Anita Rauch

Publications (99)684.36 Total impact

• Article: Haploinsufficiency of ARID1B, a member of the SWI/SNF-a chromatin-remodeling complex, is a frequent cause of intellectual disability.

  Juliane Hoyer, Arif B Ekici, Sabine Endele, Bernt Popp, Christiane Zweier, Antje Wiesener, Eva Wohlleber, Andreas Dufke, Eva Rossier, Corinna Petsch, Markus Zweier, Ina Göhring, Alexander M Zink, Gudrun Rappold, Evelin Schröck, Dagmar Wieczorek, Olaf Riess, Hartmut Engels, Anita Rauch, André Reis
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  ABSTRACT: Intellectual disability (ID) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous common condition that remains etiologically unresolved in the majority of cases. Although several hundred diseased genes have been identified in X-linked, autosomal-recessive, or syndromic types of ID, the establishment of an etiological basis remains a difficult task in unspecific, sporadic cases. Just recently, de novo mutations in SYNGAP1, STXBP1, MEF2C, and GRIN2B were reported as relatively common causes of ID in such individuals. On the basis of a patient with severe ID and a 2.5 Mb microdeletion including ARID1B in chromosomal region 6q25, we performed mutational analysis in 887 unselected patients with unexplained ID. In this cohort, we found eight (0.9%) additional de novo nonsense or frameshift mutations predicted to cause haploinsufficiency. Our findings indicate that haploinsufficiency of ARID1B, a member of the SWI/SNF-A chromatin-remodeling complex, is a common cause of ID, and they add to the growing evidence that chromatin-remodeling defects are an important contributor to neurodevelopmental disorders.
  The American Journal of Human Genetics 03/3012; 90(3):565-72. · 10.60 Impact Factor
• Article: Platelet defects in congenital variant of Rett syndrome patients with FOXG1 mutations or reduced expression due to a position effect at 14q12.

  Christophe Goubau, Koen Devriendt, Nathalie Van der Aa, An Crepel, Dagmar Wieczorek, Tjitske Kleefstra, Marjolein H Willemsen, Anita Rauch, Andreas Tzschach, Thomy de Ravel, Peter Leemans, Chris Van Geet, Gunnar Buyse, Kathleen Freson
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  ABSTRACT: The Forkhead box G1 (FOXG1) gene encodes a transcriptional repressor essential for early development of the telencephalon. Intragenic mutations and gene deletions leading to haploinsufficiency cause the congenital variant of Rett syndrome. We here describe Rett syndrome-like patients, three of them carrying a balanced translocation with breakpoint in the chromosome 14q12 region, and one patient having a 14q12 microdeletion excluding the FOXG1 gene. The hypothesis of long-range FOXG1-regulatory elements in this region was supported by our finding of reduced FOXG1 mRNA and protein levels in platelets and skin fibroblasts from these cases. Given that FOXG1 is not only expressed in brain but also in platelets, we have studied platelet morphology in these patients and two additional patients with FOXG1 mutations. Electron microscopy of their platelets showed some enlarged, rounder platelets with often abnormal alpha, and fewer dense granules. Platelet function studies were possible in one 14q12 translocation patient with a prolonged Ivy bleeding time and a patient with a heterozygous FOXG1 c.1248C>G mutation (p.Tyr416X). Both have a prolonged PFA-100 occlusion time with collagen and epinephrine and reduced aggregation responses to low dose of ADP and epinephrine. Dense granule ATP secretion was normal for strong agonists but absent for epinephrine. In conclusion, our study shows that by using platelets functional evidence of cis-regulatory elements in the 14q12 region result in reduced FOXG1 levels in patients' platelets having translocations or deletions in that region. These platelet functional abnormalities deserve further investigation regarding a non-transcriptional regulatory role for FOXG1 in these anucleated cells.European Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, 1 May 2013; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2013.86.
  European journal of human genetics: EJHG 05/2013; · 3.56 Impact Factor
• Article: Rare copy number variants are a common cause of short stature.

  Diana Zahnleiter, Steffen Uebe, Arif B Ekici, Juliane Hoyer, Antje Wiesener, Dagmar Wieczorek, Erdmute Kunstmann, André Reis, Helmuth-Guenther Doerr, Anita Rauch, Christian T Thiel
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  ABSTRACT: Human growth has an estimated heritability of about 80%-90%. Nevertheless, the underlying cause of shortness of stature remains unknown in the majority of individuals. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) showed that both common single nucleotide polymorphisms and copy number variants (CNVs) contribute to height variation under a polygenic model, although explaining only a small fraction of overall genetic variability in the general population. Under the hypothesis that severe forms of growth retardation might also be caused by major gene effects, we searched for rare CNVs in 200 families, 92 sporadic and 108 familial, with idiopathic short stature compared to 820 control individuals. Although similar in number, patients had overall significantly larger CNVs (p-value<1×10(-7)). In a gene-based analysis of all non-polymorphic CNVs>50 kb for gene function, tissue expression, and murine knock-out phenotypes, we identified 10 duplications and 10 deletions ranging in size from 109 kb to 14 Mb, of which 7 were de novo (p<0.03) and 13 inherited from the likewise affected parent but absent in controls. Patients with these likely disease causing 20 CNVs were smaller than the remaining group (p<0.01). Eleven (55%) of these CNVs either overlapped with known microaberration syndromes associated with short stature or contained GWAS loci for height. Haploinsufficiency (HI) score and further expression profiling suggested dosage sensitivity of major growth-related genes at these loci. Overall 10% of patients carried a disease-causing CNV indicating that, like in neurodevelopmental disorders, rare CNVs are a frequent cause of severe growth retardation.
  PLoS Genetics 03/2013; 9(3):e1003365. · 8.69 Impact Factor
• Source

  Available from: Frenny Sheth

  Article: Dosage changes of MED13L further delineate its role in congenital heart defects and intellectual disability.

  Reza Asadollahi, Beatrice Oneda, Frenny Sheth, Silvia Azzarello-Burri, Rosa Baldinger, Pascal Joset, Beatrice Latal, Walter Knirsch, Soaham Desai, Alessandra Baumer, Gunnar Houge, Joris Andrieux, Anita Rauch
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  ABSTRACT: A chromosomal balanced translocation disrupting the MED13L (Mediator complex subunit13-like) gene, encoding a subunit of the Mediator complex, was previously associated with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) and intellectual disability (ID), and led to the identification of missense mutations in three patients with isolated TGA. Recently, a homozygous missense mutation in MED13L was found in two siblings with non-syndromic ID from a consanguineous family. Here, we describe for the first time, three patients with copy number changes affecting MED13L and delineate a recognizable MED13L haploinsufficiency syndrome. Using high resolution molecular karyotyping, we identified two intragenic de novo frameshift deletions, likely resulting in haploinsufficiency, in two patients with a similar phenotype of hypotonia, moderate ID, conotruncal heart defect and facial anomalies. In both, Sanger sequencing of MED13L did not reveal any pathogenic mutation and exome sequencing in one patient showed no evidence for a non-allelic second hit. A further patient with hypotonia, learning difficulties and perimembranous VSD showed a 1 Mb de novo triplication in 12q24.2, including MED13L and MAP1LC3B2. Our findings show that MED13L haploinsufficiency in contrast to the previously observed missense mutations cause a distinct syndromic phenotype. Additionally, a MED13L copy number gain results in a milder phenotype. The clinical features suggesting a neurocristopathy may be explained by animal model studies indicating involvement of the Mediator complex subunit 13 in neural crest induction.European Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, 13 February 2013; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2013.17.
  European journal of human genetics: EJHG 02/2013; · 3.56 Impact Factor
• Source

  Available from: David S Winlaw

  Article: Genome-wide association study identifies loci on 12q24 and 13q32 associated with Tetralogy of Fallot.

  Heather J Cordell, Ana Töpf, Chrysovalanto Mamasoula, Alex V Postma, Jamie Bentham, Diana Zelenika, Simon Heath, Gillian Blue, Catherine Cosgrove, Javier Granados Riveron, [......], David Winlaw, Seema Mital, Marc Gewillig, Jeroen Breckpot, Koen Devriendt, Antoon F M Moorman, Anita Rauch, G Mark Lathrop, Bernard D Keavney, Judith A Goodship
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  ABSTRACT: We conducted a genome-wide association study to search for risk alleles associated with Tetralogy of Fallot, using a northern European discovery set of 835 cases and 5159 controls. A region on chromosome 12q24 was associated (P=1.4×10(-7)) and replicated convincingly (P=3.9×10(-5)) in 798 cases and 2931 controls (per allele OR=1.27 in replication cohort, P=7.7×10(-11) in combined populations). SNPs in the glypican 5 gene (GPC5) on chromosome 13q32 were also associated (P=1.7×10(-7)) and replicated convincingly (P=1.2×10(-5)) in 789 cases and 2927 controls (per allele OR=1.31 in replication cohort, P=3.03×10(-11) in combined populations). Four additional regions on chromosomes 10, 15 and 16 showed suggestive association accompanied by nominal replication. This study, the first genome-wide association study of a congenital heart malformation phenotype, provides evidence that common genetic variation influences the risk of Tetralogy of Fallot.
  Human Molecular Genetics 01/2013; · 7.64 Impact Factor
• Article: Range of genetic mutations associated with severe non-syndromic sporadic intellectual disability: an exome sequencing study.

  Anita Rauch, Dagmar Wieczorek, Elisabeth Graf, Thomas Wieland, Sabine Endele, Thomas Schwarzmayr, Beate Albrecht, Deborah Bartholdi, Jasmin Beygo, Nataliya Di Donato, [......], Heinrich Sticht, Annette Schenck, Hartmut Engels, Gudrun Rappold, Evelin Schröck, Peter Wieacker, Olaf Riess, Thomas Meitinger, André Reis, Tim M Strom
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  ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The genetic cause of intellectual disability in most patients is unclear because of the absence of morphological clues, information about the position of such genes, and suitable screening methods. Our aim was to identify de-novo variants in individuals with sporadic non-syndromic intellectual disability. METHODS: In this study, we enrolled children with intellectual disability and their parents from ten centres in Germany and Switzerland. We compared exome sequences between patients and their parents to identify de-novo variants. 20 children and their parents from the KORA Augsburg Diabetes Family Study were investigated as controls. FINDINGS: We enrolled 51 participants from the German Mental Retardation Network. 45 (88%) participants in the case group and 14 (70%) in the control group had de-novo variants. We identified 87 de-novo variants in the case group, with an exomic mutation rate of 1·71 per individual per generation. In the control group we identified 24 de-novo variants, which is 1·2 events per individual per generation. More participants in the case group had loss-of-function variants than in the control group (20/51 vs 2/20; p=0·022), suggesting their contribution to disease development. 16 patients carried de-novo variants in known intellectual disability genes with three recurrently mutated genes (STXBP1, SYNGAP1, and SCN2A). We deemed at least six loss-of-function mutations in six novel genes to be disease causing. We also identified several missense alterations with potential pathogenicity. INTERPRETATION: After exclusion of copy-number variants, de-novo point mutations and small indels are associated with severe, sporadic non-syndromic intellectual disability, accounting for 45-55% of patients with high locus heterogeneity. Autosomal recessive inheritance seems to contribute little in the outbred population investigated. The large number of de-novo variants in known intellectual disability genes is only partially attributable to known non-specific phenotypes. Several patients did not meet the expected syndromic manifestation, suggesting a strong bias in present clinical syndrome descriptions. FUNDING: German Ministry of Education and Research, European Commission 7th Framework Program, and Swiss National Science Foundation.
  The Lancet 09/2012; · 38.28 Impact Factor
• Article: Contribution of global rare copy-number variants to the risk of sporadic congenital heart disease.

  Rachel Soemedi, Ian J Wilson, Jamie Bentham, Rebecca Darlay, Ana Töpf, Diana Zelenika, Catherine Cosgrove, Kerry Setchfield, Chris Thornborough, Javier Granados-Riveron, [......], John O' Sullivan, David S Winlaw, Frances Bu'lock, J David Brook, Shoumo Bhattacharya, Mark Lathrop, Mauro Santibanez-Koref, Heather J Cordell, Judith A Goodship, Bernard D Keavney
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  ABSTRACT: Previous studies have shown that copy-number variants (CNVs) contribute to the risk of complex developmental phenotypes. However, the contribution of global CNV burden to the risk of sporadic congenital heart disease (CHD) remains incompletely defined. We generated genome-wide CNV data by using Illumina 660W-Quad SNP arrays in 2,256 individuals with CHD, 283 trio CHD-affected families, and 1,538 controls. We found association of rare genic deletions with CHD risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.8, p = 0.0008). Rare deletions in study participants with CHD had higher gene content (p = 0.001) with higher haploinsufficiency scores (p = 0.03) than they did in controls, and they were enriched with Wnt-signaling genes (p = 1 × 10(-5)). Recurrent 15q11.2 deletions were associated with CHD risk (OR = 8.2, p = 0.02). Rare de novo CNVs were observed in ∼5% of CHD trios; 10 out of 11 occurred on the paternally transmitted chromosome (p = 0.01). Some of the rare de novo CNVs spanned genes known to be involved in heart development (e.g., HAND2 and GJA5). Rare genic deletions contribute ∼4% of the population-attributable risk of sporadic CHD. Second to previously described CNVs at 1q21.1, deletions at 15q11.2 and those implicating Wnt signaling are the most significant contributors to the risk of sporadic CHD. Rare de novo CNVs identified in CHD trios exhibit paternal origin bias.
  The American Journal of Human Genetics 08/2012; 91(3):489-501. · 10.60 Impact Factor
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  Available from: Ian J Wilson

  Article: Phenotype-specific effect of chromosome 1q21.1 rearrangements and GJA5 duplications in 2436 congenital heart disease patients and 6760 controls.

  Rachel Soemedi, Ana Topf, Ian J Wilson, Rebecca Darlay, Thahira Rahman, Elise Glen, Darroch Hall, Ni Huang, Jamie Bentham, Shoumo Bhattacharya, [......], Michael Hofbeck, Mark Lathrop, Anita Rauch, Gillian M Blue, David S Winlaw, Matthew Hurles, Mauro Santibanez-Koref, Heather J Cordell, Judith A Goodship, Bernard D Keavney
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  ABSTRACT: Recurrent rearrangements of chromosome 1q21.1 that occur via non-allelic homologous recombination have been associated with variable phenotypes exhibiting incomplete penetrance, including congenital heart disease (CHD). However, the gene or genes within the ~1 Mb critical region responsible for each of the associated phenotypes remains unknown. We examined the 1q21.1 locus in 948 patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), 1488 patients with other forms of CHD and 6760 ethnically matched controls using single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping arrays (Illumina 660W and Affymetrix 6.0) and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. We found that duplication of 1q21.1 was more common in cases of TOF than in controls [odds ratio (OR) 30.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 8.9-107.6); P = 2.2 × 10(-7)], but deletion was not. In contrast, deletion of 1q21.1 was more common in cases of non-TOF CHD than in controls [OR 5.5 (95% CI 1.4-22.0); P = 0.04] while duplication was not. We also detected rare (n = 3) 100-200 kb duplications within the critical region of 1q21.1 in cases of TOF. These small duplications encompassed a single gene in common, GJA5, and were enriched in cases of TOF in comparison to controls [OR = 10.7 (95% CI 1.8-64.3), P = 0.01]. These findings show that duplication and deletion at chromosome 1q21.1 exhibit a degree of phenotypic specificity in CHD, and implicate GJA5 as the gene responsible for the CHD phenotypes observed with copy number imbalances at this locus.
  Human Molecular Genetics 12/2011; 21(7):1513-20. · 7.64 Impact Factor
• Article: Genome-wide copy number profiling using a 100K SNP array reveals novel disease-related genes BORIS and TSHZ1 in juvenile angiofibroma.

  Bernhard Schick, Silke Wemmert, Vivienne Willnecker, Julia Dlugaiczyk, Piero Nicolai, Henryk Siwiec, Christian T Thiel, Anita Rauch, Olaf Wendler
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  ABSTRACT: Juvenile angiofibroma (JA) is a unique fibrovascular tumor, which is almost exclusively found in the posterior nasal cavity of adolescent males. Although histologically classified as benign, the tumor often shows an aggressive growth pattern and has been associated with chromosomal imbalances, amplification of oncogenes and epigenetic dysregulation. We present the first genome-wide profiling of JAs (n=14) with a 100K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray. Among the 30 novel JA-specific amplifications detected on autosomal chromosomes with this technique, the genes encoding the cancer-testis antigen BORIS (brother of the regulator of imprinted sites) and the developmental regulator protein TSHZ1 (teashirt zinc finger homeobox 1) were selected for further analysis. Gains for both BORIS (20q13.3) and TSHZ1 (18q22.3) were confirmed by quantitative genomic PCR. Furthermore, quantitative RT-PCR revealed a significant up-regulation of BORIS (p<0.001) and TSHZ1 transcripts (p<0.05) for JAs compared to nasal mucosa. Following detection of BORIS and TSHZ1 proteins in western blots of JAs, subcellular localization was determined for both proteins in immunostaining of JA cryosections. In conclusion, genomic copy number profiling using an SNP microarray has been proven to be a suitable and reliable tool for identifying novel disease-related genes in JAs and newly implicates BORIS and TSHZ1 overexpression in the pathogenesis of JAs. Detection of BORIS in JAs is described with special regard to tumor proliferation and epigenetic dysregulation, and the finding of TSHZ1 amplifications is discussed with special respect to the hypothesis of JAs as malformations of the first branchial arch artery.
  International Journal of Oncology 11/2011; 39(5):1143-51. · 2.40 Impact Factor
• Source

  Available from: Damien Sanlaville

  Article: Mirror extreme BMI phenotypes associated with gene dosage at the chromosome 16p11.2 locus.

  Sébastien Jacquemont, Alexandre Reymond, Flore Zufferey, Louise Harewood, Robin G Walters, Zoltán Kutalik, Danielle Martinet, Yiping Shen, Armand Valsesia, Noam D Beckmann, [......], Joris Andrieux, Xavier Estivill, James F Gusella, Omar Gustafsson, Andres Metspalu, Stephen W Scherer, Kari Stefansson, Alexandra I F Blakemore, Jacques S Beckmann, Philippe Froguel
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  ABSTRACT: Both obesity and being underweight have been associated with increased mortality. Underweight, defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≤ 18.5 kg per m(2) in adults and ≤ -2 standard deviations from the mean in children, is the main sign of a series of heterogeneous clinical conditions including failure to thrive, feeding and eating disorder and/or anorexia nervosa. In contrast to obesity, few genetic variants underlying these clinical conditions have been reported. We previously showed that hemizygosity of a ∼600-kilobase (kb) region on the short arm of chromosome 16 causes a highly penetrant form of obesity that is often associated with hyperphagia and intellectual disabilities. Here we show that the corresponding reciprocal duplication is associated with being underweight. We identified 138 duplication carriers (including 132 novel cases and 108 unrelated carriers) from individuals clinically referred for developmental or intellectual disabilities (DD/ID) or psychiatric disorders, or recruited from population-based cohorts. These carriers show significantly reduced postnatal weight and BMI. Half of the boys younger than five years are underweight with a probable diagnosis of failure to thrive, whereas adult duplication carriers have an 8.3-fold increased risk of being clinically underweight. We observe a trend towards increased severity in males, as well as a depletion of male carriers among non-medically ascertained cases. These features are associated with an unusually high frequency of selective and restrictive eating behaviours and a significant reduction in head circumference. Each of the observed phenotypes is the converse of one reported in carriers of deletions at this locus. The phenotypes correlate with changes in transcript levels for genes mapping within the duplication but not in flanking regions. The reciprocal impact of these 16p11.2 copy-number variants indicates that severe obesity and being underweight could have mirror aetiologies, possibly through contrasting effects on energy balance.
  Nature 08/2011; 478(7367):97-102. · 36.28 Impact Factor
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  Available from: Hartmut Engels

  Article: Expanding the clinical spectrum associated with defects in CNTNAP2 and NRXN1.

  Anne Gregor, Beate Albrecht, Ingrid Bader, Emilia K Bijlsma, Arif B Ekici, Hartmut Engels, Karl Hackmann, Denise Horn, Juliane Hoyer, Jakub Klapecki, [......], Isabelle Maystadt, Sandra Nagl, Eva Prott, Sigrid Tinschert, Reinhard Ullmann, Eva Wohlleber, Geoffrey Woods, André Reis, Anita Rauch, Christiane Zweier
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  ABSTRACT: Heterozygous copy-number and missense variants in CNTNAP2 and NRXN1 have repeatedly been associated with a wide spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders such as developmental language and autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy and schizophrenia. Recently, homozygous or compound heterozygous defects in either gene were reported as causative for severe intellectual disability. 99 patients with severe intellectual disability and resemblance to Pitt-Hopkins syndrome and/or suspected recessive inheritance were screened for mutations in CNTNAP2 and NRXN1. Molecular karyotyping was performed in 45 patients. In 8 further patients with variable intellectual disability and heterozygous deletions in either CNTNAP2 or NRXN1, the remaining allele was sequenced. By molecular karyotyping and mutational screening of CNTNAP2 and NRXN1 in a group of severely intellectually disabled patients we identified a heterozygous deletion in NRXN1 in one patient and heterozygous splice-site, frameshift and stop mutations in CNTNAP2 in four patients, respectively. Neither in these patients nor in eight further patients with heterozygous deletions within NRXN1 or CNTNAP2 we could identify a defect on the second allele. One deletion in NRXN1 and one deletion in CNTNAP2 occurred de novo, in another family the deletion was also identified in the mother who had learning difficulties, and in all other tested families one parent was shown to be healthy carrier of the respective deletion or mutation. We report on patients with heterozygous defects in CNTNAP2 or NRXN1 associated with severe intellectual disability, which has only been reported for recessive defects before. These results expand the spectrum of phenotypic severity in patients with heterozygous defects in either gene. The large variability between severely affected patients and mildly affected or asymptomatic carrier parents might suggest the presence of a second hit, not necessarily located in the same gene.
  BMC Medical Genetics 08/2011; 12:106. · 2.33 Impact Factor
• Article: Disruption of the histone acetyltransferase MYST4 leads to a Noonan syndrome-like phenotype and hyperactivated MAPK signaling in humans and mice.

  Michael Kraft, Ion Cristian Cirstea, Anne Kathrin Voss, Tim Thomas, Ina Goehring, Bilal N Sheikh, Lavinia Gordon, Hamish Scott, Gordon K Smyth, Mohammad Reza Ahmadian, Udo Trautmann, Martin Zenker, Marco Tartaglia, Arif Ekici, André Reis, Helmuth-Guenther Dörr, Anita Rauch, Christian Thomas Thiel
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  ABSTRACT: Epigenetic regulation of gene expression, through covalent modification of histones, is a key process controlling growth and development. Accordingly, the transcription factors regulating these processes are important targets of genetic diseases. However, surprisingly little is known about the relationship between aberrant epigenetic states, the cellular process affected, and their phenotypic consequences. By chromosomal breakpoint mapping in a patient with a Noonan syndrome-like phenotype that encompassed short stature, blepharoptosis, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, we identified haploinsufficiency of the histone acetyltransferase gene MYST histone acetyltransferase (monocytic leukemia) 4 (MYST4), as the underlying cause of the phenotype. Using acetylation, whole genome expression, and ChIP studies in cells from the patient, cell lines in which MYST4 expression was knocked down using siRNA, and the Myst4 querkopf mouse, we found that H3 acetylation is important for neural, craniofacial, and skeletal morphogenesis, mainly through its ability to specifically regulating the MAPK signaling pathway. This finding further elucidates the complex role of histone modifications in mammalian development and adds what we believe to be a new mechanism to the pathogenic phenotypes resulting from misregulation of the RAS signaling pathway.
  The Journal of clinical investigation 08/2011; 121(9):3479-91. · 15.39 Impact Factor
• Article: De novo nonsense mutations in ASXL1 cause Bohring-Opitz syndrome.

  Alexander Hoischen, Bregje W M van Bon, Benjamín Rodríguez-Santiago, Christian Gilissen, Lisenka E L M Vissers, Petra de Vries, Irene Janssen, Bart van Lier, Rob Hastings, Sarah F Smithson, [......], Ruth McGowan, Deborah Bartholdi, Anita Rauch, Maarit Peippo, Jan M Cobben, Dagmar Wieczorek, Gabriele Gillessen-Kaesbach, Joris A Veltman, Han G Brunner, Bert B B A de Vries
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  ABSTRACT: Bohring-Opitz syndrome is characterized by severe intellectual disability, distinctive facial features and multiple congenital malformations. We sequenced the exomes of three individuals with Bohring-Opitz syndrome and in each identified heterozygous de novo nonsense mutations in ASXL1, which is required for maintenance of both activation and silencing of Hox genes. In total, 7 out of 13 subjects with a Bohring-Opitz phenotype had de novo ASXL1 mutations, suggesting that the syndrome is genetically heterogeneous.
  Nature Genetics 06/2011; 43(8):729-31. · 35.53 Impact Factor
• Article: 7 Mb de novo deletion within 8q21 in a patient with distal arthrogryposis type 2B (DA2B).

  Kristin Hofmann, Jutta Becker, Raoul Heller, Odile Boute, Joris Andrieux, Juliane Hoyer, Arif B Ekici, André Reis, Anita Rauch
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  ABSTRACT: We report on a 7 11/12 years old male patient with normal mental development, club feet, ulnar deviation and mild camptodactyly as well as facial dysmorphism including high forehead, small mouth, broad nasal bridge, epicanthus, high palate, brachycephalus, short neck, and dysplastic ears consistent with distal arthrogryposis type 2B (DA2B). Mutational analysis of the genes MYH3, TNNI2, TNNT3 and TPM2, known to cause DA2B revealed no apparent disease causing mutation. Molecular karyotyping using a 250 K SNP array revealed a heterozygous de novo 7 Mb deletion of 8q21.11-8q21.13 containing 23 genes. Prioritisation of possible candidate genes using the bioinformatics tool ENDEAVOUR revealed three favoured genes, HEY1, FABP5 and FABP4 as potential causes of the phenotype. We propose that the 8q21 region contains a further locus which contributes to the genetically heterogeneous DA2B.
  European journal of medical genetics 06/2011; 54(5):e495-500. · 1.57 Impact Factor
• Article: The smallest teeth in the world are caused by mutations in the PCNT gene.

  Piranit Kantaputra, Pranoot Tanpaiboon, Thantrira Porntaveetus, Atsushi Ohazama, Paul Sharpe, Anita Rauch, Atiwat Hussadaloy, Christian T Thiel
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  ABSTRACT: We report a follow up study on two MOPD II Thai families with severe dental anomalies and hypoplastic alveolar bone. Striking dental anomalies comprise severe microdontia, opalescent and abnormally shaped teeth, and rootless molars. As a result of severe hypoplastic alveolar bone, most permanent teeth have been lost. Mutation analysis of PCNT revealed 2 novel mutations (p.Lys3154del and p.Glu1154X) and a recurrent mutation (p.Pro1923X). Teeth of the patient who carried a homozygous novel mutation of p.Glu1154X are probably the smallest ever reported. The sizes of the mandibular permanent incisors and all premolars were approximately 2-2.5 mm, mesiodistally. All previously reported, PCNT mutations have been described to cause premature truncation of the pericentrin protein. p.Lys3154del mutation was unique as it was pathogenic as a result of missing only a single amino acid. In situ hybridization of Pcnt shows its expression in the epithelium and mesenchyme during early stages of rodent tooth development. It is evident that PCNT has crucial role in tooth development. The permanent dentition is more severely affected than the one. This implies that PCNT appears to have more role in the development of the permanent dentition. As pericentrin is a critical centrosomal protein, the dental phenotype found in MOPD II patients is postulated to be the consequence of loss of microtubule integrity which leads to defective centrosome function.
  American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A 06/2011; 155A(6):1398-403. · 2.39 Impact Factor
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  Available from: Dagmar Wieczorek

  Article: The core FOXG1 syndrome phenotype consists of postnatal microcephaly, severe mental retardation, absent language, dyskinesia, and corpus callosum hypogenesis.

  Fanny Kortüm, Soma Das, Max Flindt, Deborah J Morris-Rosendahl, Irina Stefanova, Amy Goldstein, Denise Horn, Eva Klopocki, Gerhard Kluger, Peter Martin, Anita Rauch, Agathe Roumer, Sulagna Saitta, Laurence E Walsh, Dagmar Wieczorek, Gökhan Uyanik, Kerstin Kutsche, William B Dobyns
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  ABSTRACT: Submicroscopic deletions in 14q12 spanning FOXG1 or intragenic mutations have been reported in patients with a developmental disorder described as a congenital variant of Rett syndrome. This study aimed to further characterise and delineate the phenotype of FOXG1 mutation positive patients. The study mapped the breakpoints of a 2;14 translocation by fluorescence in situ hybridisation and analysed three chromosome rearrangements in 14q12 by cytogenetic analysis and/or array comparative genomic hybridisation. The FOXG1 gene was sequenced in 210 patients, including 129 patients with unexplained developmental disorders and 81 MECP2 mutation negative individuals. One known mutation, seen in two patients, and nine novel mutations of FOXG1 including two deletions, two chromosome rearrangements disrupting or displacing putative cis-regulatory elements from FOXG1, and seven sequence changes, are reported. Analysis of 11 patients in this study, and a further 15 patients reported in the literature, demonstrates a complex constellation of features including mild postnatal growth deficiency, severe postnatal microcephaly, severe mental retardation with absent language development, deficient social reciprocity resembling autism, combined stereotypies and frank dyskinesias, epilepsy, poor sleep patterns, irritability in infancy, unexplained episodes of crying, recurrent aspiration, and gastro-oesophageal reflux. Brain imaging studies reveal simplified gyral pattern and reduced white matter volume in the frontal lobes, corpus callosum hypogenesis, and variable mild frontal pachgyria. These findings have significantly expanded the number of FOXG1 mutations and identified two affecting possible cis-regulatory elements. While the phenotype of the patients overlaps both classic and congenital Rett syndrome, extensive clinical evaluation demonstrates a distinctive and clinically recognisable phenotype which the authors suggest designating as the FOXG1 syndrome.
  Journal of Medical Genetics 03/2011; 48(6):396-406. · 6.36 Impact Factor
• Article: Clinical utility gene card for: Mowat-Wilson syndrome.

  Marcella Zollino, Livia Garavelli, Anita Rauch
  European journal of human genetics: EJHG 02/2011; 19(8). · 3.56 Impact Factor
• Article: Microdeletions of chromosome 7p21, including TWIST1, associated with significant microcephaly, facial dysmorphism, and short stature.

  Andreas Busche, Luitgard M Graul-Neumann, Christiane Zweier, Anita Rauch, Eva Klopocki, Denise Horn
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  ABSTRACT: Saethre-Chotzen syndrome due to TWIST1 mutations is characterized by coronal synostosis, facial dysmorphism and additional variable anomalies. Small deletions comprising the whole TWIST1 account for a small proportion of patients with Saethre-Chotzen syndrome. Here we describe 3 patients with facial dysmorphism, marked microcephaly, short stature (2/3 patients), and overlapping 7p21 microdeletions. Molecular karyotyping identified small deletions of chromosome 7p21 including TWIST1 with a size of 526 kb, 9.2 Mb, and 11.7 Mb, respectively. The clinical manifestations of these patients do not resemble the typical phenotype of Saethre-Chotzen syndrome. In the two patients with larger microdeletions, severe mental retardation and significant short stature are present. Facial dysmorphism of patient 3 includes also signs of blepharophimosis-ptosis-epicanthus inversus syndrome.
  European journal of medical genetics 02/2011; 54(3):256-61. · 1.57 Impact Factor
• Article: The molecular basis of the cartilage-hair hypoplasia-anauxetic dysplasia spectrum.

  Christian T Thiel, Anita Rauch
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  ABSTRACT: Cartilage-hair hypoplasia and anauxetic dysplasia are two autosomal recessive skeletal dysplasias characterized by different degrees from metaphyseal to spondylo-meta-epiphyseal dysplasia and variable additional features including predisposition to cancer, anemia, immunodeficiency, and gastrointestinal malabsorption and Hirschsprung's disease. Both are caused by mutations in the untranslated RMRP gene, which forms the RNA subunit of the RNase MRP complex. This complex is involved in the ribosome assembly by cleavage of 5.8S rRNA, cell cycle control by Cyclin B2 mRNA cleavage at the end of mitosis, processing the mitochondrial RNA, and forming a complex with hTERT suggesting a possible involvement in expression regulation by siRNA synthesis. The degree of skeletal dysplasia correlates mainly with the rRNA cleavage activity, whereas significantly diminished mRNA cleavage activity is a prerequisite for immunodeficiency. Thus, the clinical phenotype emerges in most cases of the combined effect on the respective effect on RNase MRP function.
  Best practice & research. Clinical endocrinology & metabolism 02/2011; 25(1):131-42. · 3.89 Impact Factor
• Article: NEK1 mutations cause short-rib polydactyly syndrome type majewski.

  Christian Thiel, Kristin Kessler, Andreas Giessl, Arno Dimmler, Stavit A Shalev, Sigrun von der Haar, Martin Zenker, Diana Zahnleiter, Hartmut Stöss, Ernst Beinder, Rami Abou Jamra, Arif B Ekici, Nadja Schröder-Kress, Thomas Aigner, Thomas Kirchner, André Reis, Johann H Brandstätter, Anita Rauch
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  ABSTRACT: Defects of ciliogenesis have been implicated in a wide range of human phenotypes and play a crucial role in signal transduction and cell-cycle coordination. We used homozygosity mapping in two families with autosomal-recessive short-rib polydactyly syndrome Majewski type to identify mutations in NEK1 as an underlying cause of this lethal osteochondrodysplasia. NEK1 encodes a serine/threonine kinase with proposed function in DNA double-strand repair, neuronal development, and coordination of cell-cycle-associated ciliogenesis. We found that absence of functional full-length NEK1 severely reduces cilia number and alters ciliar morphology in vivo. We further substantiate a proposed digenic diallelic inheritance of ciliopathies by the identification of heterozygous mutations in NEK1 and DYNC2H1 in an additional family. Notably, these findings not only increase the broad spectrum of ciliar disorders, but suggest a correlation between the degree of defective microtubule or centriole elongation and organization and the severity of the resulting phenotype.
  The American Journal of Human Genetics 01/2011; 88(1):106-14. · 10.60 Impact Factor