Background Congenital heart disease （CHD） is the most common developmental anomaly in newborns. The germline mutations in GATA4 and NKX2.5 genes have been identified as responsible for CHD. The frequency of GATA4 and NKX2.5 mutations in Chinese Uygur patients with CHD and the correlation between their genotype and CHD phenotype are unknown. Methods We examined the coding region of GATA4 and NKX2,5genes in 62 Chinese Uygur patients with CHD and 117 Chinese Uygur individuals as the controls by denaturing high pedormance liquid chromatography （DHPLC） and sequencing. Results Two heterozygous missense mutations of c.1220C〉A and c.1273G〉A in GATA4 gene, which cause the amino acid residue changes of P407Q and D425N in GATA4, were found in a patient with tetralogy of Fallot and a patient with ventricular septal defect, respectively. The two patients did not have atrioventricular conduct defects or non-cardiac abnormalities. The two mutations are expected to affect the protein function. There were no reported NKX2.5 mutations in the patients. Conclusion Our results provided the primary data on CHD phenotype associated with GATA4 mutation in the Chinese Uygur population.
Background The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor HAND2 plays an essential role in cardiac morphogenesis. However, the prevalence of HAND2 mutations in congenial heart disease （CHD） and the correlation between the HAND2 genotype and CHD phenotype have not been studied extensively. Methods We amplified the exons and the flanking intron sequences of the HAND2gene in 131 patients diagnosed with congenital defects of the right ventricle, outflow tract, aortic artery or cardiac cushion and confirmed the mutations by sequencing. Results Seven mutations including three missense mutations （P11R, S36N and V83L）, one isonymous mutation （H14H） and three mutations in untranslated region （241A〉G, 604C〉T and 3237T〉A） were identified in 12 out of the 131 patients. Both nonisonymous mutations are located in the transcriptional activation domain on the N-terminus. Only one mutation （S36N） was identified in 250 normal healthy controls. The distribution of 3637T〉A is the unique one which was different between the 2 groups. Conclusions HAND2 may be a potential candidate gene of stenosis of the right ventricle, outflow tract. Further study of those with a family history of HAND2 mutations will help convincingly relate their genotype to the pathogenesis of CHD.
