Sotos syndrome is an autosomal dominant condition characterized by overgrowth resulting in tall stature and macrocephaly, together with an increased risk of tumorigenesis. The disease is caused by loss-of-function mutations and deletions of the nuclear receptor SET domain containing protein-1 (NSD1) gene, which encodes a histone methyltransferase involved in chromatin ...

Cabezas syndrome (MIM 300354) is a recently identified syndromic form of X-linked mental retardation (XLMR) caused by mutations in the CUL4B gene. In total, nine XLMR families carrying mutations in the CUL4B gene have been described to date. Here, we present a detailed clinical phenotype of three affected brothers of ...

Noonan syndrome, a developmental disorder characterized by congenital heart defects, reduced growth, facial dysmorphism and variable cognitive deficits, is caused by constitutional dysregulation of the RAS-MAPK signaling pathway. Here we report that germline NRAS mutations conferring enhanced stimulus-dependent MAPK activation account for some cases of this disorder. These findings provide ...

The unique differentiation program of the ductus arteriosus (DA) is essential for its specific task during fetal life and for the adapting circulation after birth. Phenotypic changes occur in the DA during the normal maturation and definitive closure. Morphological abnormalities of the vessel wall characterize the persistent DA (PDA) in ...

HYPOTHESIS: Molecular genetic testing is useful to differentiate otosclerosis from syndromic stapes ankylosis. BACKGROUND: Congenital stapes ankylosis is genetically heterogeneous. Mutations in the NOG gene are known to be associated with a variety of rare stapes ankylosis syndromes including stapes ankylosis with broad thumbs and toes, multiple synostoses syndrome, and ...

Adducted thumb-clubfoot syndrome is an autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by typical facial appearance, wasted build, thin and translucent skin, congenital contractures of thumbs and feet, joint instability, facial clefting, and coagulopathy, as well as heart, kidney, or intestinal defects. We elucidated the molecular basis of the disease by using a SNP ...

OBJECTIVE: The fundamental processes involved in the mechanism of hearing seem to be controlled by hundreds of genes and hereditary hearing impairment may be caused by a large variety of genetic mutations in different genes. Approximately 150 loci for monogenic syndromic and non-syndromic hearing impairment (HI) disorders have been mapped ...

Apert syndrome is characterized by craniosynostosis, midfacial hypoplasia and symmetric cutaneous and bony syndactyly of the limbs. The skull is usually hyperacrobrachycephalic, whereas frank cloverleafing, as a clinically obvious trilobed skull deformity, is rarely seen in these patients. We report a rare case of Apert syndrome with cloverleaf skull deformity, ...

We report the clinical and genetic findings in a 23-year-old woman with hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumor syndrome (HPT-JT). The patient had a family history of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and uterine fibroma in her mother. The patient presented muscle weakness. The diagnosis of PHPT was confirmed by an elevated parathyroid hormone level above ...

Joubert syndrome (JBTS; OMIM 213300) is a rare, autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a specific congenital malformation of the hindbrain and a broad spectrum of other phenotypic findings that is now known to be caused by defects in the structure and/or function of the primary cilium. The complex hindbrain malformation ...

This study aimed to compare the phenotype of Rett syndrome cases with C-terminal deletions to that of cases with different MECP2 mutations and to examine the phenotypic variation within C-terminal deletions. Cases were selected from InterRett, an international database and from the population-based Australian Rett Syndrome Database. Cases (n=832) were ...

Microdeletion of chromosome 2q23.1 results in a novel syndrome previously reported in five individuals. Many of the del(2)(q23.1) cases were thought to have other syndromes such as Angelman, Prader-Willi, or Smith-Magenis because of certain overlapping clinical features. We report two new cases of the 2q23.1 microdeletion syndrome, describe the syndrome ...

Werner syndrome (WS) is a human autosomal recessive genetic instability and cancer predisposition syndrome with features of premature aging. Several genetically determined mouse models of WS have been generated, however, none develops features of premature aging or an elevated risk of neoplasia unless additional genetic perturbations are introduced. In order ...

Coffin-Lowry syndrome (CLS) is a syndromic form of X-linked mental retardation, which is characterized in male patients by psychomotor and growth retardation and various skeletal anomalies. Typical facial changes and specific clinical and radiological signs in the hand are useful aids in the diagnosis. CLS is caused by mutations in ...

BACKGROUND: CHILD syndrome, a rare hereditary disorder of keratinization (MIM 308050, 300275), is the acronym proposed by Happle to name a rare entity, characterized by congenital hemidysplasia, icthyosiform nevus and limb defects, ranging from digital hypoplasia to icthyosiform nevus and ipsilateral limb defects, ranging from digital hypoplasia to complete amelia. ...

FG syndrome is a rare X-linked multiple congenital anomaly-cognitive impairment disorder caused by the p.R961W mutation in the MED12 gene. We identified all known patients with this mutation to delineate their clinical phenotype and devise a clinical algorithm to facilitate molecular diagnosis. We ascertained 23 males with the p.R961W mutation ...

In this part of a series on founder mutations in the Netherlands, we review a Dutch family carrying the SCN5a 1795insD mutation. We describe the advances in our understanding of the premature sudden cardiac deaths that have accompanied this family in the past centuries. The mutation carriers show a unique ...

Isaac's syndrome is a movement disorder characterized by hyperexcitability of peripheral motor nerves. Patients with Isaac's syndrome often develop auto-antibodies to voltage-gated potassium channels (VGKCs) which block their function. However, anti-VGKC antibodies are not detected in all patients with Isaac's syndrome, suggesting the existence of another etiology. In this study, ...

We report on a 3-year-old boy with prenatal onset of proportionate dwarfism, postnatal severe microcephaly, high forehead with receded hairline, sparse scalp hair, beaked nose, mild retrognathia and hypotonia diagnosed at birth as Seckel syndrome. At age 3 years, he became paralyzed due to a cerebrovascular malformation. Based on the ...

Lynch syndrome (LS) is an autosomal dominant cancer predisposition syndrome attributable to deleterious germline mutations in mismatch repair (MMR) genes. The syndrome is typified by early-onset, frequently right-sided colorectal cancers (CRCs) with characteristic histologic features and tendency for multiplicity and an increased risk for extracolonic tumors at particular sites; it ...

PURPOSE: Pitt-Hopkins syndrome is characterized by severe mental retardation, characteristic dysmorphic features, and susceptibility to childhood-onset seizures and intermittent episodes of hyperventilation. This syndrome is caused by haploinsufficiency of TCF4, which encodes a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor. Missense, nonsense, splice-site mutations, and gene deletions have been found in individuals with ...

BACKGROUND: Lacrimo-auriculo-dento-digital (LADD) syndrome (OMIM #149730) is an autosomal-dominant congenital disorder that can be caused by heterozygous mutations in the tyrosine kinase domains of the genes encoding fibroblast growth factor receptors 2 (FGFR2) and 3 (FGFR3), and has been found in association with a mutation in the FGF10 gene, which ...

Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by pancreatic insufficiency, bone marrow dysfunction, and metaphyseal chondrodysplasia. SDS is associated with mutations in the Shwachman-Bodian-Diamond Syndrome gene, with 90% of reported mutations in exon 2. We present a Fijian boy with SDS who has a novel A>G substitution in ...

The major diagnostic manifestations in Sotos syndrome include frontal bossing, downward slanting palpebral fissures, a prominent jaw, learning disability, and childhood overgrowth. Over 90% of clinically diagnosed patients have an abnormality in the NSD1 gene. We investigated the dental manifestations of this disorder and found one or several premolar teeth ...

We report a 3-year-old girl with autosomal dominant inherited Waardenburg syndrome type I showing circumscribed hypopigmentation of the skin, heterochromia iridis, sensorineural deafness, and dental aberrations. Clinical diagnosis was confirmed by the identification of an underlying missense mutation (C811T) in the PAX3 gene. Early diagnosis of Waardenburg syndrome among children ...

Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and modifications to histone proteins regulate high-order DNA structure and gene expression. Aberrant epigenetic mechanisms are involved in the development of many diseases, including cancer. The neurological disorder most intensely studied with regard to epigenetic changes is Rett syndrome; patients with Rett syndrome have ...

BACKGROUND: Pierson syndrome is typically manifested with congenital nephrotic syndrome (CNS) and peculiar ocular changes. LAMB2 was the causative gene. METHODS: A 3.25-year-old girl presenting with childhood-onset heavy proteinuria, bilateral myosis and nystagmus was detected on mutations of LAMB2 gene by PCR direct sequencing. RESULTS: Two novel mutations were identified, ...

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe postnatal neurological disorder caused by mutations in the methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene. In affected children, most biological parameters, including brain structure, are normal (although acquired microcephaly is usually present). However, in recent years, a deficit in bioaminergic metabolism has been identified at ...

Aortic arch artery patterning defects account for approximately 20% of congenital cardiovascular malformations and are observed frequently in velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS). In the current study, we screened for chromosome rearrangements in patients suspected of VCFS, but who lacked a 22q11 deletion or TBX1 mutation. One individual displayed hemizygous CHD7, which ...

We report the case of a female infant with Pfeiffer-like syndrome and holoprosencephaly. She had a cloverleaf skull, ocular proptosis, broad thumbs and halluces, and variable accompanying anomalies compatible with Pfeiffer syndrome. She also displayed microcephaly, short palpebral fissures, and a smooth philtrum, which are clinical signs consistent with fetal ...

Waardenburg-Shah syndrome (Waardenburg syndrome type IV-WS4) is an auditory-pigmentary disorder that combines clinical features of pigmentary abnormalities of the skin, hair and irides, sensorineural hearing loss, and Hirschsprung disease (HSCR). Mutations in the endothelin-B receptor (EDNRB) gene on 13q22 have been found to cause this syndrome. Mutations in both alleles ...

The Keratitis-Ichthyosis-Deafness syndrome (KIDS) is an autosomal dominant ectodermal dysplasia characterized by ocular, skin, and ear anomalies, including keratitis, palmoplantar keratoderma, and congenital hearing loss. Most cases are due to mutations in the GJB2 gene encoding connexin 26. The Dandy-Walker malformation (DWM) is a developmental anomaly of the midline of ...

Rett syndrome is an X-linked autism-spectrum disorder caused by mutations in MECP2, encoding methyl CpG-binding protein 2. Since the discovery of MECP2 mutations as the genetic cause of Rett syndrome, the understanding of MeCP2 function has evolved. Although MeCP2 was predicted to be a global transcriptional repressor of methylated promoters, ...

Loeys-Dietz syndrome is a recently-characterised genetic disorder with an autosomal-dominant inheritance due to mutations in the transforming growth factor beta-receptor Type 1 or Type 2 genes. We present a Chinese female neonate with genetically-confirmed Loeys-Dietz syndrome, cleft palate, hypertelorism, and an early dilatation of the aortic root and ascending aorta. ...

Familial cold-induced autoinflammatory syndrome, Muckle-Wells syndrome and neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease make up cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS). These are autoinflammatory inherited disorders caused by autosomal dominant gain-of-function mutations in the NLRP3 gene, located on chromosome 1q44. Cryopyrin/NALP3/NLRP3 is an essential component of intracellular inflammasomes that activate caspase-1, which in turn ...

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain all prenatally diagnosed cases of Steroid Sulfatase (STS) deficiency in British Columbia between August 2002 and July 2007 to determine the incidence of this condition, the clinical and laboratory findings, and the risk of a contiguous gene deletion syndrome. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of these ...

Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome is a dominantly inherited familial cancer syndrome caused by mutations in the VHL gene. VHL syndrome displays marked variation in expression and analysis of genotype-phenotype correlations have led to the concept of four subtypes of VHL syndrome (Types 1, 2A-C). Type 2 subtypes of VHL syndrome ...

TNF receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS) is a highly polymorphic autoinflammatory syndrome related to mutations in the TNFRSF1A gene encoding the type 1 TNF receptor. Arthralgia and nonerosive synovitis are among the most common manifestations. We report the case of a 73-year-old woman who presented with chronic erosive joint disease that ...

Craniosynostosis can be caused by both genetic and environmental factors, the relative contributions of which vary between patients. Genetic testing identifies a pathogenic mutation or chromosomal abnormality in ∼ 21% of cases, but it is likely that further causative mutations remain to be discovered. To identify a shared signature of ...

We report a girl with severe manifestations of Townes-Brocks syndrome (TBS) and a previously unreported serious congenital dysphagia. She is unable to swallow her saliva and consequently chokes frequently with desaturations still existing beyond the second year of life. Involvement of the feet was more extensive than is usually seen ...

Abnormalities in the central nervous system and renal function are seen together in a variety of congenital syndromes. This Review examines the clinical presentation and the genetic basis of several such syndromes. The X-linked oculocerebrorenal syndrome of Lowe is characterized by developmental delay, blindness, renal tubular dysfunction, and progressive renal ...

The present paper studies gene regulation in kidney deficiency syndromes from the simple Nephrotic Syndrome and with the principle of positive-negative regulation to control the change-over of yin-yang, the modern molecular biological techniques can be used, such as gene chip, representational difference analysis (RDA) and gene sequence analysis, so as ...

We present an infant with AEC syndrome due to a novel TP63 mutation (F552S), who demonstrated neonatal erythroderma followed by extensive depigmentation. We are unaware of previous reports highlighting the extensive depigmentation present in our patient.

Fetal chylothorax is one of a very few syndromes that can be treated in utero with thoracoamniotic shunting or pleurodesis by OK-432 as two major therapeutic modalities. We report on a fetus with Noonan syndrome and a missense mutation c.182A > C (p.Asp61Ala) of PTPN11 who responded poorly to antenatal ...

DNA ligase IV deficiency syndrome (LIG4 syndrome) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by microcephaly, growth retardation, low birth weight, dysmorphic facial findings, immunodeficiency, pancytopenia, and radiosensitivity due to impaired repair of DNA double-strand breaks by non-homologous end-joining. Herein, we report two siblings with LIG4 syndrome with a novel ...

We herein describe the positional identification of a 2-bp deletion in the open reading frame of the MRC2 receptor causing the recessive Crooked Tail Syndrome in cattle. The resulting frame-shift reveals a premature stop codon that causes nonsense-mediated decay of the mutant messenger RNA, and the virtual absence of functional ...

There is a large group of disorders characterized by non-cranial vascular malformations and a dysregulated growth, of which the prototype may be Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS). The aetiology of KTS and vascular malformations-dysregulated growth (VM-DG) syndromes resembling KTS is obscure, but polygenic paradominant inheritance involving mutations or polymorphisms in two or ...

BACKGROUND: The Down syndrome candidate region-1 gene (DSCR1, also known as RCAN1) is situated close to the Down Syndrome Critical Region (DSCR), which contains genes responsible for many features of Down syndrome. DSCR1 modulates calcineurin phosphatase activity, though its functional role is incompletely understood. METHODS: Here we investigated the role ...

Dravet syndrome (also called severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy) is one of the most severe forms of childhood epilepsy. Most patients have heterozygous mutations in SCN1A, encoding voltage-gated sodium channel Na(v)1.1 alpha subunits. Sodium channels are modulated by beta1 subunits, encoded by SCN1B, a gene also linked to epilepsy. Here ...

Virilizing adrenocortical carcinoma and Turner syndrome have opposite clinical manifestations in some aspects. Here, we report on the first case of virilizing adrenocortical carcinoma in a girl with Turner syndrome. A 2 10/12-year-old girl presented pubic hair of Tanner stage III with clitomegaly, deepening of her voice, and tall stature. ...