Department of Genetics, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
We have analyzed the exon 9, 13, 14, 15, and 16 of cardiac beta myosin heavy chain gene in 96 Japanese patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by using PCR-DNA conformation polymorphism analysis. The analysis revealed a sequence variation of the exon 16 in one patient. The sequence variation of a G to C transversion with replacement of Asn by Lys at the codon 615 was confirmed by sequencing and by dot-blot hybridization with an allele-specific oligonucleotide probe. Because the missense mutation was found at the residue conserved through birds to humans, this mutation was suggested to be a cause of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the patient. This is the first report of a mutant cardiac beta myosin heavy chain gene in the Japanese population.