Recurrent deletions and duplications of chromosome 2q11.2 and 2q13 are associated with variable outcomes.

Copy number variation (CNV) in the long arm of chromosome 2 has been implicated in developmental delay (DD), intellectual disability (ID), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), congenital anomalies, and psychiatric disorders. Here we describe 14 new subjects with recurrent deletions and duplications of chromosome 2q11.2, 2q13, and 2q11.2-2q13. Though diverse phenotypes are associated with these CNVs, some common features have emerged. Subjects with 2q11.2 deletions often exhibit DD, speech delay, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), whereas those with 2q11.2 duplications have DD, gastroesophageal reflux, and short stature. Congenital heart defects (CHDs), hypotonia, dysmorphic features, and abnormal head size are common in those with 2q13 deletions. In the 2q13 duplication cohort, we report dysmorphic features, DD, and abnormal head size. Two individuals with large duplications spanning 2q11.2-2q13 have dysmorphic features, hypotonia, and DD. This compilation of clinical features associated with 2q CNVs provides information that will be useful for healthcare providers and for families of affected children. However, the reduced penetrance and variable expressivity associated with these recurrent CNVs makes genetic counseling and prediction of outcomes challenging. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Mouse model implicates GNB3 duplication in a childhood obesity syndrome.

Obesity is a highly heritable condition and a risk factor for other diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and cancer. Recently, genomic copy number variation (CNV) has been implicated in cases of early onset obesity that may be comorbid with intellectual disability. Here, we describe a recurrent CNV that causes a syndrome associated with intellectual disability, seizures, macrocephaly, and obesity. This unbalanced chromosome translocation leads to duplication of over 100 genes on chromosome 12, including the obesity candidate gene G protein ß3 (GNB3). We generated a transgenic mouse model that carries an extra copy of GNB3, weighs significantly more than its wild-type littermates, and has excess intraabdominal fat accumulation. GNB3 is highly expressed in the brain, consistent with G-protein signaling involved in satiety and/or metabolism. These functional data connect GNB3 duplication and overexpression to elevated body mass index and provide evidence for a genetic syndrome caused by a recurrent CNV.