Abstract
An A to G transition at nucleotide 3, 243 in the tRNAleu(UUR) gene of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been suggested to be the disease-related mutation for MELAS (mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy. lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes). Recently, the same mutation has also been found in several pedigrees with maternally inherited diabetes mellitus and sensorineural deafness. We report here a family showing the association of deafness and diabetes mellitus, as the predominant clinical features, with this mutation. The mutation was detected by restriction enzyme analysis of the relevant PCR amplified segment of the mtDNA, in two generations. In this family, it is noteworthy that two members with the mutation had some symptoms of MELAS such as short stature, seizures and mental retardation and that one had no clinical symptoms though the mtDNA mutation was identified in his blood. The findings in this family demonstrate the diversity of clinical expression of the mtDNA mutation and suggest that a combination of sensorineural deafness and diabetes mellitus is only one typical presentation of the various phenotypic features caused by the 3, 243 mutation.
