A novel mutation in LRSAM1 causes axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease with dominant inheritance

Background Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) refers to a heterogeneous group of genetic motor and sensory neuropathies. According to the primary site of damage, a distinction is made between demyelinating and axonal forms (CMT1 and 2, respectively, when inherited as an autosomal dominant trait). Leucine-rich repeat and sterile alpha motif-containing protein 1 (LRSAM1) is a ubiquitin-protein ligase with a role in sorting internalised cell-surface receptor proteins. So far, mutations in the LRSAM1 gene have been shown to cause axonal CMT in three different families and can confer either dominant or recessive transmission of the disease.