UC Davis

Background

The huntingtin gene (HTT) pathogenic cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeat expansion responsible for Huntington disease (HD) is phased with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), providing targets for allele-selective treatments.

Objective

This prospective observational study defined the frequency at which rs362307 (SNP1) or rs362331 (SNP2) was found on the same allele with pathogenic CAG expansions.

Methods

Across 7 US sites, 202 individuals with HD provided blood samples that were processed centrally to determine the number and size of CAG repeats, presence and heterozygosity of SNPs, and whether SNPs were present on the mutant HTT allele using long-read sequencing and phasing.

Results

Heterozygosity of SNP1 and/or SNP2 was identified in 146 (72%) individuals. The 2 polymorphisms were associated only with the mHTT allele in 61% (95% high density interval: 55%, 67%) of individuals.

Conclusions

These results are consistent with previous reports and demonstrate the feasibility of genotyping, phasing, and targeting of HTT SNPs for personalized treatment of HD.