You are currently viewing the abstract.
View Full TextLog in to view the full text
AAAS login provides access to Science for AAAS members, and access to other journals in the Science family to users who have purchased individual subscriptions.
Register for free to read this article
As a service to the community, this article is available for free. Existing users log in.
More options
Download and print this article for your personal scholarly, research, and educational use.
Buy a single issue of Science for just $15 USD.
Abstract
Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the widespread development of distinctive tumors termed hamartomas. TSC-determining loci have been mapped to chromosomes 9q34 (TSC1) and 16p13 (TSC2). TheTSC1 gene was identified from a 900-kilobase region containing at least 30 genes. The 8.6-kilobase TSC1transcript is widely expressed and encodes a protein of 130 kilodaltons (hamartin) that has homology to a putative yeast protein of unknown function. Thirty-two distinct mutations were identified inTSC1, 30 of which were truncating, and a single mutation (2105delAAAG) was seen in six apparently unrelated patients. In one of these six, a somatic mutation in the wild-type allele was found in a TSC-associated renal carcinoma, which suggests that hamartin acts as a tumor suppressor.
↵* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: kwiatkowski{at}calvin.bwh.harvard.edu