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Mutations in CDKL5, which encodes cyclin dependent kinase-like 5, cause a form of severe infantile epileptic encephalopathy (EIEE2, OMIM 300672) predominantly in girls [1–3]. The clinical consequences of CDKL5 mutations characteristically comprise infantile spasms, early-onset seizures, and severe mental retardation. Clinically, there is some overlap with Rett syndrome (RTT, OMIM 312750), and female patients with CDKL5 mutations are often considered as suffering from atypical RTT or the Hanefeld variant of RTT. Other genes associated with atypical RTT are FOXG1, MEF2C, and NTNG1 [4]. To date, about 80 patients have been reported with CDKL5 mutations. The distribution of mutations over most of the presently known coding exons indicates that there are no mutational hotspots. The function of CDKL5/Cdkl5 is largely unexplored. Its gene product interacts with MeCP2, which is mutated in over 90% of patients with classic RTT. More recent studies have shown that CDKL5 controls the morphology of nuclear speckles [5] and that Cdkl5 is required for neuronal morphogenesis. By performing RT-PCR experiments on mouse total brain RNA with different primer pairs, we obtained products of the expected size, but also an additional larger product in each reaction (data not shown). Sequencing of the larger products revealed an insertion of 123 bp between exons 16 and 17. We have termed this insert “exon 16a.” This exon is predicted to code for an in-frame addition of 41 amino acids into the presently known Cdkl5 gene variants (Fig. 1). In the meantime, Fichou et al. reported that in the mouse, Cdkl5 transcripts containing this exon are expressed in all brain regions tested [6]. RT-PCR analysis using RNA from different Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10048-011-0277-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. N. Rademacher :M. Hambrock :U. Fischer : B. Moser : A. Tzschach :V. M. Kalscheuer (*) Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Department of Human Molecular Genetics, Ihnestr. 73, D-14195 Berlin, Germany e-mail: kalscheu@molgen.mpg.de

BACKGROUND: In patients with juvenile polyposis syndrome (JPS) the frequency of large genomic deletions in the SMAD4 and BMPR1A genes was unknown. METHODS: Mutation and phenotype analysis was used in 80 unrelated patients of whom 65 met the clinical criteria for JPS (typical JPS) and 15 were suspected to have JPS. RESULTS: By direct sequencing of the two genes, point mutations were identified in 30 patients (46% of typical JPS). Using MLPA, large genomic deletions were found in 14% of all patients with typical JPS (six deletions in SMAD4 and three deletions in BMPR1A). Mutation analysis of the PTEN gene in the remaining 41 mutation negative cases uncovered a point mutation in two patients (5%). SMAD4 mutation carriers had a significantly higher frequency of gastric polyposis (73%) than did patients with BMPR1A mutations (8%) (p Udgivelsesdato: 2007-Nov

Background: Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) describes a uniform malformation syndrome characterized by pre- and postnatal growth restriction (10% of SRS patients.

Okihiro syndrome results from truncating mutations in the SALL4 locus on the chromosome 20q13.13-q13.2. Deletions of the whole SALL4 coding region as well as single exon deletions are also a common cause of Okihiro syndrome and indicate haploinsufficiency as the disease causing mechanism. The phenotypes caused by SALL4 deletions are not different from those caused by point mutations. No multigene deletion including SALL4 has been documented to date. Here we report the detection and molecular characterization of four novel, overlapping microdeletions, all spanning SALL4 and flanking genes, in four unrelated cases with features of Okihiro syndrome and variable degrees of psychomotor delay. All deletions were first identified and mapped by quantitative Real Time PCR. Subsequently, three of four deletions were mapped in further detail by high-resolution array CGH (244k oligo-arrays). All cases had larger deletions of varying size (1.76-1.78 Mb, 2.01-2.05 Mb, 2.16-2.17 Mb, and 1.3-2.8 Mb, respectively), which included SALL4 plus 3 to 7 additional functional genes. While three cases with largely overlapping deletions are mildly developmentally delayed, the only patient with a more centromeric deletion is clearly mentally retarded. In this patient, four genes (MOCS3, DPM1, ADNP, BCAS4) are deleted, which were not affected in the other three cases, suggesting that the deletion of one or more of these genes contributes to the mental retardation. Since two of the four cases presented with choanal atresia, large deletions including SALL4 should be considered in the differential diagnosis of children with suspected CHARGE syndrome but without detectable CHD7 mutations.