Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type 1A -- Association with a Spontaneous Point Mutation in the PMP22 Gene

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is the most common inherited peripheral neuropathy. CMT type 1A is associated with a 1.5-megabase (Mb) DNA duplication in region p11.2-p12 of chromosome 17 in most patients. An increased dosage of a gene within the duplicated segment appears to cause the disease. The PMP22 gene, which encodes a myelin protein, has been mapped within the duplication and proposed as a candidate gene for CMT type 1A.