Characterization of a 7.6-Mb germline deletion encompassing the NF1 locus and about a hundred genes in an NF1 contiguous gene syndrome patient

Eur J Hum Genet. 2008 Dec;16(12):1459-66. doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2008.134. Epub 2008 Jul 23.

Abstract

We describe a large germline deletion removing the NF1 locus, identified by heterozygosity mapping based on microsatellite markers, in an 8-year-old French girl with a particularly severe NF1 contiguous gene syndrome. We used gene-dose mapping with sequence-tagged site real-time PCR to locate the deletion end points, which were precisely characterized by means of long-range PCR and nucleotide sequencing. The deletion is located on chromosome arm 17q and is exactly 7 586 986 bp long. It encompasses the entire NF1 locus and about 100 other genes, including numerous chemokine genes, an attractive in silico-selected cerebrally expressed candidate gene (designated NUFIP2, for nuclear fragile X mental retardation protein interacting protein 2; NM_020772) and four microRNA genes. Interestingly, the centromeric breakpoint is located in intron 4 of the PIPOX gene (pipecolic acid oxidase; NM_016518) and the telomeric breakpoint in intron 5 of the GGNBP2 gene (gametogenetin binding protein 2; NM_024835) coding a transcription factor. As PIPOX and GGNBP2 have the same transcriptional orientation, we postulated, and then confirmed, the existence of a chimeric transcript. This transcript, and/or haploinsufficiency of one or several deleted genes, could explain the clinical severity of the syndrome in this patient.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • Child
  • Contig Mapping
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • Female
  • Gene Deletion*
  • Gene Order
  • Genes, Neurofibromatosis 1*
  • Germ-Line Mutation*
  • Humans
  • Neurofibromatosis 1 / genetics*
  • Pedigree
  • Syndrome