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Biomedical subjects

A E Chudley

Publications and source records attributed to A E Chudley.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Vertical transmission of the Ohdo blepharophimosis syndrome.

Ohdo blepharophimosis syndrome (OBS) is a multiple congenital anomalies-mental retardation syndrome composed of blepharophimosis, ptosis, dental hypoplasia, partial deafness, and mental retardation. Previously reported cases of OBS have been sporadic except for the report by Ohdo et al. [1986, J Med Genet 23:242-244] that described two affected sisters and a first cousin favoring autosomal recessive inheritance. The original report by Ohdo et al. [1986] may reflect nonpenetrance of an autosomal dominantly inherited disorder or genetic heterogeneity of OBS. We report on a child and the mother who have blepharophimosis, ptosis, dental anomalies, mild hearing loss, and mental retardation. Chromosome analysis in both showed a balanced paracentric inversion of the long arm of chromosome 9, which was also present in two phenotypically normal sibs of the mother. This is the first report of vertical transmission of OBS suggestive of autosomal dominant inheritance. X-linked dominant and mitochondrial inheritance are other possible modes of inheritance.

Abnormalities, Multiple

Mutations in the gene for cardiac myosin-binding protein C and late-onset familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in the gene for cardiac myosin-binding protein C account for approximately 15 percent of cases of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The spectrum of disease-causing mutations and the associated clinical features of these gene defects are unknown. METHODS: DNA sequences encoding cardiac myosin-binding protein C were determined in unrelated patients with familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Mutations were found in 16 probands, who had 574 family members at risk of inheriting these defects. The genotypes of these family members were determined, and the clinical status of 212 family members with mutations in the gene for cardiac myosin-binding protein C was assessed. RESULTS: Twelve novel mutations were identified in probands from 16 families. Four were missense mutations; eight defects (insertions, deletions, and splice mutations) were predicted to truncate cardiac myosin-binding protein C. The clinical expression of either missense or truncation mutations was similar to that observed for other genetic causes of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but the age at onset of the disease differed markedly. Only 58 percent of adults under the age of 50 years who had a mutation in the cardiac myosin-binding protein C gene (68 of 117 patients) had cardiac hypertrophy; disease penetrance remained incomplete through the age of 60 years. Survival was generally better than that observed among patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy caused by other mutations in the genes for sarcomere proteins. Most deaths due to cardiac causes in these families occurred suddenly. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical expression of mutations in the gene for cardiac myosin-binding protein C is often delayed until middle age or old age. Delayed expression of cardiac hypertrophy and a favorable clinical course may hinder recognition of the heritable nature of mutations in the cardiac myosin-binding protein C gene. Clinical screening in adult life may be warranted for members of families characterized by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Adolescent

SAMS: provisionally unique multiple congenital anomalies syndrome consisting of short stature, auditory canal atresia, mandibular hypoplasia, and skeletal abnormalities.

We report on a young Mennonite child born with short stature, atresia of the external auditory canal, mandibular hypoplasia, and skeletal anomalies. The skeletal defects consist of bilateral humeral hypoplasia, delayed ossification of the pubic rami, and the previously unreported anomaly of humeroscapular synostosis. This girl is the product of a consanguineous mating. This phenotype is unique and does not match that of any previously described condition.

Abnormalities, Multiple

Transmission of the FRAXA haplotype from three nonpenetrant brothers to their affected grandsons: an update with AGG interspersion analysis.

Recently, we reported on a family showing transmission of the FRAXA gene by three nonpenetrant, normally intelligent, full and half brothers to their affected grandsons [Kirkilionis et al., 1992]. We have reanalyzed this family for CGG repeat size by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification/Southern blot and FMR1 methylation status using EcoRI/BssHII double digests with pE5-1 as the hybridization probe. The half brother was found to have a premutation allele size of 59 CGG repeats. MnlI digestion of PCR products showed the absence of intervening AGG sequences. All of his obligate carrier daughters had CGG alleles ranging from 65 to 90 repeats, with a final expansion of more than 200 repeats in his FRAXA-affected grandson and 131 repeats in his carrier granddaughter. Two full brothers were shown to have inherited a 47-CGG repeat premutation allele. Analysis of one brother showed that he stably transmitted the 47-repeat allele to his daughter. Analysis of the second brother, his daughter, and his granddaughter showed that this allele was meiotically unstable, with the allele size increasing from 47, to 48, to 49 from the father, to the daughter to the granddaughter, respectively. MnlI digestion and DNA sequencing of PCR products showed the absence of intervening AGG sequences. This is the first case in which the lack of AGG interspersions has been associated with instability of a gray zone allele resulting in a one-repeat increase in two successive generations.

Adenosine

DAX1 mutations map to putative structural domains in a deduced three-dimensional model.

The DAX1 protein is an orphan nuclear hormone receptor based on sequence similarity in the putative ligand-binding domain (LBD). DAX1 mutations result in X-linked adrenal hypoplasia congenita (AHC). Our objective was to identify DAX1 mutations in a series of families, to determine the types of mutations resulting in AHC and to locate single-amino-acid changes in a DAX1 structural model. The 14 new mutations identified among our 17 families with AHC brought the total number of families with AHC to 48 and the number of reported mutations to 42; 1 family showed gonadal mosaicism. These mutations included 23 frameshift, 12 nonsense, and six missense mutations and one single-codon deletion. We mapped the seven single-amino-acid changes to a homology model constructed by use of the three-dimensional crystal structures of the thyroid-hormone receptor and retinoid X receptor alpha. All single-amino-acid changes mapped to the C-terminal half of the DAX1 protein, in the conserved hydrophobic core of the putative LBD, and none affected residues expected to interact directly with a ligand. We conclude that most genetic alterations in DAX1 are frameshift or nonsense mutations and speculate that the codon deletion and missense mutations give insight into the structure and function of DAX1.

Adrenal Glands

Unilateral cleft lip with or without cleft palate and handedness: is there an association?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of a relationship between the side of occurrence of unilateral clefting of the lip and/or palate and handedness, also taking into account the type of the initial cleft condition, a factor that has not been adequately assessed in previous studies. DESIGN: This was a retrospective study. SETTING: Division of Orthodontics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada, and Cleft Lip and Palate Program, Children's Hospital, Winnipeg, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects were 289 patients (176 males and 113 females) 9 years of age or older presenting with a history of unilateral clefts of the lip with or without the palate. Of these patients, 217 were recruited from the patient pool of the Orthodontic Clinic at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. The remaining 72 were selected from the registry of the Cleft Lip and Palate Program of the Children's Hospital in Winnipeg. Any syndromic cases were excluded from the sample. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Assessment of handedness was performed by asking the patients to fill out a multi-item questionnaire in which patients were asked to identify which hand they would use for different tasks. The side and type of the initial cleft condition were identified by reviewing each patient's hospital chart and by cross-referencing with clinical examination. Statistical evaluation of the results was performed by using the chi-square test. RESULTS: There was a significantly larger number of left-sided clefts (198) in the sample than right-sided clefts (91), (p < .001). The proportion of left-sided clefts among left-handers (84.6%) was higher than that among right-handers (66.8%). However, the relationship between side of cleft and handedness was not statistically significant (p = .185). Clefts of the primary palate only seemed to occur on the left side 3.5 times more often than on the right, whereas the corresponding ratio of left:right manifestation for clefts of the primary and secondary palate was 1.8:1. The difference was statistically significant (p < .05). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study confirm the affinity of unilateral clefts for the left side but suggest that there are differences between clefts of the primary palate only and clefts of the primary and secondary palate. Also, non-right-handed patients show a greater predilection for having a cleft on the left side than do right-handed patients.

Chi-Square Distribution

Low MSAFP levels and Williams syndrome.

Williams syndrome (WS) is associated with a deletion of the elastin gene in over 90% of cases. We report maternal serum alpha feto-protein (MSAFP) levels in 5 women whose fetuses were later diagnosed as having WS. MSAFP levels ranged from 0.5-0.8 multiples of the median (MOM). Although further confirmation is necessary, it appears that MSAFP levels are lower than the median in WS. This apparent association has implications for counselling women following maternal serum screening.

Female

Familial transmission of a small supernumerary marker chromosome 8 identified by FISH: an update.

A father and his 2 daughters were previously determined to carry a small, supernumerary marker chromosome [Chudley et al., 1983]. The origin of this marker could not be determined by standard cytogenetic techniques. In this study, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies identified the marker chromosome as a pericentric derivative of chromosome 8. The father has low grade mosaicism for this marker and is phenotypically normal. Both daughters are non-mosaic and show developmental delays and somewhat differing clinical findings. The phenotypes of the 2 sisters are compared with those previously reported for supernumerary der(8) patients. This is the first report of familial transmission of a supernumerary der(8) marker chromosome.

Adolescent

Proximal interstitial 6q deletion: a recognizable syndrome.

We report on an 8-year-old boy with a proximal interstitial deletion of the long arm of chromosome 6 with breakpoints q13 to q14.2. He has a characteristic facial appearance that is seen in several of the previously described cases. Details of his clinical course are reviewed and compared with the nine previous reported cases of the proximal deletion 6q syndrome.

Abnormalities, Multiple

Bilateral sensorineural deafness and hydrocephalus due to foramen of Monro obstruction in sibs: a newly described autosomal recessive disorder.

We identified a Canadian-Mennonite family in which a brother and sister have hydrocephalus due to obstruction at the foramen of Monro and profound bilateral sensorineural deafness. This appears to be a unique combination of anomalies and, to our knowledge, has not been reported previously. Both parents and a brother are phenotypically normal. The parents are second cousins. Thus, on the basis of consanguinity, affected sibs of both sexes, and in the absence of evidence for intrauterine infections or other adverse perinatal events, this syndrome is likely inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion.

Abnormalities, Multiple

A familial disorder with duodenal atresia and tetralogy of Fallot.

We report on two sibs with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) and duodenal atresia (DA). The first child, a 6-year-old girl, had a right facial palsy in addition to the TOF and DA. Her brother, age 10 months, was born with bilateral microtia without facial palsy. The children are the product of an apparently non-consanguineous union between clinically normal parents. The pertinent family history includes a paternal aunt with TOF and a cleft lip and palate who died in childhood and another paternal aunt with a supernumerary thumb. This family has anomalies found in several syndromes, but does not meet the diagnostic criteria for any of them. The genetic basis for this condition remains unknown, but the pattern of inheritance is likely either autosomal recessive, or autosomal dominant with variable expression and reduced penetrance. The pathogenesis is unknown, but either a disturbance in neural crest cell migration or familial predisposition to vascular disruption might explain this pattern of malformations.

Child

Der(22)t(11;22) resulting from a paternal de novo translocation, adjacent 1 segregation, and maternal heterodisomy of chromosome 22.

The t(11;22) (q23;q11) translocation is the most frequently identified familial reciprocal translocation in humans. In translocation carriers, 3:1 meiotic segregation with tertiary trisomy can occur resulting in abnormal progeny with the der(22) as the supernumary chromosome. Affected children have a distinct phenotype with multiple anomalies and severe mental retardation. We have identified a child with developmental delay and multiple anomalies consistent with the der(22) phenotype. Cytogenetic analysis showed an abnormal chromosome complement of 47,XX,+der(22)t(11;22)(q23; q11) in all 50 cells analysed. FISH analysis using chromosome 11 and 22 painting probes showed a pattern consistent with a reciprocal translocation of the distal bands 11q23 and 22q11 respectively. Parental karyotypes were normal. RFLP analysis of locus D22S43, which maps above the t(11;22) breakpoint, showed that the der(22) was paternal in origin and indicated that the normal chromosomes 22 were the probable result of maternal heterodisomy. RFLP analysis of locus D22S94, which maps below the t(11;22) breakpoint, also suggested that both normal chromosomes 22 of the child represented the two maternal homologues. Non-paternity was excluded through the analysis of 10 microsatellite markers distributed on 10 different chromosomes and three VNTRs on three different chromosomes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a patient with an abnormal karyotype resulting from a de novo translocation in the paternal germline with probable unbalanced adjacent 1 segregation and maternal non-disjunction of chromosome 22 in meiosis I.

Abnormalities, Multiple

Evidence for Ritscher-Schinzel syndrome in Canadian Native Indians.

We report on 8 (3 male, 5 female) native Canadian children with distinctive facial appearance and variable combinations of ocular colobomas, hypertelorism, macrocephaly, hand anomalies, congenital heart defects, structural CNS posterior fossa malformations, and mental retardation. These 8 children belong to 7 families; 3 of the families are related. The parents and other sibs are clinically unaffected. We think these manifestations provide evidence for Ritscher-Schinzel syndrome in native Canadian children, and we have confirmed that ocular colobomas are a common occurrence in this disorder.

Abnormalities, Multiple

Frequency of FMR1 premutations in a consecutive newborn population by PCR screening of Guthrie blood spots.

The fragile X(A) or FRAXA syndrome is the most common form of familial mental retardation and is associated with a fragile site at Xq27.3. The gene responsible for the FRAXA syndrome, the FMR1 gene, has been cloned. inactivation of the FMR1 gene is associated with amplification of a trinucle-otide CGG repeat sequence and methylation of an adjacent CpG island. Previous estimates for the prevalence of the FRAXA syndrome have been based on indirect methods of chromosome analysis in institutions and community workshops for the mentally handicapped. We have analyzed the frequency of premutations of the FMR1 gene in 3002 X chromosomes of 1000 male and 1000 female consecutive newborn nonautoclaved blood spots in an anonymous, unlinked survey. The CGG repeat sizes were calculated by measuring the length of products of the PCR reaction based on the molecular size of labeled markers in a denaturing sequencing gel assay. For consistent PCR amplification a DNA microextraction was necessary, including a phenol/chloroform series. In our population, the CGG allele ranged from 9 to 106 repeats: 97% of alleles had fewer than 40 repeats. The most frequent allele was a repeat of 28. Approximately 2.3% of alleles had CGG repeats ranging from 4 to 49 and 0.37% of alleles had repeats ranging from 50 to 59. The frequency of alleles > 60 repeats in the Manitoba male population is approximately 0.13%. The use of nonautoclaved Guthrie blood spots for population screening of FRAXA premutations is not recommended. The necessity of a phenol/chloroform DNA microextraction is tedious and time consuming. The low yield of DNA (250 ng) does not allow for reanalysis by Southern of apparently homozygous females with potentially unstable CGG alleles in the 40-60 repeat range and likely underestimates premutation carrier status.

Alleles

Intragenic loss of function mutations demonstrate the primary role of FMR1 in fragile X syndrome.

Nearly all cases of fragile X syndrome result from expansion of a CGG trinucleotide repeat found in the 5' untranslated portion of the FMR1 gene. Methylation of the expanded repeats correlates with down-regulation of transcription of FMR1; thus fragile X syndrome is postulated to be due to a loss of function of the FMR1 gene product, and this has been demonstrated at the protein level. However, the nature of the mutation offers the possibility of methylation spreading to adjacent genes with consequent loss of expression and contribution to the phenotype. Deletions of FMR1 and flanking sequence (some of substantial size) have been reported in patients with phenotypes consistent with a diagnosis of fragile X-syndrome, however, none is strictly intragenic. We report here the identification of two different intragenic loss of function mutations in FMR1: a single de novo nucleotide deletion in a young male patient (IJ) and an inherited two basepair change in an Adult male (SD), each with classical features of fragile X syndrome.

Amino Acid Sequence

Male-to-male transmission of mild Brachmann-de Lange syndrome.

We report on a father and son with mild Brachmann-de Lange syndrome. Previous reports have documented apparent autosomal dominant transmission; however, only one example of male-to-male transmission of possible Brachmann-de Lange syndrome has been reported. This case provides further evidence of the existence of an autosomal dominant form of Brachmann-de Lange syndrome.

Adult