The distal HMN shows similarities with the hereditary motor and sensory neuropathies type I and II (HMSN I and HMSN II) or Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1 and 2 (CMT 1 and CMT 2) and with some proximal HMN or spinal muscular atrophies (SMA).
The molecular dissection of cellular functions of the related gene products has only begun and detailed pathophysiological models are still missing, but already the biological scope of genes linked to CMT2 is more diversified than CMT1.
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), or hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy (HMSN), includes two main subtypes of CMT1/HMSN I (demyelinating), and CMT2/HMSN II (axonal).
The MPZ gene Ser44Phe mutation found in the HMSN II family presented in this study suggests that genetic analysis of HMSN II families should also include the MPZ gene, previously not considered to be involved in the axonal form of HMSN.
Most MPZ mutations lead to the HMSN type I phenotype, with recent reports of Déjérine-Sottas, congenital hypomyelination, and HMSN II also ascribed to MPZ mutations.
Arthropathy-related pain in a patient with congenital impairment of pain sensation due to hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type II with a rare mutation in the WNK1/HSN2 gene: a case report.
More recently, a different mutation in WNK1 was identified as the cause of hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type II, an early-onset autosomal disease of peripheral sensory nerves.
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2 (CMT2) is characterized by a motor conduction velocity of the median nerve of > 38 m/sec and is a genetically heterogeneous disorder with at least three loci identified: CMT2A (1p35-36), CMT2B (3q13-22), CMT2C (not linked to any known loci), and CMT2D (7p14).
Mutations in SLC25A46 gene have been identified in mitochondrial diseases that are sometimes classified as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2, optic atrophy and Leigh syndrome.
Mutations in the SLC25A46 gene have been identified in mitochondrial diseases that are sometimes classified as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2, optic atrophy, and Leigh syndrome.
Exclusion of the locus for hereditary sensory neuropathy type I (HSN I) on chromosome 9q22 indicates that HSN I with mild motor symptoms and CMT2 with prominent sensory abnormalities are not allelic.
The Mitofusin 2 gene (MFN2), which encodes a mitochondrial membrane protein, is known to be the first cause of autosomal dominant Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2 (CMT2) with early onset.
Linkage to 1p35-p36 (CMT2A), 3q (CMT2B), and 7p (CMT2D) chromosomes has been reported in the disease; however, most HMSN II families do not link to any of the reported loci.
The MFN2 gene should therefore be considered in Polish HMSN II patients, though it is still not possible to determine its position in HMSN II molecular diagnostics.