Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0002874 (aplastic anemia)
 5,905 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The primary pathophysiology in the majority of cases of acquired aplastic anemia remains unknown ("idiopathic"). In contrast, there have been major advances in Fanconi's anemia, the commonest of the familial aplastic anemias. The key has been complementation analysis that provides evidence for at least five complementation groups (FA-A, FA-B, FA-C, FA-D, and FA-E) and therefore five genes for Fanconi's anemia; only the FAC gene has been cloned to date. The FAC gene has an important role in normal hematopoiesis, and expression of the mutant FAC allele is associated with increased apoptosis. Increased apoptosis is also seen in patients with idiopathic aplastic anemia. Furthermore, patients with Fanconi's anemia or dyskeratosis congenita, another familial form of aplastic anemia, have a high incidence of hematopoietic clonal disorders, as do patients with idiopathic aplastic anemia. Therefore, the familial aplastic anemias are good in vivo models for studying aplastic anemia in general; some of the idiopathic aplastic anemias could prove to be due to mutations in genes characterized originally in familial aplastic anemias. Thus identification of these genes may provide insights into the pathophysiology of idiopathic aplastic anemia and suggest new treatment options, because treatment remains unsatisfactory for patients who lack HLA-identical siblings who can serve as bone marrow donors. The recent mapping of the FA-A (16q24.3), FA-D (3p22-26), and dyskeratosis congenita (Xq28) genes suggests this goal is achievable.
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PMID:Severe aplastic anemia including Fanconi's anemia and dyskeratosis congenita. 937 17

Inherited bone marrow failure syndromes (BMFs) comprise at least one-fourth of children with aplastic anemia, and perhaps up to 10% of adults. The most common syndrome is Fanconi's anemia (FA), with more than 1,000 reported cases. FA is autosomal recessive, with birth defects in approximately 75% of patients. It is a DNA repair syndrome, diagnosed by finding chromosomal aberrations in cells treated with clastogenic agents. The major problems in FA are, in order, aplastic anemia, leukemia, and other cancers. There are at least five complementation groups; the gene for Group C has been cloned. Carrier identification and gene therapy are beginning in families at risk for FAC mutations. Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is primarily X-linked (at Xq28), with autosomal recessive and dominant cases as well. Patients classically have reticulated hyperpigmented skin, dystrophic nails, and mucous membrane leukoplakia. approximately 50% develop aplastic anemia, sometimes prior to the DC phenotype, and approximately 10% develop cancer. Shwachman-Diamond syndrome consists of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency with neutropenia; approximately 25% develop aplastic anemia and 5%-10% develop leukemia. Amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia presents in infancy, and often evolves into aplastic anemia and/or leukemia. Single cytopenias include Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA), which is inherited pure red cell aplasia; transient erythroblastopenia of childhood; Kostmann's syndrome (KS) or infantile genetic agranulocytosis, and thrombocytopenia with absent radii in which there is neonatal thrombocytopenia and absent radii. DBA and KS, particularly the latter treated with G-CSF, may develop leukemia, and solid tumors have been reported in DBA. Treatment for the various BMFs includes bone marrow transplantation, androgens, and hematopoietic cytokines such as G-CSF. These inherited syndromes thus include various combinations of marrow failure and premalignancy.
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PMID:Aplastic Anemia, Pediatric Aspects. 1038 17