DISCUSSION
The presence of a highly homologous pseudogene sequence and
several types of mutations including large recombinant alleles or
deletions has made mutation analysis of GBA challenging.5 Using
solely conventional PCR and single-strand conformation
polymorphism (SSCP) or PCR-based mutation-detection techniques
to screen for specific mutations might result in a significant number
of unidentified mutant alleles.6 Therefore, in this study, direct
mutation detection was performed by sequencing the entire coding
region in all patients either by long-template PCR or PCR using
specific primers for the functional gene. With these methods, all ten
mutant alleles were identified in our five patients (see Table 1).
Patient 1 was compound heterozygous for p.L483P/p.N227K
(L444P/N188K). The N188K mutation is a rare mutation previously
found in patients with type 2 GD.7 Sequencing electropherogram of