The R495W mutation in SPG3A causes spastic paraplegia associated with axonal neuropathy

Mutations in the SPG3A gene cause a form of pure, early–onset autosomal dominant hereditary spastic paraplegia linked to chromosome 14q. The encoded protein, atlastin, is a putative member of the dynamin superfamily of large GTPases involved in cellular trafficking patterns. We report a new atlastin mutation causing spastic paraplegia in association with axonal neuropathy in an Italian family.