Clinical-neurologic, cytogenetic and molecular aspects of the Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes

The Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and the Angelman syndrome (AS) are human neurogenetic disorders involving the imprinting mechanism, at the 15q11-13 chromosome region. The predominant genetic defects in PW are 15q11-13 deletions of paternal origin and maternal chromosome 15 uniparental disomy. In contrast, maternal deletions and paternal chromosome 15 uniparental disomy are associated with a different neurogenetic disorder, the AS. In both disorders, these mutations are associated with parent-of-origin specific methylation at several 15q11-13 loci. We studied 5 patients suspect of PWS and 4 patients suspect of AS who were referred to the Medical Genetics Unit at the Universsity Hospital of Medical School from Ribeirao Preto. Our objective was to establish the correct clinical and etiological diagnosis in these cases. We used conventional cytogenetics, methylation analysis with the probe KB17 (CpG island of the SNRPN gene) by Southern blotting after digestion with the Xba I and Not I restriction enzymes. We studied in patients and their parents the segregation of the (CA)(n) repeats polymorphisms by PCR, using the primers 196 and IR4-3R. All the patients had normal conventional cytogenetical analysis. We confirmed 3 cases of PWS: one by de novo deletion, one by maternal chromosome 15 uniparental disomy and one case with no defined cause determined by the used primers. We confirmed 2 cases of AS, caused by de novo deletion at the 15q11-13 region, and one case with normal molecular analysis but with strong clinical characteristics.

Estudo clínico, citogenético e molecular nas síndromes de Prader-Willi e Angelman / Clinical, cytogenetical and molecular studies in Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes

A Síndrome de Prader-Willi (SPW) e a Síndrome de Angelman (SA) säo doenças neurogenéticas consideradas como exemplos do fenômeno de impressäo genômica, em seres humano, estando relacionadas com alteraçöes envolvendo a regiäo cromossômica 15q11-13. As alteraçöes genéticas predominantes, na SPW, säo deleçöes na regiäo 15q11-13, de origem paterna e dissomia uniparental materna e, na SA, encontram-se deleçöes na regiäo 15q11-13 materna e dissomia uniparental paterna. Estudamos 5 pacientes com suspeita clínica de SPW e 4 pacientes com suspeita clínica de SA, atendidos no Setor de Genética Médica do Hospital das Clínicas da FMRP-USP, com o objetivo de estabelecer o diagnóstico clínico e etiológico nessa amostra. Para isso, utilizamos citogenética convencional, estudo de metilaçäo por Southern blotting com a sonda KB17 (ilha CpG do gene SNRPN), após digestäo com as enzimas de restriçäo Xba I e Not I, e análise de polimorfismos de repetiçäo (CA)n por PCR, usando os primers 196 e IR4-3R. Dos 9 pacientes avaliados, todos tiveram avaliaçäo citogenética convencional normal. Foram confirmados molecularmente 1 caso de SPW por deleçäo nova, 1 caso de SPW por dissomia uniparenteal materna e 1 caso de SPW em que a causa genética näo pode ser esclarecida pela análise de polimorfismo com os primers usados. Foram confirmados, molecularmente, 2 casos de SA, ambos por deleçäo nova na regiäo 15q11-13 e, 1 caso de SA, cuja clínica é extremamente sugestiva, teve resultado molecular normal, podendo-se sugerir uma mutaçäo de ponto no gene responsável pela SA.