BACKGROUND

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is genetically heterogeneous and caused by mutations in at least three different loci. Based on linkage analysis, mutations in the PKD2 gene are responsible for approximately 15% of the cases. PKD2-linked ADPKD is supposed to be a milder form of the disease, its mean age of end-stage renal failure (ESRF) approximately 20 years later than PKD1.

METHODS

We screened all coding sequences of the PKD2 gene in 115 Czech patients. From dialysis centres in the Czech Republic and from the Department of Nephrology of the General Hospital in Prague, we selected 52 patients (29 males, 23 females), who reached ESRF after the age of 63, and 10 patients (three males, seven females) who were not on renal replacement therapy at that age. The age of 63 was used as the cut-off because it is between the recently published ages of onset of ESRF for PKD1 and PKD2. From PKD families we also selected 53 patients (26 males, 27 females) who could be linked to either the PKD1 or PKD2 genes by linkage analysis. An affected member from each family was analysed by heteroduplex analysis (HA) for all 15 coding regions. Samples exhibiting shifted bands on gels were sequenced.

RESULTS

We detected 22 mutations (six new mutations)-14 mutations in 62 patients (23%) with mild clinical manifestations, eight in 53 families (15%) with possible linkage to both PKD genes. As the detection rate of HA is approximately 70-80%, we estimate the prevalence of PKD2 cases in the Czech ADPKD population to be 18-20%. We identified nonsense mutations in eight patients (36.5%), frameshifting mutations in 12 patients (54.5%) and missense mutations in two patients (9%).

CONCLUSION

In this study in the Czech population we identified 22 mutations (six of which were new mutations). The prevalence of PKD2 cases was 18-20% and the mean age of ESRF was 68.3 years. An at-least weak hot spot in exon 1 of the PKD2 gene was found.