Passing on TMAU1 to children

[MUNCHKIN]

Hi I dont know whether you can help me but I was wondering if you know how likely I am to pass this on to any children I have?
Would my partner have to also carry the faulty gene?

[FADworker]

Hi I dont know whether you can help me but I was wondering if you know how likely I am to pass this on to any children I have?
Would my partner have to also carry the faulty gene?

My sister and I both suffer from TMAU1. She has 3 children by 2 different fathers and none of them are showing any symptoms so am I right to assume that unless I'm very unlucky and my husband carries the same gene then our children will be ok or can I pass it on even if he hasn't got it?

You're right. By saying you are TMAU1 I'm assuming you have been tested 'genetically' and so you know both your copies of the FMO3 gene are faulty. These faulty copies are quite rare and so its really quite likely your husband has two normal copies. If that is the case then all your children would inherit one of your two faulty copies and a normal copy from your husband making them 'heterozygotes'. The evidence is that having just one normal copy of the gene results in enough of the enzyme in the liver to remove TMA effectively and so none 'escapes' to produce any odour. That said, there might be slightly less enzyme than in an individual with two normal gene copies and so what's there could potentially become 'overloaded' if it was hit with a lot of TMA all of a sudden - for instance if your children went on a serious cod and chips binge (as I'm sure you know cod is high in TMA oxide which gets changed back to TMA by bacteria in our gut)!