Hypermethioninemia
Last updated 6 Aug 2021
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Hypermethioninemia is an excess of a particular protein building block (amino acid), called methionine, in the blood. This condition can occur when methionine is not broken down (metabolized) properly in the body.
Description
Hypermethioninemia is an excess of a particular protein building block (amino acid), called methionine, in the blood. This condition can occur when methionine is not broken down (metabolized) properly in the body.
People with hypermethioninemia often do not show any symptoms. Some individuals with hypermethioninemia exhibit intellectual disability and other neurological problems; delays in motor skills such as standing or walking; sluggishness; muscle weakness; liver problems; unusual facial features; and their breath, sweat, or urine may have a smell resembling boiled cabbage.
Hypermethioninemia can occur with other metabolic disorders, such as homocystinuria, tyrosinemia, and galactosemia, which also involve the faulty breakdown of particular molecules. It can also result from liver disease or excessive dietary intake of methionine from consuming large amounts of protein or a methionine-enriched infant formula. The condition is called primary hypermethioninemia when it is not associated with other metabolic disorders or excess methionine in the diet.
Inheritance patterns
The source lists the following possible inheritance patterns: Autosomal dominant; Autosomal recessive. More than one pattern can apply in different cases.
Related genes
Other names
Deficiency of methionine adenosyltransferase
Glycine N-methyltransferase deficiency
GNMT deficiency
Hepatic methionine adenosyltransferase deficiency
MAT deficiency
MET
Methionine adenosyltransferase deficiency
Methioninemia
S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase deficiency
Further reading and references
- Hypermethioninemia; MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
- Augoustides-Savvopoulou P, Luka Z, Karyda S, Stabler SP, Allen RH, Patsiaoura K, Wagner C, Mudd SH. Glycine N -methyltransferase deficiency: a new patient with a novel mutation. J Inherit Metab Dis. 2003;26(8):745-59. doi: 10.1023/B:BOLI.0000009978.17777.33.
- Baric I, Cuk M, Fumic K, Vugrek O, Allen RH, Glenn B, Maradin M, Pazanin L, Pogribny I, Rados M, Sarnavka V, Schulze A, Stabler S, Wagner C, Zeisel SH, Mudd SH. S-Adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase deficiency: a second patient, the younger brother of the index patient, and outcomes during therapy. J Inherit Metab Dis. 2005;28(6):885-902. doi: 10.1007/s10545-005-0192-9.
- Baric I, Fumic K, Glenn B, Cuk M, Schulze A, Finkelstein JD, James SJ, Mejaski-Bosnjak V, Pazanin L, Pogribny IP, Rados M, Sarnavka V, Scukanec-Spoljar M, Allen RH, Stabler S, Uzelac L, Vugrek O, Wagner C, Zeisel S, Mudd SH. S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase deficiency in a human: a genetic disorder of methionine metabolism. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Mar 23;101(12):4234-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0400658101. Epub 2004 Mar 15.
- Biochemistry (fifth edition, 2002): Methionine Metabolism
- Brosnan JT, Brosnan ME. The sulfur-containing amino acids: an overview. J Nutr. 2006 Jun;136(6 Suppl):1636S-1640S. doi: 10.1093/jn/136.6.1636S.
- Buist NR, Glenn B, Vugrek O, Wagner C, Stabler S, Allen RH, Pogribny I, Schulze A, Zeisel SH, Baric I, Mudd SH. S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase deficiency in a 26-year-old man. J Inherit Metab Dis. 2006 Aug;29(4):538-45. doi: 10.1007/s10545-006-0240-0. Epub 2006 May 30.
- Chamberlin ME, Ubagai T, Mudd SH, Thomas J, Pao VY, Nguyen TK, Levy HL, Greene C, Freehauf C, Chou JY. Methionine adenosyltransferase I/III deficiency: novel mutations and clinical variations. Am J Hum Genet. 2000 Feb;66(2):347-55. doi: 10.1086/302752.
- Chou JY. Molecular genetics of hepatic methionine adenosyltransferase deficiency. Pharmacol Ther. 2000 Jan;85(1):1-9. doi: 10.1016/s0163-7258(99)00047-9.
- Finkelstein JD. Inborn errors of sulfur-containing amino acid metabolism. J Nutr. 2006 Jun;136(6 Suppl):1750S-1754S. doi: 10.1093/jn/136.6.1750S.
- Harvey Mudd S, Braverman N, Pomper M, Tezcan K, Kronick J, Jayakar P, Garganta C, Ampola MG, Levy HL, McCandless SE, Wiltse H, Stabler SP, Allen RH, Wagner C, Borschel MW. Infantile hypermethioninemia and hyperhomocysteinemia due to high methionine intake: a diagnostic trap. Mol Genet Metab. 2003 May;79(1):6-16. doi: 10.1016/s1096-7192(03)00066-0.
- Luka Z, Capdevila A, Mato JM, Wagner C. A glycine N-methyltransferase knockout mouse model for humans with deficiency of this enzyme. Transgenic Res. 2006 Jun;15(3):393-7. doi: 10.1007/s11248-006-0008-1.
- Luka Z, Cerone R, Phillips JA 3rd, Mudd HS, Wagner C. Mutations in human glycine N-methyltransferase give insights into its role in methionine metabolism. Hum Genet. 2002 Jan;110(1):68-74. doi: 10.1007/s00439-001-0648-4. Epub 2001 Dec 7.
- Luka Z, Wagner C. Effect of naturally occurring mutations in human glycine N-methyltransferase on activity and conformation. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2003 Dec 26;312(4):1067-72. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2003.11.037.
- Mudd SH, Cerone R, Schiaffino MC, Fantasia AR, Minniti G, Caruso U, Lorini R, Watkins D, Matiaszuk N, Rosenblatt DS, Schwahn B, Rozen R, LeGros L, Kotb M, Capdevila A, Luka Z, Finkelstein JD, Tangerman A, Stabler SP, Allen RH, Wagner C. Glycine N-methyltransferase deficiency: a novel inborn error causing persistent isolated hypermethioninaemia. J Inherit Metab Dis. 2001 Aug;24(4):448-64. doi: 10.1023/a:1010577512912.
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