Failure to detect an 8p22-8p23.1 duplication in patients with Kabuki (Niikawa-Kuroki) syndrome

Kabuki syndrome (KS) is a rare MCA/MR syndrome with an estimated frequency of 1/32 000 in Japan. This syndrome is characterized by postnatal growth retardation, distinctive facial features, dermatoglyphic anomalies, skeletal dysplasia, and mental retardation. The molecular basis of KS remains unknown. Recently, Milunsky and Huang reported on six unrelated patients with a clinical diagnosis of KS and an 8p22-8p23.1 duplication using comparative genomic hybridization and BAC-FISH studies. Also, they suggested that a paracentric inversion may contribute to the occurrence of KS. In the present study, 24 patients with a clinical diagnosis of KS based on Niikawa-Kuroki criteria have been collected. They were tested for the presence of an 8p duplication using the same clones as described by Milunsky and Huang. Our results do not confirm the previously described association between KS and an 8p22-8p23.1 duplication.