γ‐sarcoglycan and dystrophin mutation spectrum in an Algerian cohort

INTRODUCTION: We report the genetic analysis of a large series of 76 Algerian patients from 65 unrelated families who presented with early onset severe muscular dystrophy and a clinical phenotype resembling limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2C. METHODS: To define the genetic basis of the diseases in these families, we undertook a series of analyses of the γ-sarcoglycan (SGCG) and DMD genes. RESULTS: Fifteen families were shown to carry SGCG variants. Only 2 kinds of causative mutations were identified in the population, mostly in the homozygous state: the well-known c.525delT and the previously described c.87dupT. In the DMD gene, 12 distinctive patterns of deletion were identified, mostly affecting the dystrophin central region. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that a simple molecular screen consisting of 2 allele-specific polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) and a set of 3 multiplex PCRs can diagnose half of the patients who present with progressive muscular dystrophy in the developing nation of Algeria. Muscle Nerve 56: 129-135, 2017.