Exclusion of linkage between familial Mediterranean fever and the human serum amyloid A (SAA) gene cluster

Abstract

We studied the relationship between the autosomal recessive trait familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and the serum amyloid A (SAA) genes by comparing alleles of a highly polymorphic dinucleotide repeat and a conventional restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) in the SAA gene cluster in Israeli FMF kindreds. By haplotype analysis, our data indicate a minimum crossover frequency of 22% between the SAA gene marker and FMF. By conventional linkage analysis this eliminates a minimum of 10.4 cM including and surrounding the SAA gene cluster as the site of the FMF mutation although SAA proteins are prominent physiologic markers of the acute attacks.

The Preferential Use of Anakinra in Various Settings of FMF: A Review Applied to an Updated Treatment-Related Perspective of the Disease

“…Indeed, increased propensity to develop FMF (determined based on higher allele frequency) was found for serum amyloid A (SAA)1.3 and for human leukocyte antigen (HLA)B39:01 in Japanese populations [ 31 , 32 ], The effect of the HLAB39 locus was more pronounced in patients bearing non-classical MEFV mutations. However, by using haplotype analysis, earlier results excluded linkage between SAA whole gene cluster and FMF in Israeli and Armenian populations [ 33 , 34 ]. Similarly, HLA antigen analyses appeared comparable in FMF patients and control subjects in Israeli and mixed, mostly Armenian populations [ 35 , 36 ].…”