Description

Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is a rare inherited disorder of branched-chain amino acid metabolism classically characterized by poor feeding, lethargy, vomiting and a maple syrup odor in the cerumen (and later in urine) noted soon after birth, followed by progressive encephalopathy and central respiratory failure if untreated. MSUD is due to mutations in the genes encoding subunits E1a, E1b, and E2 of the branched chain 2-ketoacid dehydrogenase (BCKAD) complex, involved in the second enzymatic step in the degradation of the branched chain amino acids (BCAAs): leucine, isoleucine and valine. BCKAD has four subunits: E1a, E1b, E2, and E3, which are encoded by the genes BCKDHA (19q13.1-q13.2), BCKDHB (6q14.1), DBT (1p31) and DLD (7q31-q32) respectively.

External Information

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