Proposed mechanism for a novel insertion/deletion frameshift mutation (I414G415ATCG-->CCA) in the hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 alpha (HNF-1 alpha) gene which causes maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY).

Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a monogenic subgroup of non-insulin dependent diabetes (NIDDM) characterized by an early age of diagnosis (usually < 25 years) and an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. Mutations in the hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 alpha (HNF-1alpha) [MODY3] gene represent the most common cause of MODY in the UK and a common cause of MODY in many other populations. Sixty-three different mutations have been described in a total of 112 families worldwide. This report describes two families, not known to be related, who carry a novel insertion/deletion mutation (I414G415ATCG-->CCA) and a 6bp intronic deletion of the HNF-1alpha gene in cis. We propose that the insertion/deletion mutation has arisen by formation of a hairpin loop due to the presence of a quasi-palindromic sequence, followed by insertion of CC and deletion of TCG resulting in the increased stability of the hairpin loop.