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Abstract Background Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) is caused by germline mutations in the APC (Adenomatous Polyposis Coli) gene. The vast majority of APC mutations are point mutations or small insertions / deletions which lead to truncated protein products. Splicing mutations or gross genomic rearrangements are less common inactivating events of the APC gene. Methods In the current study genomic DNA or RNA from ten unrelated FAP suspected patients was examined for germline mutations in the APC gene. Family history and phenotype were used in order to select the patients. Methods used for testing were dHPLC (denaturing High Performance Liquid Chromatography), sequencing, MLPA (Multiplex Ligation – dependent Probe Amplification), Karyotyping, FISH (Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization) and RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription – Polymerase Chain Reaction). Results A 250 Kbp deletion in the APC gene starting from intron 5 and extending beyond exon 15 was identified in one patient. A substitution of the +5 conserved nucleotide at the splice donor site of intron 9 in the APC gene was shown to produce frameshift and inefficient exon skipping in a second patient. Four frameshift mutations (1577insT, 1973delAG, 3180delAAAA, 3212delA) and a nonsense mutation (C1690T) were identified in the rest of the patients. Conclusion Screening for APC mutations in FAP patients should include testing for splicing defects and gross genomic alterations.

A genetic diagnosis of autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is challenging due to allelic heterogeneity, high GC content, and homology of the PKD1 gene with six pseudogenes. Short-read next-generation sequencing approaches, such as whole-genome sequencing and whole-exome sequencing, often fail at reliably characterizing complex regions such as PKD1. However, long-read single-molecule sequencing has been shown to be an alternative strategy that could overcome PKD1 complexities and discriminate between homologous regions of PKD1 and its pseudogenes. In this study, we present the increased power of resolution for complex regions using long-read sequencing to characterize a cohort of 19 patients with ADPKD. Our approach provided high sensitivity in identifying PKD1 pathogenic variants, diagnosing 94.7% of the patients. We show that reliable screening of ADPKD patients in a single test without interference of PKD1 homologous sequences, commonly introduced by residual amplification of PKD1 pseudogenes, by direct long-read sequencing is now possible. This strategy can be implemented in diagnostics and is highly suitable to sequence and resolve complex genomic regions that are of clinical relevance., (© 2017 The Authors. Human Mutation published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RTS; OMIM 180849) is a well-defined mental retardation/multiple congenital anomalies (MR/MCA) syndrome characterized by postnatal growth retardation, microcephaly, specific facial features, broad thumbs and halluces, and MR of variable degree. Ten percent of patients with RTS have a microdeletion 16p13.3, 40-50% carry a mutation of the CREBBP gene and another 3% have a mutation in the EP300 gene. In the remaining patients with clinically suspected RTS no mutation can be detected. Here we describe two patients with an RTS phenotype, one with a mutation in the CREBBP gene and the other without a detectable CREBBP or EP300 mutation and without a chromosomal imbalance on high-resolution arrays. Both patients present with the characteristic facial RTS phenotype, broad thumbs and big toes, mild MR, formation of keloids and glaucoma, but without postnatal growth retardation or microcephaly. In addition, they have both congenital camptodactyly of third (and fourth) fingers, which has not reported in RTS previously. We suggest that they represent a clinical subtype of RTS.

The presence of highly homologous sequences, known as low copy repeats, predisposes for unequal recombination within the 22q11 region. This can lead to genomic imbalances associated with several known genetic disorders. We report here a developmentally delayed patient carrying different rearrangements on both chromosome 22 homologues, including a previously unreported rearrangement within the 22q11 region. One homologue carries a deletion of the proximal part of chromosome band 22q11. To our knowledge, a 'pure' deletion of this region has not been described previously. Four copies of this 22q11 region, however, are associated with Cat eye syndrome (CES). While the phenotypic impact of this deletion is unclear, familial investigation revealed five normal relatives carrying this deletion, suggesting that haplo-insufficiency of the CES region has little clinical relevance. The other chromosome 22 homologue carries a duplication of the Velocardiofacial/DiGeorge syndrome (VCFS/DGS) region. In addition, a previously undescribed deletion of 22q12.1, located in a relatively gene-poor region, was identified. As the clinical features of patients suffering from a duplication of the VCFS/DGS region have proven to be extremely variable, it is impossible to postulate as to the contribution of the 22q12.1 deletion to the phenotype of the patient. Additional patients with a deletion within this region are needed to establish the consequences of this copy number alteration. This study highlights the value of using different genomic approaches to unravel chromosomal alterations in order to study their phenotypic impact.

The PKD1 and PKD2 genes are mutated in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), a systemic disease, with the formation of renal cysts as main clinical feature. The genes are developmentally regulated and aberrant expression of PKD1 or PKD2 leads to cystogenesis. To date, however, the transcription factors regulating expression of these genes have hardly been studied. To identify conserved putative transcription factor-binding sites, we cloned and characterized the 5'-flanking regions of the murine and canine Pkd1 genes and performed a multispecies comparison by including sequences from the human and Fugu rubripes orthologues as well as the Pkd2 promoters from mouse and human. Sequence analysis revealed a variety of conserved putative binding sites for transcription factors and no TATA-box element. Nine elements were conserved in the mammalian Pkd1 promoters: AP2, E2F, E-Box, EGRF, ETS, MINI, MZF1, SP1, and ZBP-89. Interestingly, six of these elements were also found in the mammalian Pkd2 promoters. Deletion studies with the mouse Pkd1 promoter showed that a approximately 280 bp fragment is capable of driving luciferase reporter gene expression, whereas reporter constructs containing larger fragments of the Pkd1 promoter showed a lower activity. Furthermore, mutating a potential E2F-binding site within this 280 bp fragment diminished the reporter construct activity, suggesting a role for E2F in regulating cell cycle-dependent expression of the Pkd1 gene. Our data define a functional promoter region for Pkd1 and imply that E2F, EGRF, Ets, MZF1, Sp1, and ZBP-89 are potential key regulators of PKD1 and PKD2 in mammals.

Background: Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) is caused by germline mutations in the APC (Adenomatous Polyposis Coli) gene. The vast majority of APC mutations are point mutations or small insertions/deletions which lead to truncated protein products. Splicing mutations or gross genomic rearrangements are less common inactivating events of the APC gene., Methods: In the current study genomic DNA or RNA from ten unrelated FAP suspected patients was examined for germline mutations in the APC gene. Family history and phenotype were used in order to select the patients. Methods used for testing were dHPLC (denaturing High Performance Liquid Chromatography), sequencing, MLPA (Multiplex Ligation - dependent Probe Amplification), Karyotyping, FISH (Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization) and RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription - Polymerase Chain Reaction)., Results: A 250 Kbp deletion in the APC gene starting from intron 5 and extending beyond exon 15 was identified in one patient. A substitution of the +5 conserved nucleotide at the splice donor site of intron 9 in the APC gene was shown to produce frameshift and inefficient exon skipping in a second patient. Four frameshift mutations (1577insT, 1973delAG, 3180delAAAA, 3212delA) and a nonsense mutation (C1690T) were identified in the rest of the patients., Conclusion: Screening for APC mutations in FAP patients should include testing for splicing defects and gross genomic alterations.

Background: Deletions and mutations in the NSD1 gene are the major cause of Sotos syndrome. We wanted to evaluate the genotype-phenotype correlation in patients suspected of having Sotos syndrome and determine the best discriminating parameters for the presence of a NSD1 gene alteration., Methods: Mutation and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis was performed on blood samples of 59 patients who were clinically scored into 3 groups. Clinical data were compared between patients with and without NSD1 alterations. With logistic regression analysis the best combination of predictive variables was obtained., Results: In the groups of typical, dubious and atypical Sotos syndrome, 81, 36 and 0% of the patients, respectively, showed NSD1 gene alterations. Four deletions were detected. In 23 patients (2 families) 19 mutations were detected (1 splicing defect, 3 non-sense, 7 frameshift and 8 missense mutations). The best predictive parameters for a NSD1 gene alteration were frontal bossing, down-slanted palpebral fissures, pointed chin and overgrowth. Higher incidences of feeding problems and cardiac anomalies were found. The parameters, delayed development and advanced bone age, did not differ between the 2 subgroups., Conclusions: In our patients suspected of having Sotos syndrome, facial features and overgrowth were highly predictive of a NSD1 gene aberration, whereas developmental delay and advanced bone age were not., (Copyright (c) 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Only a small proportion of cancers result from familial cancer syndromes with Mendelian inheritance. Nonfamilial, 'sporadic' cancers, which represent most cancer cases, also have a significant hereditary component, but the genes involved have low penetrance and are extremely difficult to detect. Therefore, mapping and cloning of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for cancer susceptibility in animals could help identify homologous genes in humans. Several cancer-susceptibility QTLs have been mapped in mice and rats, but none have been cloned so far. Here we report the positional cloning of the mouse gene Scc1 (Susceptibility to colon cancer 1) and the identification of Ptprj, encoding a receptor-type protein tyrosine phosphatase, as the underlying gene. In human colon, lung and breast cancers, we show frequent deletion of PTPRJ, allelic imbalance in loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and missense mutations. Our data suggest that PTPRJ is relevant to the development of several different human cancers.

We present a unique case of acute myeloid leukemia M4Eo (AML-M4Eo) with a CBFB/MYH11 fusion transcript and a trisomy 22, but in whom cytogenetic analyses did not disclose an inv(16). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis with chromosome arm-specific painting probes as well as with the c40 and c36 cosmids also revealed no evidence for an inv(16), whereas the application of locus-specific probes confirmed the presence of a masked inv(16). The results of our comprehensive FISH investigations indicate that the events leading to this masked inv(16) were complex and concurred with deletions on both the long and short arms. The most likely explanation for the formation of the relevant CBFB/MYH11 fusion is an insertion of parts of the MYH11 into the CBFB gene, although it is also possible that it was formed by a double inversion., (Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a heritable disorder of the connective tissue. PXE patients frequently experience visual field loss and skin lesions, and occasionally cardiovascular complications. Histopathological findings reveal calcification of the elastic fibres and abnormalities of the collagen fibrils. Most PXE patients are sporadic, but autosomal recessive and dominant inheritance are also observed. We previously localized the PXE gene to chromosome 16p13.1 (refs 8,9) and constructed a physical map. Here we describe homozygosity mapping in five PXE families and the detection of deletions or mutations in ABCC6 (formerly MRP6) associated with all genetic forms of PXE in seven patients or families.

Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RTS) is a multiple congenital anomalies and mental retardation syndrome characterized by facial abnormalities, broad thumbs, and broad big toes. We have shown previously that disruption of the human CREB-binding protein (CBP) gene, either by gross chromosomal rearrangements or by point mutations, leads to RTS. Translocations and inversions involving chromosome band 16p13.3 form the minority of CBP mutations, whereas microdeletions occur more frequently (approximately 10%). Breakpoints of six translocations and inversions in RTS patients described thus far were found clustered in a 13-kb intronic region at the 5' end of the CBP gene and could theoretically only result in proteins containing the extreme N-terminal region of CBP. In contrast, in one patient with a translocation t(2;16)(q36.3;p13.3) we show by using fiber FISH and Southern blot analysis that the chromosome 16 breakpoint lies about 100 kb downstream of this breakpoint cluster. In this patient, Western blot analysis of extracts prepared from lymphoblasts showed both a normal and an abnormal shorter protein lacking the C-terminal domain, indicating expression of both the normal and the mutant allele. The results suggest that the loss of C-terminal domains of CBP is sufficient to cause RTS. Furthermore, these data indicate the potential utility of Western blot analysis as an inexpensive and fast approach for screening RTS mutations., (Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

We report on a familial submicroscopic translocation involving chromosomes 8 and 16. The proband of the family had a clinical picture suggestive of a large deletion in the chromosome 16p13.3 area, as he was affected with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) and had alpha thalassaemia trait, and his half brother, who also had TSC, may have suffered additionally from polycystic kidney disease (PKD). FISH studies provided evidence for a familial translocation t(8;16)(q24.3;p13.3) with an unbalanced form in the proband and a balanced form in the father and in a paternal aunt. The unbalanced translocation caused the index patient to be deleted for the chromosome 16p13.3-pter region, with the most proximal breakpoint described to date for terminal 16p deletions. In addition, FISH analysis showed a duplication for the distal 8q region. Since the index patient also had hypomelanosis of Ito (HI), either of the chromosomal areas involved in the translocation may be a candidate region for an HI determining gene. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that both carriers of the balanced translocation showed a nodular goitre, while the proband has hypothyroidism.

Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RTS) is a malformation syndrome characterised by facial abnormalities, broad thumbs, broad big toes, and mental retardation. In a subset of RTS patients, microdeletions, translocations, and inversions involving chromosome band 16p13.3 can be detected. We have previously shown that disruption of the human CREB binding protein (CREBBP or CBP) gene, either by these gross chromosomal rearrangements or by point mutations, leads to RTS. CBP is a large nuclear protein involved in transcription regulation, chromatin remodelling, and the integration of several different signal transduction pathways. Here we report diagnostic analysis of CBP in 194 RTS patients, divided into several subsets. In one case the mother is also suspect of having RTS. Analyses of the entire CBP gene by the protein truncation test showed 4/37 truncating mutations. Two point mutations, one 11 bp deletion, and one mutation affecting the splicing of the second exon were detected by subsequent sequencing. Screening the CBP gene for larger deletions, by using different cosmid probes in FISH, showed 14/171 microdeletions. Using five cosmid probes that contain the entire gene, we found 8/89 microdeletions of which 4/8 were 5' or interstitial. This last subset of microdeletions would not have been detected using the commonly used 3' probe RT1, showing the necessity of using all five probes.

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD), a common inherited disease leading to progressive renal failure, can be caused by a mutation in either the PKD1 or PKD2 gene. Both genes encode for putative transmembrane proteins, polycystin-1 and polycystin-2, which show significant homology to each other and are believed to interact at their carboxy termini. To identify genes that code for related proteins we searched for homologous sequences in several databases and identified one partial cDNA and two genomic sequences with significant homology to both polycystin-1 and - 2. Further analysis revealed one novel gene, PKD2L2, located on chromosome band 5q31, and two recently described genes, PKD2L and PKDREJ, located on chromosome bands 10q31 and 22q13.3, respectively. PKD2L2 and PKD2L, which encode proteins of 613 and 805 amino acids, are approximately 65% similar to polycystin-2. The third gene, PKDREJ, encodes a putative 2253 amino acid protein and shows about 35% similarity to both polycystin-1 and polycystin-2. For all the genes expression was found in testis. Additional expression of PKD2L was observed in retina, brain, liver and spleen by RT-PCR. Analyses of five ADPKD families without clear linkage to either the PKD1 or PKD2 locus showed no linkage to any of the novel loci, excluding these genes as the cause of ADPKD in these families. Although these genes may not be involved in renal cystic diseases, their striking homology to PKD2 and PKD1 implies similar roles and may contribute to elucidating the function of both polycystin-1 and polycystin-2.

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) can be considered as a condition of the whole body as extracolonic features derived from all the three embryonic lineages are recorded with varying frequency in addition to the presence of multiple adenomas in the large intestine. Here, we describe two unrelated cases of FAP with unusual extracolonic phenotypes, namely several abnormalities of mesodermal origin strongly resembling Marfan syndrome (MFS) or a Marfan-like habitus. Conventional cytogenetic and FISH analysis did not reveal any gross chromosomal rearrangement on the long arm of chromosome 5 where the APC and FBN2 genes were located. However, in case 2 the FAP-causing mutation in the APC gene was found in the donor splice site of exon 4 and was shown to result in a frameshift and a premature termination codon. We propose that such connective tissue abnormalities may result from germline APC mutations in combination with specific genetic and/or environmental modifying factors.

The inv(16)(p13q22) and t(16;16)(p13;q22) in acute myeloid leukaemia are associated with a relatively good prognosis but are difficult to detect using classic cytogenetics. We have designed a two-colour fluorescence in situ hybridization approach that uses two DNA probes that map close to and on either side of the inv(16) p-arm breakpoint region. This new strategy clearly detected the inv(16)(p13q22)/t(16;16)(p13;q22) on both metaphase chromosomes and in interphase nuclei, even when they are of poor quality. This procedure also detected the inv(16) in cases with an additional deletion of sequences proximal to the 16p-arm breakpoint which is present in 20% of all cases.

The inv(16) and related t(16;16) are found in 10% of all cases with de novo acute myeloid leukemia. In these rearrangements the core binding factor beta (CBFB) gene on 16q22 is fused to the smooth muscle myosin heavy chain gene (MYH11) on 16p13. To gain insight into the mechanisms causing the inv(16) we have analysed 24 genomic CBFB-MYH11 breakpoints. All breakpoints in CBFB are located in a 15-Kb intron. More than 50% of the sequenced 6.2 Kb of this intron consists of human repetitive elements. Twenty-one of the 24 breakpoints in MYH11 are located in a 370-bp intron. The remaining three breakpoints in MYH11 are located more upstream. The localization of three breakpoints adjacent to a V(D)J recombinase signal sequence in MYH11 suggests a V(D)J recombinase-mediated rearrangement in these cases. V(D)J recombinase-associated characteristics (small nucleotide deletions and insertions of random nucleotides) were detected in six other cases. CBFB and MYH11 duplications were detected in four of six cases tested.

The autosomal dominant myopathy facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is causally related to a short Eco RI fragment detected by probe p13E-11. This remnant fragment is the result of a deletion of an integral number of tandemly arrayed 3.3 kb repeat units (D4Z4) on 4q35. Despite intensive efforts, no transcribed sequences have been identified within this array. Previously, we have shown that these repeats on 4q35 have been exchanged for a similar highly homologous repeat locus on 10q26 in 20% of the population and that a short chromosome 10-like array on 4q35 also results in FSHD. Here, we describe the hybrid structure of some of these repeat arrays, reflecting additional sub-telomeric instability. In three healthy individuals carrying a 4-like repeat on chromosome 10 or vice versa, one repeat array was shown to consist of hybrid clusters of 4-derived and 10-derived repeat units. Moreover, employing pulsed field gel electrophoresis analysis, we identified two unrelated individuals carrying deletions of a chromosomal segment (p13E-11) proximal to the repeat locus. These deletions were not associated with FSHD. In one of these cases, however, an expansion of the deletion into the repeat array was observed in one of his children suffering from FSHD. These data provide additional evidence for instability of this sub-telomeric region and suggests that the length of the repeat, and not its intrinsic properties, is crucial to FSHD. Moreover, they are in agreement with the hypothesis that FSHD is caused by a position effect in which the repeat structure influences the expression of genes nearby. Therefore, the region deleted proximal to the repeat locus in healthy individuals can be instrumental to refine the critical region for FSHD1.

The 5-HT1F receptor, which is present in both human vascular and neuronal tissue, may mediate the therapeutic effect and/or side-effects of sumatriptan. We investigated the chromosomal localization of the 5-HT1F receptor gene and the relation between eventually existing polymorphisms and the clinical response to sumatriptan in migraine patients. The 5-HT1F receptor gene was localized using a monochromosomal mapping panel, followed by a radiation-reduced hybrid mapping and fluorescent in situ hybridization. The results of these techniques show that the 5-HT1F receptor gene is localized at 3p12. We investigated the presence of polymorphisms by single strand conformation polymorphism analysis in 14 migraine patients who consistently responded well to sumatriptan, 12 patients who consistently experienced recurrence of the headache after initial relief, 12 patients with no response to sumatriptan, and in 13 patients who consistently experienced chest symptoms after use of sumatriptan. No polymorphisms were detected in any of the patients. We therefore conclude that genetic diversity of the 5-HT1F receptor gene is most probably not responsible for the variable clinical response to sumatriptan.

The present paper describes a girl with a small de novo deletion of chromosome 5(q33q34). Fluorescence in situ hybridisation with locus specific probes was used to define the extent of this deletion. Clinical features in this patient are microcephaly, dysmorphic facial features such as epicanthus, small biparietal distance and retrognathia, four-finger lines on both hands and mild mental retardation.

A 2-year-old, short, microcephalic and developmentally retarded boy revealed a pattern of multiple minor anomalies, hypospadias and a dysplastic right kidney. Maternal age at delivery was 41 years. His karyotype showed two cell lines, one apparently normal, the other with a 1p+ chromosome. FISH examinations showed that the segment attached to 1p was from chromosome 16, and molecular investigations disclosed maternal heterodisomy 16, except for the segment (16)(pter-->p13.1) for which there was mosaicism between trisomy and uniparental disomy (UPD). Most likely, the zygote was trisomic for chromosome 16 due to a maternal meiosis I nondisjunction; a somatic rearrangement would have then occurred at an early postzygotic stage whereby a segment of the paternal chromosome 16 was translocated onto 1p. Subsequently, the paternal chromosomes 16 and 16p- had been lost in the normal and the translocation cell line, respectively. The chromosome aberration was detected secondary to the disclosure of maternal UPD 16 because of the demonstration of a paternal band at several loci on distal 16p. This case shows that chromosome aberrations may be formed in a more complicated manner than primarily assumed. Hence, the phenotype might also be due to underlying factors such as UPD or undetected mosaicism in addition to the more obvious implications of the chromosome rearrangement itself (e.g. partial trisomy).

In the interest of cloning and analyzing the genes responsible for two very different diseases, the Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RTS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) associated with the somatic translocation t(8;16)(p11;p13.3), we constructed a high-resolution restriction map of contiguous cosmids (contig) covering 1.2 Mb of chromosome 16p13.3. By fluorescence in situ hybridization and Southern blot analysis, we assigned all tested RTS and t(8;16) translocation breakpoints to a 100-kb region. We have previously reported exact physical locations of these 16p breakpoints, which all disrupt one gene we mapped to this interval: the CREB-binding protein (CBP or CREBBP) gene. Intriguingly, mutations in the CBP gene are responsible for RTS as well as the t(8;16)-associated AML. CBP functions as an integrator in the assembly of various multiprotein regulatory complexes and is thus necessary for transcription in a broad range of transduction pathways. We report here the cloning, physical mapping, characterization, and full cDNA nucleotide sequence of the human CBP gene.

Rieger syndrome (RGS) is an autosomal dominant disorder of morphogenesis affecting mainly the formation of the anterior eye chamber and of the teeth. RGS has been localized to human chromosome 4q25 by linkage to epidermal growth factor (EGF). We have constructed a detailed physical map and a YAC contig of the genomic region encompassing the EGF locus. Using FISH, several YACs could be shown to cross the breakpoint in two independent RGS patients with balanced 4q translocations. Alu- and LINE-fragmentation of a 2.4-Mb YAC generated a panel of shorter YACs ranging in size from 2.4 Mb to 75 kb. Several fragmentation YACs were subcloned in cosmids, which were mapped to specific subregions of the original YAC by hybridization to the fragmentation panel to further refine the localization of the translocation breakpoints, allowing mapping of the breakpoints to within the most-telomeric 200 kb of the original 2.4-Mb YAC. FiberFISH of cosmids located in this 200-kb region mapped the two translocation breakpoints within a 50-kb region approximately 100-150 kb centromeric to D4S193, significantly narrowing down the candidate region for RGS. The mapping data and resources reported here should facilitate the identification of a gene implicated in Rieger syndrome.

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is an autosomal dominant, neuromuscular disorder characterized by progressive weakness of muscles in the face, shoulder and upper arm. Deletion of integral copies of a 3.3 kb repeated unit from the subtelomeric region on chromosome 4q35 has been shown to be associated with FSHD. These repeated units which are apparently not transcribed, map very close to the 4q telomere and belong to a 3.3 kb repeat family dispersed over heterochromatic regions of the genome. Hence, position effect variegation (PEV), inducing allele-specific transcriptional repression of a gene located more centromeric, has been postulated as the underlying genetic mechanism of FSHD. This hypothesis has directed the search for the FSHD gene to the region centromeric to the repeated units. A CpG island was identified and found to be associated with the 5' untranslated region of a novel human gene, FRG1 (FSHD Region Gene 1). This evolutionary conserved gene is located about 100 kb proximal to the repeated units and belongs to a multigene family with FRG1 related sequences on multiple chromosomes. The mature chromosome 4 FRG1 transcript is 1042 bp in length and contains nine exons which encode a putative protein of 258 amino acid residues. Transcription of FRG1 was detected in several human tissues including placenta, lymphocytes, brain and muscle. To investigate a possible PEV mechanism, allele-specific FRG1 steady-state transcript levels were determined using RNA-based single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. A polymorphic fragment contained within the first exon of FRG1 was amplified from reverse transcribed RNA from lymphocytes and muscle biopsies of patients and controls. No evidence for PEV mediated repression of allelic transcription was obtained in these tissues. However, detection of PEV in FSHD patients may require analysis of more specific cell types at particular developmental stages.

To facilitate the scanning of large genomic regions for the presence of exonic gene segments we have constructed a cosmid-based exon trap vector. The vector serves a dual purpose since it is also suitable for contig construction and physical mapping. The exon trap cassette of vector sCOGH1 consists of the human growth hormone gene driven by the mouse mettallothionein-1 promoter. Inserts are cloned in the multicloning site located in intron 2 of the hGH gene. The efficiency of the system is demonstrated with cosmids containing multiple exons of the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy gene. All exons present in the inserts were successfully retrieved and no cryptic products were detected. Up to seven exons were isolated simultaneously in a single spliced product. The system has been extended by a transcription-translation-test protocol to determine the presence of large open reading frames in the trapped products, using a combination of tailed PCR primers directing protein synthesis in three different reading frames, followed by in vitro transcription-translation. Having larger stretches of coding sequence in a single exon trap product rather than small single exons greatly facilitates further analysis of potential genes and offers new possibilities for direct mutation analysis of exon trap material.

Primary open-angle glaucoma is a complex of ocular disorders characterized by irreversible lesions of the optic nerve, open angle of the anterior chamber of the eye and elevated intraocular pressures. GLC1A, a locus involved in one form of this disease, has been mapped to an approximately 9-cM interval within 1q23-q25, between markers D1S445 and D1S416/D1S480. A 10-cM yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) contig spanning the whole region is described. This contig is based on 67 YACs, and 41 sequence tagged sites comprising 23 genetic markers, 16 YAC ends and 2 expressed sequence tags. The reagents reported in this study should be useful tools for the identification of the GLC1A gene by positional cloning.

The Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RTS) is a well-defined syndrome with facial abnormalities, broad thumbs, broad big toes and mental retardation as the main clinical features. Many patients with RTS have been shown to have breakpoints in, and microdeletions of, chromosome 16p13.3 (refs 4-8). Here we report that all these breakpoints are restricted to a region that contains the gene for the human CREB binding protein (CBP), a nuclear protein participating as a co-activator in cyclic-AMP-regulated gene expression. We show that RTS results not only from gross chromosomal rearrangements of chromosome 16p, but also from point mutations in the CBP gene itself. Because the patients are heterozygous for the mutations, we propose that the loss of one functional copy of the CBP gene underlies the developmental abnormalities in RTS and possibly the propensity for malignancy.