Glypicans are a family of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored, membrane-bound heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycans. Their biological roles are only partly understood, although it is assumed that they modulate the activity of HS-binding growth factors. The involvement of glypicans in developmental morphogenesis and growth regulation has been highlighted by Drosophila mutants and by a human overgrowth syndrome with multiple malformations caused by glypican 3 mutations (Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome). We now report that autosomal-recessive omodysplasia, a genetic condition characterized by short-limbed short stature, craniofacial dysmorphism, and variable developmental delay, maps to chromosome 13 (13q31.1-q32.2) and is caused by point mutations or by larger genomic rearrangements in glypican 6 (GPC6). All mutations cause truncation of the GPC6 protein and abolish both the HS-binding site and the GPI-bearing membrane-associated domain, and thus loss of function is predicted. Expression studies in microdissected mouse growth plate revealed expression of Gpc6 in proliferative chondrocytes. Thus, GPC6 seems to have a previously unsuspected role in endochondral ossification and skeletal growth, and its functional abrogation results in a short-limb phenotype.

Inherited defects of skull ossification often manifest as symmetric parietal foramina (PFM; MIM 168500). We previously identified mutations of MSX2 in non-syndromic PFM and demonstrated genetic heterogeneity. Deletions of 11p11-p12 (proximal 11p deletion syndrome, P11pDS; MIM 601224) are characterized by multiple exostoses, attributable to haploinsufficiency of EXT2 and PFM. Here we identify ALX4, which encodes a paired-related homeodomain transcription factor, as the PFM disease gene in P11pDS.

The genetic cause of GAPO syndrome, a condition characterized by growth retardation, alopecia, pseudoanodontia, and progressive visual impairment, has not previously been identified. We studied four ethnically unrelated affected individuals and identified homozygous nonsense mutations (c.262C>T [p.Arg88*] and c.505C>T [p.Arg169*]) or splicing mutations (c.1435-12A>G [p.Gly479Phefs*119]) in ANTXR1, which encodes anthrax toxin receptor 1. The nonsense mutations predictably trigger nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, resulting in the loss of ANTXR1. The transcript with the splicing mutation theoretically encodes a truncated ANTXR1 containing a neopeptide composed of 118 unique amino acids in its C terminus. GAPO syndrome's major phenotypic features, which include dental abnormalities and the accumulation of extracellular matrix, recapitulate those found in Antxr1-mutant mice and point toward an underlying defect in extracellular-matrix regulation. Thus, we propose that mutations affecting ANTXR1 function are responsible for this disease's characteristic generalized defect in extracellular-matrix homeostasis.

Blindness due to retinal degeneration affects millions of people worldwide, but many disease-causing mutations remain unknown. PNPLA6 encodes the patatin-like phospholipase domain containing protein 6, also known as neuropathy target esterase (NTE), which is the target of toxic organophosphates that induce human paralysis due to severe axonopathy of large neurons. Mutations in PNPLA6 also cause human spastic paraplegia characterized by motor neuron degeneration. Here we identify PNPLA6 mutations in childhood blindness in seven families with retinal degeneration, including Leber congenital amaurosis and Oliver McFarlane syndrome. PNPLA6 localizes mostly at the inner segment plasma membrane in photo-receptors and mutations in Drosophila PNPLA6 lead to photoreceptor cell death. We also report that lysophosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidic acid levels are elevated in mutant Drosophila. These findings show a role for PNPLA6 in photoreceptor survival and identify phospholipid metabolism as a potential therapeutic target for some forms of blindness.

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Two sibs with omodysplasia were born to phenotypically normal but consanguineous parents. They had severe micromelic dwarfism, facial anomalies, and mental retardation. One had a congenital heart defect. The radiographic findings are typical: hypoplastic distal end of the humerus with radioulnar diastasis. Parental consanguinity and clinical manifestations in 2 sibs suggest autosomal recessive inheritance.

Rett syndrome (RTT), an X-linked dominant neurodevelopmental disorder in females, is caused mainly by de novo mutations in the methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 gene (MECP2). Here we report mutation analysis of the MECP2 gene in 87 patients with RTT from the Czech and Slovak Republics, and Ukraine. The patients, all girls, with classical RTT were investigated for mutations using bi-directional DNA sequencing and conformation sensitive gel electrophoresis analysis of the coding sequence and exon/intron boundaries of the MECP2 gene. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was performed to confirm the mutations that cause the creation or abolition of the restriction site. Mutation-negative cases were subsequently examined by multiple ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) to identify large deletions. Mutation screening revealed 31 different mutations in 68 patients and 12 non-pathogenic polymorphisms. Six mutations have not been previously published: two point mutations (323T>A, 904C>T), three deletions (189_190delGA, 816_832del17, 1069delAGC) and one deletion/inversion (1063_1236del174;1189_1231inv43). MLPA analysis revealed large deletions in two patients. The detection rate was 78.16%. Our results confirm the high frequency of MECP2 mutations in females with RTT and provide data concerning the mutation heterogeneity in the Slavic population.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a transmembrane glycoprotein with tyrosine-kinase signaling activity, involved in many cellular functions including cell growth and differentiation. Germ line loss-of-function mutations in EGFR lead to a severe neonatal skin disorder (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man #131550). We report 18 premature Roma children from 16 families with birthweights ranging 440-1470 g and multisystem diseases due to the homozygous mutation c.1283G˃A (p.Gly428Asp) in EGFR. They presented with thin, translucent, fragile skin (14/ 15), skin desquamation (10/17), ichthyosis (9/17), recurrent skin infections and sepsis (9/12), nephromegaly (10/16) and congenital heart defects (7/17). Their prognosis was poor, and all died before the age of 6 months except one 13-year-old boy with a severe skin disorder, dentinogenesis imperfecta, Fanconi-like syndrome and secondary hyperaldosteronism. Management of ion and water imbalances and extremely demanding skin care may improve the unfavorable outcome of such patients.