Analyses of the transglutaminase 1 gene mutation and ultrastructural characteristics in a Japanese patient with lamellar ichthyosis

We described a Japanese female with lamellar ichthyosis whose Transglutaminase 1 gene (TGM1 gene) was mutated. DNA sequence analysis revealed that the patient had a homozygous mutation, i.e. a point mutation from G to A at nucleotide 1494 resulting in the substitution of glycine for arginine at codon 143. Her mother was heterozygous for this mutation. In situ Transglutaminase assay in the patient's skin showed loss of enzyme activity. Ultrastructural examination revealed incomplete formation of cornified cell envelopes and electron-dense Materials adjacent to plasma membranes. These results suggest that defective Transglutaminase activity caused by homozygous TGM1 gene mutation (G143R) results in disruption of cornified envelope assembly and the clinical phenotype of lamellar ichthyosis.