Variant ALDH2 is associated with accelerated progression of bone marrow failure in Japanese Fanconi anemia patients.

ABSTRACT: Fanconi anemia (FA) is a severe hereditary disorder with defective DNA damage response and repair. It is characterized by phenotypes including progressive bone marrow failure (BMF), developmental abnormalities, and increased occurrence of leukemia and cancer. Recent studies in mice have suggested that the FA proteins might counteract aldehyde-induced genotoxicity in hematopoietic stem cells. Nearly half of the Japanese population carries a dominant-negative allele (rs671) of the aldehyde-catalyzing enzyme ALDH2 (acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2), providing an opportunity to test this hypothesis in humans. We examined 64 Japanese FA patients, and found that the ALDH2 variant is associated with accelerated progression of BMF, while birth weight or the number of physical abnormalities was not aff

SUBMITTER: Hira A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3953058 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature