PKD1

Polycystic kidney disease

More than 250 mutations in the PKD1 gene have been identified in people with polycystic kidney disease. These mutations are responsible for about 85 percent of cases of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), which is the most common type of this disorder. Mutations in the PKD1 gene include deletions or insertions of DNA building blocks (base pairs) and alterations of one or more base pairs. Most PKD1 mutations are predicted to produce an abnormally small, nonfunctional version of the polycystin-1 protein. Although researchers are uncertain how a lack of polycystin-1 leads to the formation of cysts, it probably disrupts the protein's signaling function within the cell and in primary cilia. As a result, cells lining the renal tubules may grow and divide abnormally, leading to the growth of numerous cysts characteristic of polycystic kidney disease.