Description:
We describe a new mutation in glycoprotein IX (GPIX) in a patient with Bernard–Soulier syndrome (BSS). Sequencing of GPIX revealed a homozygous (T→C) transition at nucleotide 1717 (GenBank/HUMGPIX/M80478), resulting in a Cys8 (TGT)→Arg (CGT) replacement in the mature peptide. DNA restriction enzyme analysis using BsaAI revealed that the patient was homozygous and that his parents were heterozygous for the defect. This mutation disrupts a putative disulphide bond between the Cys8 and Cys12 that would alter the secondary structure of GPIX and which probably accounts for the absence of the GPIb/IX/V complex from the platelet surface in this patient.