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Mutations in SCN9A, encoding a sodium channel alpha subunit, in patients with primary erythermalgia
  1. Y Yang1,*,
  2. Y Wang1,*,
  3. S Li1,*,
  4. Z Xu2,
  5. H Li3,
  6. L Ma2,
  7. J Fan3,
  8. D Bu1,
  9. B Liu4,
  10. Z Fan4,
  11. G Wu4,
  12. J Jin1,
  13. B Ding1,
  14. X Zhu1,
  15. Y Shen4
  1. 1Department of Dermatology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
  2. 2Department of Dermatology, Beijing Children’s Hospital affiliated to the Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
  3. 3Department of Dermatology, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China
  4. 4Chinese National Human Genome Centre, Beijing, China
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr X Zhu
 Department of Dermatology, Peking University First Hospital, No 8 Xishiku Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 100034, China; xjzhupublic.bta.net.cn
 Correspondence to:
 Dr Y Shen
 Chinese National Human Genome Centre, No 3 Yongchangbeilu, Beijing 100176, China; shenyms.imicams.ac.cn

Abstract

Primary erythermalgia is a rare autosomal dominant disease characterised by intermittent burning pain with redness and heat in the extremities. A previous study established the linkage of primary erythermalgia to a 7.94 cM interval on chromosome 2q, but the causative gene was not identified. We performed linkage analysis in a Chinese family with primary erythermalgia, and screened the mutations in the two candidate genes, SCN9A and GCA, in the family and a sporadic patient. Linkage analysis yielded a maximum lod score of 2.11 for both markers D2S2370 and D2S2330. Based on critical recombination events in two patients in the family, we further limited the genetic region to 5.98 cM between D2S2370 and D2S2345. We then identified two missense mutations in SCN9A in the family (T2573A) and the sporadic patient (T2543C). Our data suggest that mutations in SCN9A cause primary erythermalgia. SCN9A, encoding a voltage-gated sodium channel alpha subunit predominantly expressed in sensory and sympathetic neurones, may play an important role in nociception and vasomotor regulation.

  • mutation
  • pain
  • primary erythermalgia
  • SCN9A
  • sodium channel

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Footnotes

  • * These authors contributed equally to this work

  • This work was supported by “985” Foundation of Peking University Health Science Centre, the National High Technology Research and Development Programme of China (Grant 2002BA711A07), and Xian-Janssen Dermatology Foundation.