Why the study?
Is the frequency of poliovirus receptor gene polymorphisms higher in patients with motor neuron disease compared to normal controls?
Is the frequency of poliovirus receptor gene polymorphisms higher in patients with motor neuron disease compared to normal controls?
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A specific polymorphism in the poliovirus receptor gene is significantly more frequent in patients with progressive muscular atrophy, suggesting a potential viral etiology for lower motor neuron forms of motor neuron disease.
Poliovirus has been implicated in the etiology of sporadic motor neuron disease. DNA polymorphisms in the poliovirus receptor gene (PVR) are associated with persistent poliovirus infection in cell culture. PVR DNA polymorphisms were therefore studied in 110 cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, 30 cases of progressive muscular atrophy (a disorder of lower motor neurons) and 280 normal controls. In exon 2 of PVR the heterozygous Ala67Thr change was detected in 20.0% of progressive muscular atrophy, 11.8% of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and 6.8% of control subjects. The frequency of the polymorphism was significantly higher in patients with progressive muscular atrophy than in controls. Differences in the poliovirus receptor gene may result in slowly progressive viral cytopathic effects that lead to lower motor neuron forms of motor neuron disease.
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Saunderson et al. (2004) studied this question.
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