CST3

At least one variant (also called a mutation) in the CST3 gene has been found to cause hereditary cerebral amyloid angiopathy, a condition characterized by stroke and a decline in intellectual function (dementia), which begins in mid-adulthood. The CST3 gene variant that has been identified causes a form of the condition known as hereditary cerebral hemorrhage, Icelandic type or Icelandic type cerebral amyloid angiopathy. This variant replaces the protein building block (amino acid) leucine with the amino acid glutamine at position 68 in the cystatin C protein (written as Leu68Gln or L68Q). This abnormal cystatin C protein is less stable and is more prone to cluster together (aggregate) than the normal protein. The aggregated protein forms clumps called amyloid deposits that accumulate in the blood vessel walls primarily in the brain, but also in blood vessels in other areas of the body such as the skin, spleen, and lymph nodes. The accumulation of these amyloid deposits, does not appear to have any health effects outside of the brain. In the brain, the amyloid deposits replace the muscle fibers and elastic fibers that give blood vessels flexibility, causing them to become weak and prone to breakage. Such a break in the brain causes bleeding (hemorrhagic stroke), which can lead to brain damage and dementia.

MedlinePlus Genetics provides information about Age-related macular degeneration