Dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy proteins in lymphoblastoid cells.

The genetic defect responsible for dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) is an expansion of a CAG trinucleotide repeat. The DRPLA gene is translated into protein in the brain. In this study, we demonstrate that the wild-type and mutant genes are also translated into proteins, p190 and p205, in lymphoblastoid cells. The correlation between the age of onset and the expansion of polyglutamine stretch shown by slower electrophoretic mobility suggests that the polyglutamine stretch is directly involved in the acceleration of the disease process. Moreover, analysis of the protein in lymphoblastoid cells can be used as a diagnostic procedure for DRPLA.