0000000000004930
AUTHOR
V. Chiavetta
Mutation spectrum of NF1 gene in Italian patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 using Ion Torrent PGM™ platform
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is caused by mutations of the NF1 gene and is one of the most common human autosomal dominant disorders. The patient shows different signs on the skin and other organs from early childhood. The best known are six or more café au lait spots, axillary or inguinal freckling, increased risk of developing benign nerve sheath tumours and plexiform neurofibromas. Mutation detection is complex, due to the large gene size, the large variety of mutations and the presence of pseudogenes. Using Ion Torrent PGM⢠Platform, 73 mutations were identified in 79 NF1 Italian patients, 51% of which turned out to be novel mutations. Pathogenic status of each variant was classifi…
Carrier screening for spinal muscular atrophy in Italian population
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal-recessive neuromuscular disorder characterized by motor neuron degeneration in the anterior horn of the spinal cord and brain stem, resulting in progressive muscle weakness and atrophy. The responsible survival motor neuron gene (SMN1; HGNC: 11117) is localized in 5q11.2-13.3. Screening for carriers of SMA is necessary for effective clinical/prenatal diagnosis and genetic counselling. In this study, the copy number of SMN1 gene was determined from a southern Italian population to estimate carrier frequency. This is the first report addressing the estimation of SMA carrier frequency in an Italian population. Our results show that the SMA carrier …
Lack of association of HOXA1 and HOXB1 mutations and autism in Sicilian (Italian) patients
Lack of association of HOXA1 and HOXB1 mutations and autism in Sicilian (Italian) patients
Novel deletion of the E3A ubiquitin protein ligase gene detected by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification in a patient with Angelman syndrome
Angelman syndrome (AS) is a severe neurobehavioural disorder caused by failure of expression of the maternal copy of the imprinted domain located on 15q11-q13. There are different mechanisms leading to AS: maternal microdeletion, uniparental disomy, defects in a putative imprinting centre, mutations of the E3 ubiquitin protein ligase (UBE3A) gene. However, some of suspected cases of AS are still scored negative to all the latter mutations. Recently, it has been shown that a proportion of negative cases bear large deletions overlapping one or more exons of the UBE3A gene. These deletions are difficult to detect by conventional gene-scanning methods due to the masking effect by the non-delete…
Exon deletions of the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene in Italian hyperphenylalaninemics
A consistent finding of many studies describing the spectrum of mutant phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) alleles underlying hyperphenylalaninemia is the impossibility of achieving a 100% mutation ascertainment rate using conventional gene-scanning methods. These methods include denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC), and direct sequencing. In recent years, it has been shown that a significant proportion of undetermined alleles consist of large deletions overlapping one or more exons. These deletions have been difficult to detect in compound heterozygotes using gene-scanning methods due to a masking effect of the non-deleted al…
Multiplex PCR-Based Next-Generation Sequencing Approach Has Detected a Common Large Deletion in STS Gene in a Patient with X-Linked Ichthyosis
Several nuclear genes have been found to be linked to ichthyosis, and Next Generation Sequencing approach on panels of targeted genes has turned out to be particularly useful in analyzing diseases characterized by significant genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. We developed a panel of 26 genes to be screened with the Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM) for causative mutations relating to ichthyosis. Sequencing runs were obtained from a patient with ichthyosis using the Ion Torrent PGM and then processed with Ion Torrent Suite, Variant Caller, Coverage Analysis and wANNOVER tools. No causative mutations were found using Variant Caller and wANNOVER softwares, whereas the “Coverage Analysis” t…
Analysis of the gastrin-releasing peptide receptor gene in Italian patients with autism spectrum disorders
The gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) was implicated for the first time in the pathogenesis of Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) by Ishikawa-Brush et al. [Ishikawa-Brush et al. (1997): Hum Mol Genet 6: 1241-1250]. Since this original observation, only one association study [Marui et al. (2004): Brain Dev 26: 5-7] has further investigated, though unsuccessfully, the involvement of the GRPR gene in ASD. With the aim of contributing further information to this topic we have sequenced the entire coding region and the intron/exon junctions of the GRPR gene in 149 Italian autistic patients. The results of this study led to the identification of four novel point mutations, two of which, that…