Genetic analysis of ANXA11 variants in a Han Chinese cohort with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Taiwan.

Mutations in the annexin A11 gene (ANXA11) have been recently identified in British patients and Italian patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and their role in other ALS populations remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the ANXA11 mutations in a Taiwanese ALS cohort. Mutational analysis of ANXA11 was performed in 286 unrelated Taiwanese patients with ALS by Sanger sequencing. Eight ANXA11 missense variants were identified initially, and only one of them was absent from population databases. This missense variant, p.Q362L, was identified in 1 single patient with apparently sporadic ALS, and no further strong evidence was available to support its pathogenicity. Therefore, it is classified as a variant of uncertain significance. Our data indicate that pathogenic ANXA11 mutations are absent or rare in ALS patients in Taiwan.