Publications by authors named "Tala Shahlavi"

Two unrelated xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) patients, with and without neurological abnormalities, respectively, had identical defects in the XPC DNA nucleotide excision repair (NER) gene. Patient XP21BE, a 27-year-old woman, had developmental delay and early onset of sensorineural hearing loss. In contrast, patient XP329BE, a 13-year-old boy, had a normal neurological examination.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Xeroderma pigmentosum group C (XP-C) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. Patients with two mutant alleles of the XPC DNA repair gene have sun sensitivity and a 1000-fold increase in skin cancers. Clinically normal parents of XP-C patients have one mutant allele and one normal allele.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The lariat branch point sequence (BPS) is crucial for splicing of human nuclear pre-mRNA yet BPS mutations have infrequently been reported to cause human disease. Using an inverse RT-PCR technique we mapped two BPS to the adenosine residues at positions -4 and -24 in intron 3 of the human XPC DNA repair gene. We identified homozygous mutations in each of these BPS in two newly diagnosed Turkish families with the autosomal recessive disorder xeroderma pigmentosum (XP).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

XPC DNA repair gene mutations result in the cancer-prone disorder xeroderma pigmentosum. The XPC gene spans 33 kb and has 16 exons (82-882 bp) and 15 introns (0.08-5.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We studied three newly diagnosed xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group G patients with markedly different clinical features. An Israeli-Palestinian girl (XP96TA) had severe abnormalities suggestive of the xeroderma pigmentosum/Cockayne syndrome complex including sun sensitivity, neurologic and developmental impairment, and death by age 6 y. A Caucasian girl (XP82DC) also had severe sun sensitivity with neurologic and developmental impairment and died at 5.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Synopsis of recent research by authors named "Tala Shahlavi"

  • - Tala Shahlavi's research primarily focuses on the genetic underpinnings and clinical manifestations of xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), a rare genetic disorder characterized by extreme sensitivity to sunlight and a significantly heightened risk of skin cancer.
  • - Her studies have revealed critical insights into mutations in the XPC DNA repair gene, including how specific genetic alterations influence mRNA levels and resultant cancer risks, and have explored the relationship between genotype and neurological symptoms in XP patients.
  • - Shahlavi's work highlights the connection between genetic mutations, splicing mechanisms, and clinical outcomes in XP, contributing to a better understanding of the disorder's pathophysiology and paving the way for potential therapeutic approaches.