Novel lip pit phenotypes and mutations of IRF6 in Van der Woude syndrome patients from Pakistan

The role of interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6) gene mutations in causing Van der Woude syndrome (VWS) and poplyteal pterygium syndrome has been described in different populations worldwide. The former is one of the major syndromes of cleft lip and/or cleft palate (CL/P) with the distinct phenotype of presence of pits with or without sinuses on the lower lip. We identified seven probands with VWS from Punjab province of Pakistan and recognized two previously unreported lip pit phenotypes. The mutational analysis of IRF6 in this cohort revealed four novel and two previously reported mutations. The newly identified mutations include three frameshifts (c.635delG; c.21_33del13; c.627delC) and one transition mutation (c.2T>C) affecting the first codon of IRF6. Together with a past epidemiological study on VWS in Pakistan, the frequency of this syndrome among CL/P individuals from Punjab was calculated to be 1.17%.     

Van der Woude综合征家系IRF6基因突变分析

目的研究Van der Woude综合征（Van der Woude syndrome，VWS）干扰素调节因子6（interferon regulatory factor 6，IRF6）基因突变。方法提取3个VWS家系成员基因组DNA，聚合酶链反应扩增IRF6基因9个外显子及其侧翼内含子序列，直接测序对患者IRF6基因进行突变的检测。结果在3个家系患者IRF6基因中共发现国际上尚未报道的3个突变：无义突变981（T→A）（Cys327X）和1234（C→T）（Arg412X）；错义突变1214（T→C）（Met405Thr）。结论IRF6基因突变可能是VWS发病原因。     

Abnormal brain structure in adults with Van der Woude syndrome

Van der Woude syndrome (VWS) is an autosomal dominant disorder manifested in cleft lip and/or palate and lip pits. Isolated clefts of the lip and/or palate (ICLP) have both genotype and phenotype overlap with VWS. Subjects with ICLP have abnormalities in brain structure and function. Given the similarities between VWS and ICLP, the current study was designed to evaluate the pattern of brain structure of adults with VWS. Fourteen adults with VWS were compared to age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Brain structure was evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging. All subjects with VWS had enlarged volumes of the anterior regions of the cerebrum. Men with VWS had reduced volumes of the posterior cerebrum. Anterior cerebrum volume was negatively correlated with intelligent quotient in the subjects with VWS indicating that the enlargement of this brain region was 'pathologic.' The pattern of brain structure in VWS is nearly identical to those seen in ICLP. In addition, men are affected more severely. Pathologic enlargement of the tissue and a gender effect with men affected more severely are common features of neurodevelopmental disorders supporting the notion that the brain structure of VWS and ICLP may be because of abnormal brain development.     

Popliteal pterygium syndrome: a clinical study of three families and report of linkage to the Van der Woude syndrome locus on 1q32

Popliteal pterygium syndrome (PPS) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder, thought to occur with an incidence of approximately 1 in 300 000 live births. The main clinical manifestations are popliteal webbing, cleft lip, cleft palate, lower lip pits, syndactyly, and genital and nail anomalies. This report describes the clinical features in two families with PPS and one isolated case, showing the range of anomalies found both within and between the families. PPS has some features in common with Van der Woude syndrome (VWS), also inherited as an autosomal dominant condition, with cleft lip/palate and, more distinctively, lower lip pits. Although the gene for VWS has not yet been identified, it has been localised to within 1.6 cM in the region 1q32-41. To determine whether PPS and VWS represent allelic forms of the same gene, three families were genotyped for markers flanking and within the critical region. A multipoint lod score of 2.7 was obtained, with no evidence of recombination, supporting the hypothesis that these two disorders are allelic.     

Novel IRF6 mutations in Japanese patients with Van der Woude Syndrome: two missense mutations (R45Q and P396S) and a 17-kb deletion

Three Japanese families with Van der Woude syndrome (VWS) were screened for mutations in the interferon regulatory factor 6 gene (IRF6) by sequencing its entire coding region. Two novel missense mutations, R45Q in exon 3 and P396S in exon 9, were identified in families 1 and 2, respectively. In family 3, no causative base change was found by the sequencing analysis, but a deletion involving exons 4–9 was suggested by multiplex PCR analysis. To confirm the deletion and to determine its 5- and 3-boundaries, we amplified a DNA fragment containing a heterozygous polymorphic site in exon 2 by using a 5-upstream forward PCR primer and eight different reverse primers located 3-downstream of exon 2. The amplified product was subjected to nested PCR to generate a DNA fragment containing the polymorphic site. When a reverse primer located within the deletion was used for the first PCR amplification, only the nondeletion allele was detected after the second PCR. Repeated analyses with eight different reverse primers allowed us to map the boundaries of the deletion, and subsequently a heterozygous 17,162-bp deletion involving exons 4–9 was identified. Since IRF6 mutations in a significant portion of VWS patients remain undetected by conventional sequencing analysis, it may be important to search for a large deletion in those patients. Our simple methods to identify deletions and to determine the boundaries of a deletion would facilitate the identification of such patients.     

一个非综合征型唇腭裂家系的致病基因鉴定

目的对一个非综合征型唇腭裂家系进行分子遗传学研究,探寻其致病原因。方法对该家系成员进行详细的体格检查和既往史调查,排除综合征型唇腭裂。对该家系1例患儿的基因组DNA进行全外显子组测序及生物信息学分析。筛查到候选致病基因突变位点后,采用Sanger测序对该家系成员及100名健康对照个体进行共分离分析和人群验证分析。结果全外显子组测序及疾病共分离分析显示,该家系患者IRF6基因第4外显子存在c.253A>G(p.Cys85Arg)变异,且该突变未在健康对照个体中检出,文献尚未见报道。结论IRF6基因第4外显子c.253A>G错义变异是导致该家系发病的原因。     

Variable expression of the popliteal pterygium syndrome in two 3-generation families

Three successive generations in two families affected with the popliteal pterygium syndrome are reported. While expression of the syndrome was relatively mild in the first and second generation, the patients in the third generation showed the full-blown syndrome. Differential diagnosis between mildly affected patients with the popliteal pterygium syndrome and those with Van der Woude syndrome is difficult and may even be impossible. The present observations further support the hypothesis that both syndromes may in fact represent variants of the same condition.     

A mutational hotspot in AMOTL1 defines a new syndrome of orofacial clefting,cardiac anomalies,and tall stature

AMOTL1 encodes angiomotin-like protein 1, an actin-binding protein that regulates cell polarity, adhesion, and migration. The role of AMOTL1 in human disease is equivocal. We report a large cohort of individuals harboring heterozygous AMOTL1 variants and define a core phenotype of orofacial clefting, congenital heart disease, tall stature, auricular anomalies, and gastrointestinal manifestations in individuals with variants in AMOTL1 affecting amino acids 157–161, a functionally undefined but highly conserved region. Three individuals with AMOTL1 variants outside this region are also described who had variable presentations with orofacial clefting and multi-organ disease. Our case cohort suggests that heterozygous missense variants in AMOTL1, most commonly affecting amino acid residues 157–161, define a new orofacial clefting syndrome, and indicates an important functional role for this undefined region.     

Impact of rare variants in ARHGAP29 to the etiology of oral clefts: role of loss‐of‐function vs missense variants

Non‐syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) is a prevalent, complex congenital malformation. Genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) on NSCL/P have consistently identified association for the 1p22 region, in which ARHGAP29 has emerged as the main candidate gene. ARHGAP29 re‐sequencing studies in NSCL/P patients have identified rare variants; however, their clinical impact is still unclear. In this study we identified 10 rare variants in ARHGAP29, including five missense, one in‐frame deletion, and four loss‐of‐function (LoF) variants, in a cohort of 188 familial NSCL/P cases. A significant mutational burden was found for LoF (Sequence Kernel Association Test, p = 0.0005) but not for missense variants in ARHGAP29, suggesting that only LoF variants contribute to the etiology of NSCL/P. Penetrance was estimated as 59%, indicating that heterozygous LoF variants in ARHGAP29 confer a moderate risk to NSCL/P. The GWAS hits in IRF6 (rs642961) and 1p22 (rs560426 and rs4147811) do not seem to contribute to the penetrance of the phenotype, based on co‐segregation analysis. Our data show that rare variants leading to haploinsufficiency of ARHGAP29 represent an important etiological clefting mechanism, and genetic testing for this gene might be taken into consideration in genetic counseling of familial cases.     

The nosology of Richieri-Costa/Guion-Almeida syndrome(s)

Richieri‐Costa/Guion‐Almeida syndrome type 1 (RCGAS1) is a rare MR/MCA syndrome comprising developmental and growth delay, microcephaly, prominent supraorbital ridges, asymmetric ptosis and eyebrows, esotropia, nystagmus, eye colobomas, and cleft lip/palate. It was originally described in three brothers and an additional sporadic male. The same authors also described a further family with a partially overlapping condition in two sisters (Richieri‐Costa/Guion‐Almeida syndrome type 2, RCGAS2). We report on a sporadic, mentally retarded patient strongly resembling those of the original report of RCGAS1, but lacking some manifestations such as short stature and, possibly, some ocular changes. Results of 200 kb CGH‐array study were normal. By comparing the present and previously reported patients with RCGAS1 and 2, we tried to contribute to syndrome delineation and to separate them from conditions with similar facial anomalies. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.