Subject(s)
Genetic Association Studies , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors/genetics , Intellectual Disability/diagnosis , Intellectual Disability/genetics , Microcephaly/diagnosis , Microcephaly/genetics , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics , Child, Preschool , Genetic Association Studies/methods , Genetic Variation , Humans , Male , PhenotypeABSTRACT
Intellectual disability is a neurodevelopmental disorder in which genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors are involved. In consequence, the determination of its etiology is usually complex. Though many countries have migrated from conventional cytogenetic analysis to chromosomal microarrays as the first-tier genetic test for patients with this condition, this last technique was implemented in our country a few years ago. We report on the results of the implementation of chromosomal microarrays in a cohort of 133 patients with intellectual disability and dysmorphic features, normal karyotype and normal subtelomeric MLPA results in an Argentinean public health institution. Clinically relevant copy number variants were found in 12% of the patients and one or more copy number variants classified as variants of uncertain significance were found in 5.3% of them. Although the diagnostic yield of chromosomal microarrays is greater than conventional cytogenetics for these patients, there are financial limitations to adopt this technique as a first-tier test in our country, especially in the public health system.
Subject(s)
Chromosomes/genetics , Intellectual Disability/diagnosis , Microarray Analysis , Argentina , Cohort Studies , Cytogenetic Analysis , DNA Copy Number Variations , Female , Genetic Testing , Humans , Intellectual Disability/genetics , Karyotyping , Male , Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction , Public HealthABSTRACT
The premutation state of FMR1 (Fragile X Mental Retardation 1) has been associated with primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), and is the most common known genetic cause for 46,XX patients. Nevertheless, very few studies have analyzed its frequency in Latin American populations. Additionally, a relationship between alleles carrying a cryptic microdeletion in the 5'UTR of FMR2 and the onset of POI has only been studied in one population. Our aim was to analyze the incidence of FMR1 premutations and putative microdeletions in exon 1 of FMR2 in a cohort of Argentinean women with POI. We studied 133 patients and 84 controls. Fluorescent PCR was performed, and the FMR2 exon 1 was further sequenced in samples presenting less than 11 repeats. We found the frequency of FMR1 premutations to be 6.7% and 2.9% for familial and sporadic patients, respectively. Among controls, 1/84 women presented a premutation. In addition, although we did not find microdeletions in FMR2, we observed a change (T >C) adjacent to the repeats in two sisters with POI. Given the repetitive nature of the sequence involved, we could not ascertain whether this represents a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) or a deletion. Therefore, a relationship between FMR2 and POI could not be established for our population.