I'm curious about the meaning of the medical term 'Hawkinsinuria.' Can you give me some insights?
Hawkinsinuria is an autosomal dominant metabolic disorder affecting the metabolism of tyrosine.Normally, the breakdown of the amino acid tyrosine involves the conversion of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate to homogentisate by 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase. Complete deficiency of this enzyme would lead to tyrosinemia III. In rare cases, however, the enzyme is still able to produce the reactive intermediate 1,2-epoxyphenyl acetic acid, but is unable to convert this intermediate to homogentisate. The intermediate then spontaneously reacts with glutathione to form 2-L-cystein-S-yl-1,4-dihydroxy-cyclohex-5-en-1-yl acetic acid (hawkinsin).Patients present with metabolic acidosis during the first year of life, and growth arrest around the time of weaning off breast milk. Treatment involves a diet containing a low amount of phenylalanine and tyrosine. Tolerance toward these amino acids normalizes as the patients get older. Then only a chlorine-like smell of the urine indicates the presence of the condition. Patients have a normal life and do not require treatment or a special diet.The production of hawkinsin is the result of a gain-of-function mutation. Inheritance of hawkinsinuria is therefore autosomal dominant (presence of a single mutated copy of the gene causes the condition). The gene affected is the HPD gene encoding 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid dioxygenase, on chromosome 12q24. It is unusual in that most other inborn errors of metabolism are caused by loss-of-function mutations, and hence have recessive inheritance (condition occurs only if both copies are mutated).

See also
4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase

References


== External links ==