X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is a rare inherited disorder of renal phosphate wasting with a highly variable phenotype caused by loss-of-function variants in the gene. The diagnosis of individuals with mild phenotypes can be challenging and often delayed. Here, we describe a three-generation family with a very mild clinical presentation of XLH.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Clinical variability among individuals with heterozygous pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants in the COL4A3/COL4A4 genes (also called autosomal dominant Alport syndrome or COL4A3/COL4A4-related disorder) is huge; many individuals are asymptomatic or show microhematuria, while others may develop proteinuria and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The prevalence of simple kidney cysts (KC) in the general population varies according to age, and patients with advanced CKD are prone to have them. A possible association between heterozygous COL4A3, COL4A4 and COL4A5 P/LP variants and KC has been described in small cohorts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpondylocarpotarsal synostosis syndrome (SCT) is a very rare skeletal dysplasia characterized by vertebral, carpal, and tarsal fusion; growth retardation; and mild dysmorphic facial features. Variants in and have been implicated in this dysplasia. We report the clinical and radiological follow-up of seven SCT pediatric cases associated with biallelic variants, from four Argentinian families.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultiple Osteochondromatosis (MO, MIM 133700 & 133701), an autosomal dominant O-glycosylation disorder (EXT1/EXT2-CDG), can be associated with a reduction in skeletal growth, bony deformity, restricted joint motion, shortened stature and pathogenic variants in two tumor suppressor genes, and In this work, we report a cross-sectional study including 35 index patients and 20 affected family members. Clinical phenotyping of all 55 affected cases was obtained, but genetic studies were performed only in 35 indexes. Of these, a total of 40% ( = 14) had a family history of MO.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe tumor suppressor FANCD1/BRCA2 is crucial for DNA homologous recombination repair (HRR). BRCA2 biallelic pathogenic variants result in a severe form of Fanconi anemia (FA) syndrome, whereas monoallelic pathogenic variants cause mainly hereditary breast and ovarian cancer predisposition. For decades, the co-occurrence in trans with a clearly pathogenic variant led to assume that the other allele was benign.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMore than two decades since the first clinical and radiological description of odontochondroplasia (ODCD) was reported, biallelic loss of function variants in the Thyroid hormone receptor interactor 11 gene (TRIP11) were identified, the same gene implicated in the lethal disorder achondrogenesis (ACG1A). Here we report the clinical and radiological follow-up of four ODCD patients, including two siblings and an adult who interestingly has the mildest form observed to date. Four TRIP11 variants were detected, two previously unreported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), its endogenous receptor, natriuretic peptide receptor-B (NPR-B), as well as its downstream mediator, cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) dependent protein kinase II (cGKII), have been shown to play a pivotal role in chondrogenic differentiation and endochondral bone growth. In humans, biallelic variants in encoding NPR-B, cause acromesomelic dysplasia, type Maroteaux, while heterozygous variants in (natriuretic peptide receptor 2) and (natriuretic peptide precursor C), encoding CNP, cause milder phenotypes. In contrast, no variants in cGKII, encoded by the protein kinase cGMP-dependent type II gene (), have been reported in humans to date, although its role in longitudinal growth has been clearly demonstrated in several animal models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Fanconi anemia is a rare disease clinically characterized by malformations, bone marrow failure and an increased risk of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. The only therapies available are hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for bone marrow failure or leukemia, and surgical resection for solid tumors. Therefore, there is still an urgent need for new therapeutic options.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol
July 2020
Objective: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of prenatal ultrasound for detecting fetal skeletal dysplasias and to describe its role in orienting genetic studies.
Study Design: Observational study of pregnant women surveyed in our hospital, between 2011 and 2018, with fetal long bones below the 3rd centile (shortened long bones), either as an isolated finding or associated to other skeletal anomalies. We used a systematic protocol for the ultrasound evaluation and selection of those fetuses suspected of having a skeletal dysplasia.
Osteoporosis should be considered in children with severe chronic diseases or in association with some genetic diseases that bear an increased risk of bone fragility. Primary osteoporosis is an entity in which emerging aetiologies are being recognized. Its association with congenital retinal folds should guide the diagnosis to the Osteoporosis-Pseudoglioma syndrome (OMIM 259770), a rare disease (prevalence of 1/2 000 000), caused by the loss of function of the protein LRP5 (low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5) resulting in the alteration of the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHypochondroplasia (HCH), a skeletal dysplasia caused by mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 ( ) gene, is characterized by disproportionate short stature. The p.Asn540Lys (p.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Patients with Fanconi anaemia (FA), a rare DNA repair genetic disease, exhibit chromosome fragility, bone marrow failure, malformations and cancer susceptibility. FA molecular diagnosis is challenging since FA is caused by point mutations and large deletions in 22 genes following three heritability patterns. To optimise FA patients' characterisation, we developed a simplified but effective methodology based on whole exome sequencing (WES) and functional studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA cohort study on the growth of 19 Argentinean children, aged 0 to 18 years, and 11 of their first-degree relatives with alterations in the gene or its regulatory regions is reported. Children are born shorter and experience a growth delay during childhood with a stunted pubertal growth spurt. Body disproportion, with a sitting height/height ratio above +2 standard deviation score (SDS), was already present as early as 2 years old.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBloom syndrome, caused by biallelic mutations in BLM, is characterized by prenatal-onset growth deficiency, short stature, an erythematous photosensitive malar rash, and increased cancer predisposition. Diagnostically, a hallmark feature is the presence of increased sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) on cytogenetic testing. Here, we describe biallelic mutations in TOP3A in ten individuals with prenatal-onset growth restriction and microcephaly.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBRCA1 is a tumor suppressor that regulates DNA repair by homologous recombination. Germline mutations in BRCA1 are associated with increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer and BRCA1 deficient tumors are exquisitely sensitive to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Therefore, uncovering additional components of this DNA repair pathway is of extreme importance for further understanding cancer development and therapeutic vulnerabilities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Mutations in the aggrecan gene (ACAN) have been identified in two autosomal dominant skeletal dysplasias, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, Kimberley type (SEDK), and osteochondritis dissecans, as well as in a severe recessive dysplasia, spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia, aggrecan type. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has aided the identification of heterozygous ACAN mutations in individuals with short stature, minor skeletal defects and mild facial dysmorphisms, some of whom have advanced bone age (BA), poor pubertal spurt and early growth cessation as well as precocious osteoarthritis.
Design And Methods: This study involves clinical and genetic characterization of 16 probands with heterozygous ACAN variants, 14 with short stature and mild skeletal defects (group 1) and two with SEDK (group 2).
Detectable clonal mosaicism for large chromosomal events has been associated with aging and an increased risk of hematological and some solid cancers. We hypothesized that genetic cancer predisposition disorders, such as Fanconi anemia (FA), could manifest a high rate of chromosomal mosaic events (CMEs) in peripheral blood, which could be used as early biomarkers of cancer risk. We studied the prevalence of CMEs by single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array in 130 FA patients' blood DNA and their impact on cancer risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: Genetic evaluation has been recognized as an important tool to elucidate the causes of growth disorders.
Objective: To investigate the cause of short stature and to determine the phenotype of patients with IHH mutations, including the response to recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy.
Patients And Methods: We studied 17 families with autosomal-dominant short stature by using whole exome sequencing and screened IHH defects in 290 patients with growth disorders.
Craniosynostosis is commonly caused by mutations in fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs), highlighting the essential role of FGF-mediated signaling in skeletal development. We set out to identify the molecular defect in a family referred for craniosynostosis and in whom no mutation was previously detected. Using next-generation sequencing, we identified a novel missense mutation in FGF9.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurposeC-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) and its principal receptor, natriuretic peptide receptor B (NPR-B), have been shown to be important in skeletal development. CNP and NPR-B are encoded by natriuretic peptide precursor-C (NPPC) and natriuretic peptide receptor 2 (NPR2) genes, respectively. While NPR2 mutations have been described in patients with skeletal dysplasias and idiopathic short stature (ISS), and several Npr2 and Nppc skeletal dysplasia mouse models exist, no mutations in NPPC have been described in patients to date.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF