Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young Resulting from a Novel Mutation in the HNF-4α Gene

Abstract

A 52-year-old woman with early-onset diabetes mellitus, severe diabetic retinopathy, and a family history of a dominant inheritance pattern was referred to our hospital. Direct sequencing revealed a novel mutation in the HNF-4α gene (R244Q). The position of the mutation in the aminoacid sequence of the gene is well conserved among species and transcriptional activity of the mutant gene was significantly reduced. Therefore, a diagnosis of maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY)-1 was made. Genetic testing enabled early diagnosis of diabetes in the patient's 20-year-old daughter, which we consider to be important for the prevention of diabetic complications.
(Internal Medicine 41: 848-852, 2002)