Application of multicolor banding for identification of complex chromosome 18 rearrangements

Recombinant Chromosomes Resulting From Parental Pericentric Inversions-Two New Cases and a Review of the Literature

A balanced pericentric inversion is normally without any clinical consequences for its carrier. However, there is a well-known risk of such inversions to lead to unbalanced offspring. Inversion-loop formation is the mechanism which may lead to duplication or deletion of the entire or parts of the inverted segment in the offspring. However, also partial deletion and duplication may be an effect of a parental inversion, depending on the size of the inversion and the uneven number of crossing over events, also suggested to be due to an inversion loop. Here we describe two new cases of recombinant chromosomes and provide a review of the literature of comparable cases. Interestingly, this survey confirmed the general genetic principle that gain of copy numbers are better tolerated than losses. Furthermore, there is a non-random distribution of all human chromosomes concerning their involvement in recombinant formation, which is also discussed.

Multicolor banding remains an important adjunct to array CGH and conventional karyotyping

Background

Array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) for high resolution detection of chromosome imbalance, and karyotype analysis using G-banded chromosomes for detection of chromosome rearrangements, provide a powerful diagnostic armoury for clinical cytogenetics. However, abnormalities detected by karyotype analysis cannot always be characterised by scrutinising the G-banded pattern alone, and imbalance detected by array CGH cannot always be visualised in the context of metaphase chromosomes. In some cases further techniques are needed for detailed characterisation of chromosomal abnormalities. We investigated seven cases involving structural chromosome rearrangements detected by karyotype analysis, and one case where imbalance was primarily detected by array CGH. Multicolor banding (MCB) was used in all cases and proved invaluable in understanding the detailed structure of the abnormalities.

Findings

Karyotype analysis detected structural chromosome rearrangements in 7 cases and MCB was used to help refine the karyotype for each case. Array CGH detected imbalance in an eighth case, where previously, G-banded chromosome analysis had reported a normal karyotype. Karyotype analysis of a second tissue type revealed this abnormality in mosaic form; however, MCB was needed in order to characterise this rearrangement. MCB provided information for the delineation of small deletions, duplications, insertions and inversions and helped to assign breakpoints which were difficult to identify from G-banded preparations due to ambiguous banding patterns.

Conclusion

Despite the recent advance of array CGH in molecular cytogenetics we conclude that fluorescence in situ hybridization, including MCB, is still required for the elucidation of structural chromosome rearrangements, and remains an essential adjunct in modern diagnostic laboratories.

Genome-wide association study identified CNP12587 region underlying height variation in Chinese females

Introduction

Human height is a highly heritable trait considered as an important factor for health. There has been limited success in identifying the genetic factors underlying height variation. We aim to identify sequence variants associated with adult height by a genome-wide association study of copy number variants (CNVs) in Chinese.

Methods

Genome-wide CNV association analyses were conducted in 1,625 unrelated Chinese adults and sex specific subgroup for height variation, respectively. Height was measured with a stadiometer. Affymetrix SNP6.0 genotyping platform was used to identify copy number polymorphisms (CNPs). We constructed a genomic map containing 1,009 CNPs in Chinese individuals and performed a genome-wide association study of CNPs with height.

Results

We detected 10 significant association signals for height (p<0.05) in the whole population, 9 and 11 association signals for Chinese female and male population, respectively. A copy number polymorphism (CNP12587, chr18:54081842-54086942, p = 2.41×10⁻⁴) was found to be significantly associated with height variation in Chinese females even after strict Bonferroni correction (p = 0.048). Confirmatory real time PCR experiments lent further support for CNV validation. Compared to female subjects with two copies of the CNP, carriers of three copies had an average of 8.1% decrease in height. An important candidate gene, ubiquitin-protein ligase NEDD4-like (NEDD4L), was detected at this region, which plays important roles in bone metabolism by binding to bone formation regulators.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest the important genetic variants underlying height variation in Chinese.

Three supernumerary marker chromosomes in a patient with developmental delay, mental retardation, and dysmorphic features

We characterized three supernumerary marker chromosomes (SMCs) simultaneously present in a 2-year- and 10-month-old male patient with mental retardation and dysmorphic features. Peripheral blood chromosome analysis revealed two to three SMCs in 25/26 cells analyzed. The remaining one cell had one SMC. Microarray comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) showed mosaicism for gains of 5q35.3, 15q11.2q13.3, and 18p11.21q11.1 regions. All three gains contain multiple OMIM genes. FISH studies indicated that one of the SMCs is a dicentric ring 15 with two copies of the 15q11.2q13.3 region including SNRPN/UBE3A and two copies of the 5q35.3 region. One of the der(18)s contains the 18 centromere and 18p11.2 regions, while the other der(18) has a signal for the 18 centromere only. The phenotype of the patient is compared with that of patients with tetrasomy 15q11.2q13.3, trisomy 5q35.3, and trisomy 18p11.2. Our study demonstrates that aCGH and FISH analyses are powerful tools, which complement the conventional cytogenetic analysis for the identification of SMCs.

[A girl with partial monosomy 18q21: cytogenetic and molecular genetics studies]

This study is about a girl with chromosome deletion of 18q and with mental retardation and mild delay of physical development. Based on karyotyping of high resolution, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and microsatellite analysis mapping to 18q, we found that the patient's karyotype was interpreted as 46,XX,del(18).(pter-->q21:), ish del(18)(D18Z1+,qter-). Detection of D18S979 showed that the region from 18q21.1 to 18qter was deleted, which was originated from her father. There were MBP gene and GALNR gene in the deleted interval in which both of them were lost. In conclusion, deletion of 18q21-->qter including the MBP gene and GALNR gene should be responsible for her mental retardation and mild delay of development.