ABSTRACT
The unique case of two sisters with symptoms of RTT and two quite distinct, novel, and apparently de novo microdeletions of the MECP2 gene is described. One sister possessed an 18 base-pair (bp) deletion (c.1155_1172del18) within the deletion hotspot region of exon 4, whereas the other sister exhibited a 43 bp deletion at a different location in the same exon (c.1448_1461del14+29). Although these lesions occurred on the same paternally-derived X chromosome, this is probably due to chance co-occurrence owing to the relatively high mutation rate of the MECP2 gene rather than to a constitutional mutator phenotype.
ABSTRACT
X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (XLHED) is caused by mutations in the EDA gene. A girl with severe hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia and normal mental development had completely skewed X chromosome inactivation with only the paternal X active in peripheral blood cells. Routine chromosome analysis and sequencing of the EDA gene were normal. However, whole chromosome painting revealed a 9;X insertion. FISH analyses with BAC probes towards the EDA gene and the more distal region containing the XIST locus showed that an X chromosome fragment of at least 4 Mb containing XIST was inserted into 9p13 in conjunction with a de novo pericentric inversion of chromosome 9. The proximal breakpoint was within the EDA gene and the distal breakpoint was distal to the XIST locus. Both parents had normal chromosomes, and the mother had random X inactivation in peripheral blood cells. Because XIST was lacking on the X chromosome with the disrupted EDA gene, the normal X chromosome was inactivated resulting in severe XLHED.