High-throughput splicing assays identify missense and silent splice-disruptive POU1F1 variants underlying pituitary hormone deficiency.

Pituitary hormone deficiency occurs in ∼1:4,000 live births. Approximately 3% of the cases are due to mutations in the alpha isoform of POU1F1, a pituitary-specific transcriptional activator. We found four separate heterozygous missense variants in unrelated individuals with hypopituitarism that were predicted to affect a minor isoform, POU1F1 beta, which can act as a transcriptional repressor. These variants retain repressor activity, but they shift splicing to favor the expression of the beta isoform, resulting in dominant-negative loss of function. Using a high-throughput splicing reporter assay, we tested 1,070 single-nucleotide variants in POU1F1. We identified 96 splice-disruptive variants, including 14 synonymous variants. In separate cohorts, we found two additional synonymous variants nominated by this screen that co-segregate with hypopituitarism. This study underlines the importance of evaluating the impact of variants on splicing and provides a catalog for interpretation of variants of unknown significance in POU1F1.

SCUBE3 loss-of-function causes a recognizable recessive developmental disorder due to defective bone morphogenetic protein signaling.

Signal peptide-CUB-EGF domain-containing protein 3 (SCUBE3) is a member of a small family of multifunctional cell surface-anchored glycoproteins functioning as co-receptors for a variety of growth factors. Here we report that bi-allelic inactivating variants in SCUBE3 have pleiotropic consequences on development and cause a previously unrecognized syndromic disorder. Eighteen affected individuals from nine unrelated families showed a consistent phenotype characterized by reduced growth, skeletal features, distinctive craniofacial appearance, and dental anomalies. In vitro functional validation studies demonstrated a variable impact of disease-causing variants on transcript processing, protein secretion and function, and their dysregulating effect on bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling. We show that SCUBE3 acts as a BMP2/BMP4 co-receptor, recruits the BMP receptor complexes into raft microdomains, and positively modulates signaling possibly by augmenting the specific interactions between BMPs and BMP type I receptors. Scube3-/- mice showed craniofacial and dental defects, reduced body size, and defective endochondral bone growth due to impaired BMP-mediated chondrogenesis and osteogenesis, recapitulating the human disorder. Our findings identify a human disease caused by defective function of a member of the SCUBE family, and link SCUBE3 to processes controlling growth, morphogenesis, and bone and teeth development through modulation of BMP signaling.

Diagnosis of TBC1D32-associated conditions: Expanding the phenotypic spectrum of a complex ciliopathy.

Exome sequencing is a powerful tool in prenatal and postnatal genetics and can help identify novel candidate genes critical to human development. We describe seven unpublished probands with rare likely pathogenic variants or variants of uncertain significance that segregate with recessive disease in TBC1D32, including four fetal probands in three unrelated pedigrees and three pediatric probands in unrelated pedigrees. We also report clinical comparisons with seven previously published patients. Index probands were identified through an ongoing prenatal exome sequencing study and through an online data sharing platform (Gene Matcher™). A literature review was also completed. TBC1D32 is involved in the development and function of cilia and is expressed in the developing hypothalamus and pituitary gland. We provide additional data to expand the phenotype correlated with TBC1D32 variants, including a severe prenatal phenotype associated with life-limiting congenital anomalies.

Phenotypic and mutational spectrum of ROR2-related Robinow syndrome.

Robinow syndrome is characterized by a triad of craniofacial dysmorphisms, disproportionate-limb short stature, and genital hypoplasia. A significant degree of phenotypic variability seems to correlate with different genes/loci. Disturbances of the noncanonical WNT-pathway have been identified as the main cause of the syndrome. Biallelic variants in ROR2 cause an autosomal recessive form of the syndrome with distinctive skeletal findings. Twenty-two patients with a clinical diagnosis of autosomal recessive Robinow syndrome were screened for variants in ROR2 using multiple molecular approaches. We identified 25 putatively pathogenic ROR2 variants, 16 novel, including single nucleotide variants and exonic deletions. Detailed phenotypic analyses revealed that all subjects presented with a prominent forehead, hypertelorism, short nose, abnormality of the nasal tip, brachydactyly, mesomelic limb shortening, short stature, and genital hypoplasia in male patients. A total of 19 clinical features were present in more than 75% of the subjects, thus pointing to an overall uniformity of the phenotype. Disease-causing variants in ROR2, contribute to a clinically recognizable autosomal recessive trait phenotype with multiple skeletal defects. A comprehensive quantitative clinical evaluation of this cohort delineated the phenotypic spectrum of ROR2-related Robinow syndrome. The identification of exonic deletion variant alleles further supports the contention of a loss-of-function mechanism in the etiology of the syndrome.

Congenital chromoanagenesis in the routine postnatal chromosomal microarray analyses.

Chromosomal microarray analyses (CMA) have greatly increased both the yield and diagnostic accuracy of postnatal analysis; it has been used as a first-tier cytogenetic test in patients with intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, and multiple congenital abnormalities. During the last 15 years, we performed CMA in approximately 8,000 patients with neurodevelopmental and/or congenital disorders, of which 13 (0.16%) genetically catastrophic complex chromosomal rearrangements were identified. These ultrarare rearrangements showed clustering of breakpoints, characteristic of chromoanagenesis events. Al1 13 complex events display underlying formation mechanisms, originating either by a synchronization of the shattering of clustered chromosome regions in which regional asynchrony of DNA replication may be one of the main causes of disruption. We provide an overview of the copy number profiling in these patients. Although several previous studies have suggested that chromoanagenesis is often a genetic disease source in postnatal diagnostic screening, due to either the challenge of clinical interpretation of these complex rearrangements or the limitation of microarray resolution relative to the small size and complexity of chromogenic induced chromosome abnormalities, bringing further attention and to study its occurrence in the clinical setting is extremely important.

Noonan syndrome patients beyond the obvious phenotype: A potential unfavorable metabolic profile.

Noonan syndrome (NS) and NS related disorders (NRD) are frequent monogenic diseases. Pathogenic variants in PTPN11 are observed in approximately 50% of these NS patients. Several pleiotropic phenotypes have previously been described in this condition. This study aimed at characterizing glucose and lipid profiles in patients with NS/NRD. We assessed fasting blood glucose, insulin, cholesterol (total and fractions), and triglyceride (TG) levels in 112 prepubertal children and 73 adults. Additionally, an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed in 40 children and 54 adults. Data were analyzed between age groups according to the presence (+) or absence (-) of PTPN11 mutation. Prepubertal patients with NS/NRD were also compared with a control group. Despite the lean phenotype of children with NS/NRD, they presented an increased frequency of low HDL-cholesterol (63% in PTPN11+, 59% in PTPN11- and 16% in control, p < .001) and high TG levels (29% in PTPN11+, 18% in PTPN11- and 2.3% in control). PTPN11+ patients had a higher median HOMA-IR (1.0, ranged from 0.3 to 3.2) in comparison with PTPN11- (0.6; 0.2 to 4.4) and controls (0.6; 0.4 to 1.4, p = .027). Impaired glucose tolerance was observed in 19% (10:54) of lean adults with NS/NRD assessed by OGTT. Moreover, women with PTPN11 mutations had lower HDL-cholesterol levels than those without. Our results suggest that children and young adult patients with NS/NRD have an unfavorable metabolic profile characterized by low HDL, a tendency of elevated TGs, and glucose metabolism impairment despite a lean phenotype.

Genetics, clinical features and outcomes of non-syndromic pituitary gigantism: experience of a single center from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

PURPOSE: Non-syndromic pituitary gigantism (PG) is a very rare disease. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein (AIP) and G protein-coupled receptor 101 (GPR101) genetic abnormalities represent important etiologic causes of PG and may account for up to 40% of these cases. Here, we aimed to characterize the clinical and molecular findings and long-term outcomes in 18 patients (15 males, three females) with PG followed at a single tertiary center in Sao Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: Genetic testing for AIP and GPR101 were performed by DNA sequencing, droplet digital PCR and array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). RESULTS: Pathogenic variants in the AIP gene were detected in 25% of patients, including a novel variant in splicing regulatory sequences which was present in a sporadic male case. X-LAG due to GPR101 microduplication was diagnosed in two female patients (12.5%). Of interest, these patients had symptoms onset by age 5 and 9 years old and diagnosis at 5 and 15 years, respectively. X-LAG, but not AIP, patients had a significantly lower age of symptoms onset and diagnosis and a higher height Z-score when compared to non-X-LAG. No other differences in clinical features and/or treatment outcomes were observed among PG based on their genetic background. CONCLUSION: We characterize the clinical and molecular findings and long-term outcome of the largest single-center PG cohort described so far.

Phenotype-genotype analysis of 242 individuals with RASopathies: 18-year experience of a tertiary center in Brazil.

We report the clinical and molecular data of a large cohort comprising 242 individuals with RASopathies, from a single Tertiary Center in Brazil, the largest study from Latin America. Noonan syndrome represented 76% of the subjects, with heterozygous variants in nine different genes, mainly PTPN11, SOS1, RAF1, LZTR1, and RIT1, detected by Sanger and next-generation sequencing. The latter was applied to 126 individuals, with a positive yield of 63% in genes of the RAS/MAPK cascade. We present evidence that there are some allelic differences in PTPN11 across distinct populations. We highlight the clinical aspects that pose more medical concerns, such as the cardiac anomalies, bleeding diathesis and proliferative lesions. The genotype-phenotype analysis between the RASopathies showed statistically significant differences in some cardinal features, such as craniofacial and cardiac anomalies, the latter also statistically significant for different genes in Noonan syndrome. We present two individuals with a Noonan syndrome phenotype, one with an atypical, structural cardiac defect, harboring variants in genes mainly associated with isolated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and discuss the role of these variants in their phenotype.

Evaluation of SHOX defects in the era of next-generation sequencing.

Short stature homeobox (SHOX) haploinsufficiency is a frequent cause of short stature. Despite advances in sequencing technologies, the identification of SHOX mutations continues to be performed using standard methods, including multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) followed by Sanger sequencing. We designed a targeted panel of genes associated with growth impairment, including SHOX genomic and enhancer regions, to improve the resolution of next-generation sequencing for SHOX analysis. We used two software packages, CONTRA and Nexus Copy Number, in addition to visual analysis to investigate the presence of copy number variants (CNVs). We evaluated 15 patients with previously known SHOX defects, including point mutations, deletions and a duplication, and 77 patients with idiopathic short stature (ISS). The panel was able to confirm all known defects in the validation analysis. During the prospective evaluation, we identified two new partial SHOX deletions (one detected only by visual analysis), including an intragenic deletion not detected by MLPA. Additionally, we were able to determine the breakpoints in four cases. Our results show that the designed panel can be used for the molecular investigation of patients with ISS, and it may even detect CNVs in SHOX and its enhancers, which may be present in a significant fraction of patients.

BCL11B mutations in patients affected by a neurodevelopmental disorder with reduced type 2 innate lymphoid cells.

The transcription factor BCL11B is essential for development of the nervous and the immune system, and Bcl11b deficiency results in structural brain defects, reduced learning capacity, and impaired immune cell development in mice. However, the precise role of BCL11B in humans is largely unexplored, except for a single patient with a BCL11B missense mutation, affected by multisystem anomalies and profound immune deficiency. Using massively parallel sequencing we identified 13 patients bearing heterozygous germline alterations in BCL11B. Notably, all of them are affected by global developmental delay with speech impairment and intellectual disability; however, none displayed overt clinical signs of immune deficiency. Six frameshift mutations, two nonsense mutations, one missense mutation, and two chromosomal rearrangements resulting in diminished BCL11B expression, arose de novo. A further frameshift mutation was transmitted from a similarly affected mother. Interestingly, the most severely affected patient harbours a missense mutation within a zinc-finger domain of BCL11B, probably affecting the DNA-binding structural interface, similar to the recently published patient. Furthermore, the most C-terminally located premature termination codon mutation fails to rescue the progenitor cell proliferation defect in hippocampal slice cultures from Bcl11b-deficient mice. Concerning the role of BCL11B in the immune system, extensive immune phenotyping of our patients revealed alterations in the T cell compartment and lack of peripheral type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), consistent with the findings described in Bcl11b-deficient mice. Unsupervised analysis of 102 T lymphocyte subpopulations showed that the patients clearly cluster apart from healthy children, further supporting the common aetiology of the disorder. Taken together, we show here that mutations leading either to BCL11B haploinsufficiency or to a truncated BCL11B protein clinically cause a non-syndromic neurodevelopmental delay. In addition, we suggest that missense mutations affecting specific sites within zinc-finger domains might result in distinct and more severe clinical outcomes.

Mutations in C-natriuretic peptide (NPPC): a novel cause of autosomal dominant short stature.

PurposeC-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) and its principal receptor, natriuretic peptide receptor B (NPR-B), have been shown to be important in skeletal development. CNP and NPR-B are encoded by natriuretic peptide precursor-C (NPPC) and natriuretic peptide receptor 2 (NPR2) genes, respectively. While NPR2 mutations have been described in patients with skeletal dysplasias and idiopathic short stature (ISS), and several Npr2 and Nppc skeletal dysplasia mouse models exist, no mutations in NPPC have been described in patients to date.MethodsNPPC was screened in 668 patients (357 with disproportionate short stature and 311 with autosomal dominant ISS) and 29 additional ISS families in an ongoing whole-exome sequencing study.ResultsTwo heterozygous NPPC mutations, located in the highly conserved CNP ring, were identified. Both showed significant reductions in cyclic guanosine monophosphate synthesis, confirming their pathogenicity. Interestingly, one has been previously linked to skeletal abnormalities in the spontaneous Nppc mouse long-bone abnormality (lbab) mutant.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate, for the first time, that NPPC mutations cause autosomal dominant short stature in humans. The NPPC mutations cosegregated with a short stature and small hands phenotype. A CNP analog, which is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of achondroplasia, seems a promising therapeutic approach, since it directly replaces the defective protein.

Novel SUZ12 mutations in Weaver-like syndrome.

SUZ12 is a core component of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) along with EZH2 and EED. Recently, germline mutations in the SUZ12, EZH2 and EED genes have been reported in Weaver syndrome (WS) or Weaver-like syndrome, suggesting a functional link between PRC2 deficits and WS. However, only one case of a SUZ12 mutation presenting with Weaver-like syndrome has been reported. Here, we report a missense and a frameshift mutation in SUZ12 (c.1797A>C; p.Gln599His and c.844_845del; p.Ala282Glnfs*7), both of which are novel, in two individuals. Their clinical features included postnatal overgrowth, increased bifrontal diameter, large ears, round face, horizontal chin crease and skeletal anomalies, but did not fulfill the WS diagnostic criteria. These data provide strong evidence that SUZ12 mutations cause Weaver-like syndrome.

Central Precocious Puberty Caused by a Heterozygous Deletion in the MKRN3 Promoter Region.

CONTEXT: Loss-of-function mutations in the coding region of MKRN3, a maternally imprinted gene at chromosome 15q11.2, are a common cause of familial central precocious puberty (CPP). Whether MKRN3 alterations in regulatory regions can cause CPP has not been explored to date. We aimed to investigate potential pathogenic variants in the promoter region of MKRN3 in patients with idiopathic CPP. PATIENTS/METHODS: A cohort of 110 patients with idiopathic CPP was studied. Family history of precocious sexual development was present in 25%. Mutations in the coding region of MKRN3 were excluded in all patients. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes, and 1,100 nucleotides (nt) of the 5'-regulatory region of MKRN3 were amplified and sequenced. Luciferase assays were performed in GT1-7 cells transiently transfected with plasmids containing mutated and wild-type MKRN3 promoter. RESULTS: We identified a rare heterozygous 4-nt deletion (c.-150_-147delTCAG; -38 to -41 nt upstream to the transcription start site) in the proximal promoter region of MKRN3 in a girl with CPP. In silico analysis predicted that this deletion would lead to the loss of a binding site for a downstream res-ponsive element antagonist modulator (DREAM), a potential transcription factor for MKRN3 and GNRH1 expression. Luciferase assays demonstrated a significant reduction of MKRN3 promoter activity in transfected cells with a c.-150_- 147delTCAG construct plasmid in both homozygous and heterozygous states when compared with cells transfected with the corresponding wild-type MKRN3 promoter region. CONCLUSION: A rare genetic alteration in the regulatory region of MKRN3 causes CPP.

Growth hormone insensitivity with immune dysfunction caused by a STAT5B mutation in the south of Brazil: evidence for a founder effect.

Homozygous STAT5B mutations causing growth hormone insensitivity with immune dysfunction were described in 10 patients since 2003, including two Brazilian brothers from the south of Brazil. Our objectives were to evaluate the prevalence of their STAT5B mutation in this region and to analyze the presence of a founder effect. We obtained DNA samples from 1,205 local inhabitants, 48 relatives of the homozygous patients and four individuals of another affected family. Genotyping for STAT5B c.424_427del mutation and for two polymorphic markers around it was done through fragment analysis technique. We also determined Y-chromosome and mtDNA haplotypes and genomic ancestry in heterozygous carriers. We identified seven families with STAT5B c.424_427del mutation, with 33 heterozygous individuals. The minor allelic frequency of this mutation was 0.29% in this population (confidence interval 95% 0.08-0.5%), which is significantly higher than the frequency of other pathogenic STAT5B allele variants observed in public databases (p < 0.001). All heterozygous carriers had the same haplotype present in the homozygous patients, found in only 9.4% of non-carriers (p < 0.001), supporting the existence of a founder effect. The Y-chromosome haplotype, mtDNA and genomic ancestry analysis indicated a European origin of this mutation. Our results provide compelling evidence for a founder effect of STAT5B c.424_427del mutation.

Rare variants in SOS2 and LZTR1 are associated with Noonan syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Noonan syndrome is an autosomal dominant, multisystemic disorder caused by dysregulation of the RAS/mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Heterozygous, pathogenic variants in 11 known genes account for approximately 80% of cases. The identification of novel genes associated with Noonan syndrome has become increasingly challenging, since they might be responsible for very small fractions of the cases. METHODS: A cohort of 50 Brazilian probands negative for pathogenic variants in the known genes associated with Noonan syndrome was tested through whole-exome sequencing along with the relatives in the familial cases. Families from the USA and Poland with mutations in the newly identified genes were included subsequently. RESULTS: We identified rare, segregating or de novo missense variants in SOS2 and LZTR1 in 4% and 8%, respectively, of the 50 Brazilian probands. SOS2 and LZTR1 variants were also found to segregate in one American and one Polish family. Notably, SOS2 variants were identified in patients with marked ectodermal involvement, similar to patients with SOS1 mutations. CONCLUSIONS: We identified two novel genes, SOS2 and LZTR1, associated with Noonan syndrome, thereby expanding the molecular spectrum of RASopathies. Mutations in these genes are responsible for approximately 3% of all patients with Noonan syndrome. While SOS2 is a natural candidate, because of its homology with SOS1, the functional role of LZTR1 in the RAS/MAPK pathway is not known, and it could not have been identified without the large pedigrees. Additional functional studies are needed to elucidate the role of LZTR1 in RAS/MAPK signalling and in the pathogenesis of Noonan syndrome.

Influence of growth hormone receptor (GHR) exon 3 and -202A/C IGFBP-3 genetic polymorphisms on clinical and biochemical features and therapeutic outcome of patients with acromegaly.

BACKGROUND: The association of GHR-exon 3 and -202 A/C IGFBP3 polymorphisms with clinical presentation, biochemical measurements and response to therapies in acromegaly have been suggested. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the presence of these polymorphisms in acromegaly and their influence on clinical and laboratorial characteristics of patients at diagnosis and after treatment in a large cohort of acromegalic patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study developed in a single tertiary reference center. Clinical data were obtained from the medical records of 186 acromegalic patients (116 women, age range 21-88 years). GH and IGF1 levels and GHR-exon 3 and -202 A/C IGFBP3 polymorphisms were evaluated in the same hospital. RESULTS: At diagnosis, serum GH concentrations were lower in patients with GHR-d3 genotype than those with GHR-fl, whereas an association of lower IGFBP3 levels with d3 allele was observed only after neurosurgical or medical treatments. However, these associations were not confirmed in posterior statistical analysis. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that GHR-exon 3 and -202 A/C IGFBP3 polymorphisms did not show any consistent association on clinical and laboratorial features of acromegalic patients even after treatment.

Frequent development of combined pituitary hormone deficiency in patients initially diagnosed as isolated growth hormone deficiency: a long term follow-up of patients from a single center.

BACKGROUND: Children initially diagnosed with isolated GH deficiency (IGHD) have a variable rate to progress to combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD) during follow-up. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the development of CPHD in a group of childhood-onset IGHD followed at a single tertiary center over a long period of time. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from 83 patients initially diagnosed as IGHD with a mean follow-up of 15.2 years. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis was used to estimate the temporal progression and to identify risk factors to development of CPHD over time. RESULTS: From 83 patients initially with IGHD, 37 (45%) developed CPHD after a median time of follow up of 5.4 years (range from 1.2 to 21 years). LH and FSH deficiencies were the most common pituitary hormone (38%) deficiencies developed followed by TSH (31%), ACTH (12%) and ADH deficiency (5%). ADH deficiency (3.1 ± 1 years from GHD diagnosis) presented earlier and ACTH deficiency (9.3 ± 3.5 years) presented later during follow up compared to LH/FSH (8.3 ± 4 years) and TSH (7.5 ± 5.6 years) deficiencies. In a Cox regression model, pituitary stalk abnormalities was the strongest risk factor for the development of CPHD (hazard ratio of 3.28; p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Our study indicated a high frequency of development of CPHD in patients initially diagnosed as IGHD at childhood. Half of our patients with IGHD developed the second hormone deficiency after 5 years of diagnosis, reinforcing the need for lifelong monitoring of pituitary function in these patients.

Pathogenic mutations in GLI2 cause a specific phenotype that is distinct from holoprosencephaly.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in GLI2 have been associated with holoprosencephaly (HPE), a neuroanatomic anomaly resulting from incomplete cleavage of the developing forebrain, and an HPE-like phenotype involving pituitary anomalies and polydactyly. OBJECTIVE: To characterise the genotypic and phenotypic findings in individuals with GLI2 variants and clarify clinical findings in individuals with loss-of-function mutations. METHODS: Through the National Institutes of Health and collaborating centres, ∼400 individuals with HPE spectrum disorders, endocrine disorders or craniofacial anomalies were screened for GLI2 mutations. Results were combined with all published cases. We compared the clinical and molecular features of individuals with truncating mutations to individuals with variants of unknown significance (defined as not resulting in protein truncation, reported in normal controls and/or deemed unlikely to be pathogenic by functional prediction software). RESULTS: 112 individuals with variants in GLI2 were identified, with 43 having truncating mutations. Individuals with truncating mutations were more likely to have both pituitary anomalies and polydactyly versus those with variants of unknown significance (p<0.0001 by Fisher's exact test); only 1 of 43 had frank HPE. These individuals were more likely to have recognised penetrance (polydactyly or pituitary anomalies or both) than those without truncating mutations (p=0.0036 by Fisher's exact test). A common facial phenotype was seen in individuals (with midface hypoplasia, cleft lip/palate and hypotelorism) with truncating mutations. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with truncating mutations in GLI2 typically present with pituitary anomalies, polydactyly and subtle facial features rather than HPE. This will be helpful in screening populations for GLI2 mutations and for counselling affected patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: 98-HG-0249/04-HG-0093.

The E180splice mutation in the GHR gene causing Laron syndrome: witness of a Sephardic Jewish exodus from the Iberian Peninsula to the New World?

Laron syndrome (LS) is a genetic disorder caused by mutations in the growth hormone receptor (GHR) gene. The most frequent GHR mutation is E180splice (rs121909360), which was initially found in an inbred population of Spanish descent in Ecuador and subsequently in Israel, Brazil, Chile, and the United States. The aim of the present study is to determine if the E180splice mutation arose from a common origin. We studied 22 patients with LS from Ecuador, Israel (of Moroccan origin), Brazil, Chile, and the United States (of Mexican origin) who were homozygous for the E180splice mutation and compared them to control individuals for markers surrounding the GHR, intragenic polymorphisms, and Y-chromosome STR. An identical haplotype was found in all but one of the subjects carrying the E180splice mutation: D5S665: 150/150; D5S2082: 192/192; D5S2087: 246/246; rs6179 G/G; and rs6180 C/C. One patient differed from the others only at D5S2082 (168/192). This haplotype is rare (~1%) in control individuals and confirmed that the E180splice-associated haplotype was not derived from independent origins but represented recombination from a common ancestor. The analysis of paternal lineage markers showed that 50% belong to haplogroup R1b (found in Portugal and Spain) and 40% to haplogroups J and E (typical in the Middle East and in Eastern European Jews). The germline E180Splice mutation appears to have originated from a single common ancestor. The presence of Y-chromosome markers associated with Sephardic populations in persons harboring the E180splice mutation provides genetic evidence in support of the historical tracking of the exodus of this specific population.