Congenital deficiency in coagulation factor XIII is a rare autosomal recessive bleeding disorder. Although the defect was characterized over 30 years ago, little is known about the molecular basis of the disorder. Here, we show two novel point mutations in the gene of the A- subunit of factor XIII in the genetically isolated population of Finland. All eight factor XIII-deficient families identified in Finland were studied. The exons of the gene of A-subunit were amplified individually by polymerase chain reaction and subsequently screened by single-strand conformation polymorphism. Sequence analysis of the abnormally migrating fragments showed two point mutations resulting in an amino acid alteration. A C-to-T transition at Arg-661 in exon XIV created a premature stop codon. This mutation was detected in six of the eight families, thus being the major alteration causing FXIII deficiency in Finland. In two of the six families, the patients were compound heterozygotes with the Arg-661-Stop mutation in one allele and either a T-to-C point mutation in exon VI or a thus far uncharacterized mutation in the other allele. The T-to-C transition in exon VI resulted in a substitution of threonine for methionine 242. The transition was found in one family only, where it was in the heterozygote form combined with the Arg-661-Stop mutation. To evaluate the consequences of these mutations, steady-state FXIII mRNA levels were quantitated by solid-phase minisequencing. In addition to the termination of translation 70 amino acids before the initial stop codon, the Arg-661- Stop mutation causes a 10- to 30-fold reduction in FXIII mRNA levels. This is also likely to result in a low translation level in the truncated polypeptide. In contrast, Met-242-Thr mutation does not seem to affect the level of mRNA. Here, the absence of a functional and immunodetectable protein is probably caused by an altered conformation of the mutant polypeptide, resulting in early degradation of the defective protein.

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Background and Purpose-Heavy binge drinking may trigger the onset of embolic stroke and acute myocardial infarction, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. The effects of binge drinking on the hemostatic system and its circadian variation have not been investigated. We investigated the effects of an acute intake of a large dose of alcohol (1.5 g/kg). Methods-Twelve healthy, nonsmoking men participated in sessions where they were served ethanol in fruit juice or served fruit juice alone and, lying in a supine position, were followed up for 12 to 24 hours. The treatments were randomized and separated from each other by a 1-week washout period. Blood and urine were collected for hemostatic measurements. Results-The urinary excretion of the platelet thromboxane A 2 metabolite 2,3-dinor-thromboxane B 2 was significantly (PϽ0.05) greater during the night after an evening intake of alcohol than during the control night. A smaller increase was observed during the daytime after an intake of alcohol in the morning. The effects on the endothelial prostacyclin metabolite 2,3-dinor-6-ketoprostaglandin F 1␣ excretion were negligible. A 7-fold increase in plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 activity was observed after both morning (PϽ0.05) and evening (PϽ0.01) intakes of alcohol. Conclusions-This is the first study to suggest that acute ingestion of a relatively large but tolerable dose of alcohol transiently enhances thromboxane-mediated platelet activation. The observations also demonstrate alcohol-induced changes in the normal circadian periodicity of the hemostatic system in subjects not accustomed to consumption of alcohol.