.