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    Expanding the spectrum of rearrangements involving chromosome 19: a mild phenotype associated with a 19p13.12-p13.13 deletion.

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    We report on a patient with a 1.2 Mb 19p13.12-p13.13 deletion. Compared to previously reported individuals with partially overlapping deletions, the propositus presented with a less severe phenotype, consisting of mild intellectual disability and behavior anomalies, with episodes of simple febrile seizures and without significant physical anomalies or major malformations. The deleted region includes 29 coding genes, some of which have already been demonstrated to be involved in cognitive processes. Mutations in two of them, CC2D1A and TECR, were recently reported to be responsible for non-syndromal, autosomal recessive intellectual disability. The residual alleles of all of these genes were submitted to sequence analysis. No sequence variants were found that could be considered pathogenic. This patient constitutes a further example of the wide phenotypic variability associated with chromosomal rearrangements, likely due to the different size of deleted/duplicated segments

    Interstitial deletion of 3p22.3p22.2 encompassing ARPP21 and CLASP2 is a potential pathogenic factor for a syndromic form of intellectual disability: a co-morbidity model with additional copy number variations in a large family

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    We describe a family in which four individuals (the mother and three children) presented with an overlapping phenotype of minor physical anomalies and intellectual disability. Four previously unreported copy number variants were found inherited either from the affected mother or from the healthy father, consisting of a 3p22.3p22.2 deletion (2.5 Mb), a 3p24.3 deletion (0.55 Mb), a 6q22.31 duplication (0.74 Mb), all maternally inherited, and an 18q11.2 duplication (0.276 Mb) which was paternally inherited. The deletions on chromosome 3 were both found to segregate with the disease. However, being the 0.55 Mb deleted segment on 3p24.3 devoid of genes, we considered that the 2.5 Mb deletion on 3p22.3p22.2 acts as major pathogenic rearrangement in this condition. Among the transcribed genes residing in this interval, ARPP21 and CLASP2 are proposed as good candidate genes on the basis of their functional properties. A co-morbidity role for the other small rearrangements detected in the affected individuals in association with the 3p22.3p22.2 deletion is also suggested, according to a second-side model of pathogenesis

    A case of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome caused by a cryptic 11p15 deletion encompassing the centromeric imprinted domain of the BWS locus

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    Background Beckwith Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is a clinically variable and genetically heterogeneous disorder, providing evidence that imprinted genes play key roles in the control of fetal growth. Clinically, diagnostic criteria include macrosomia, macroglossia, abdominal wall defects, neonatal hypoglycaemia, visceromegalies and hemihyperplasia. Component clinical manifestations also include renal abnormalities, adrenocortical cytomegaly and a characteristic facial appearance, with midface hypoplasia and ear anomalies. Genetically, BWS is associated with disturbances within two different domains on 11p15 that are controlled by distinct imprinting control regions (ICR), ICR1 and ICR2. The majority of patients have abnormalities within ICR2. In particular, loss of maternal methylation accounts for 50 60% of cases, and is associated with reduction in the expression of the CDKN1C gene, a member of the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor family acting as negative regulator of cell proliferation. Mutations in CDKN1C are detected in another 5 10% of subjects with sporadic BWS. Chromosome deletions affecting ICR2 are uncommon. Methods and findings We report on a patient with BWS in which a de novo 11p15 deletion was detected by array comparative genomic hybridisation. Clinically, the patient presented with mild mental retardation and minor physical anomalies. The deletion, that was demonstrated to be maternal in origin by SNP array, encompassed ICR2 and several flanking genes, including CDKN1C. A normal methylation pattern of ICR1 was observed. Conclusions This observation provides evidence that, among the genetic defects associated with BWS, a 11p15 microdeletion encompassing ICR2 identifies a peculiar clinical phenotype, with high recurrence risk in offspring of female carriers. It also supports the model of two independent domains within the BWS locus

    Variable expressivity of a familial 1.9 Mb microdeletion in 3q28 leading to haploinsufficiency of TP63: Refinement of the critical region for a new microdeletion phenotype.

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    We report on a 3-year-old male with intellectual disability (ID), characteristic facial features, polydactyly and epilepsy carrying a paternally inherited 3q28 deletion of 1.9 Mb. The father, carrying the same deletion, presents with cleft palate, nail dystrophy and learning difficulties. The deleted region in this family is one of the smallest so far reported among genomic deletions affecting 3q27-3q28 for which some phenotypic descriptions are available. In particular, since the phenotype of our proband is strikingly similar to that previously described in a patient with a 9.3 Mb deletion, the deletion identified in this report contributes to the definition of the molecular boundaries of a genomic region responsible for a distinct clinical phenotype. Within the deleted interval there are 9 annotated genes, including TP63. Gain of function mutations of TP63 are known to be responsible for a group of conditions with distal limb and ectodermal involvement, such as ADULT, EEC, LMS, and SHFM4 syndromes. Interestingly, our cases demonstrate a milder phenotypic effect for loss of function of this gene

    Screening of CD96 and ASXL1 in 11 patients with Opitz C or Bohring-Opitz syndromes

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    Opitz C trigonocephaly (or Opitz C syndrome, OTCS) and Bohring-Opitz syndrome (BOS or C-like syndrome) are two rare genetic disorders with phenotypic overlap. The genetic causes of these diseases are not understood. However, two genes have been associated with OTCS or BOS with dominantly inherited de novo mutations. Whereas CD96 has been related to OTCS (one case) and to BOS (one case), ASXL1 has been related to BOS only (several cases). In this study we analyze CD96 and ASXL1 in a group of 11 affected individuals, including 2 sibs, 10 of them were diagnosed with OTCS, and one had a BOS phenotype. Exome sequences were available on six patients with OTCS and three parent pairs. Thus, we could analyze the CD96 and ASXL1 sequences in these patients bioinformatically. Sanger sequencing of all exons of CD96 and ASXL1 was carried out in the remaining patients. Detailed scrutiny of the sequences and assessment of variants allowed us to exclude putative pathogenic and private mutations in all but one of the patients. In this patient (with BOS) we identified a de novo mutation in ASXL1 (c.2100dupT). By nature and location within the gene, this mutation resembles those previously described in other BOS patients and we conclude that it may be responsible for the condition. Our results indicate that in 10 of 11, the disease (OTCS or BOS) cannot be explained by small changes in CD96 or ASXL1. However, the cohort is too small to make generalizations about the genetic etiology of these diseases. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

    Three unrelated patients with congenital anterior pituitary aplasia and a characteristic physical and neuropsychological phenotype: a new syndrome?

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    Anterior pituitary aplasia (APA) is a very rare cause of congenital-onset multiple pituitary hormone deficiency (CO-MPHD). We report on molecular analysis and clinical follow-up of three previously reported cases of APA [Scommegna et al., 2004], who share a characteristic physical and neuropsychological profile. Mutation analysis of genes encoding transcription factors involved in pituitary development (PROP1, POUF1, HESX1, LHX3, and LHX4) did not demonstrate a any mutation. In order to identify the genetic cause underlying the phenotypes we performed an array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH), which showed a cryptic interstitial deletion of 9p (200 kb), including the TEK and MOBKL2B, in one patient. Although an apparently identical deletion was carried by the clinically normal father, we assumed that the patient's phenotype might be due to a recessive mutation in the other allele. However, sequence analysis of exons and splice junctions of these genes did not detect pathogenic or predisposing variants in the three patients. We suggest that the constellation of clinical signs in these patients constitutes a previously undescribed syndrome, whose genetic cause has yet to be identified

    Early onset myoclonic epilepsy and 15q26 microdeletion: Observation of the first case.

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    Summary The authors report the study of a 30-month-old girl with refractory myoclonic epilepsy associated with mental retardation, growth delay, peculiar facial appearance, and minor physical anomalies. Extensive genetic studies were performed, including an array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) that showed a cryptic interstitial deletion of 15q (5 Mb) affecting the 15q26.1-26.2 region. Partial deletions of the long arm of chromosome 15, including the 15q26 region, were observed in syndromic associations that typically include congenital diaphragmatic hernia, but neurologic features were poorly described and epileptic seizures were never reported. Our findings suggest that genes for seizures could be included in the 15q26.1q26.2 deletion interval

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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