Baumeister FAM, Egger J, Schildhauer MT, Stengel‐Rutkowski S. Ambras syndrome: delineation of a unique hypertrichosis universalis congenita and association with a balanced pericentric inversion (8) (p11.2; q22). Clin Genet 1993: 44: 121–128. © Munksgaard, 1993 Congenital hypertrichosis universalis is a rare autosomal dominant disease. We report the further development of a Greek girl, now aged 3 years, the first case associated with a balanced structural chromosomal aberration. She was described as a neonate by Sigalas et al. (1990). Her persistent generalized hypertrichosis is most excessive on the face, ears and shoulders. Her fine silky hair is of the vellus, not the lanugo type. The syndrome features are characterized, referring to nine further published case reports. It is distinguished from other types of congenital hypertrichoses, which have been described in the literature under different synonyms. To avoid confusion in the terminology, we propose to name this type of hypertrichosis Ambras syndrome in reference to the first documented family with congenital hypertrichosis universalis in the 16th century.

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The silvery-greyish hair associated with fever, pancytopenia and hypertriglyceridaemia is the clue to early diagnosis of Griscelli syndrome and important to prevent death before stem cell transplantation.

Mammalian thyroglobulin is released by thyroid follicle cells as a sulfated glycoprotein; the sulfate residues are mostly linked to tyrosine, but they are also attached to the high-mannose carbohydrate side-chains. To decide whether sulfation of thyroglobulin is confined to mammals, representatives of other vertebrate classes were analyzed for the presence of sulfated thyroglobulin: fish (trout), amphibians (clawed toad) and birds (chicken). Mini-organs were prepared from thyroid tissue and suspended in a 35SO4-(-)-containing culture medium. Light- and electron-microscope autoradiographs prepared from the mini-organs showed that thyroid follicle cells from all species examined incorporate 35SO4-(-) and synthesize a sulfated secretory product which accumulates in the follicle lumen. The Golgi complex was detected as the primary intracellular site of sulfate organification. The 35SO4-(-)-radiolabeled secretory product of all species was shown by polyacrylamide-gel-electrophoretic analyses to consist of thyroglobulin, identified by comparison with biosynthetically 125I-labeled thyroglobulin. The results indicate that the sulfation of thyroglobulin is a ubiquitous post-translational modification observed already in the thyroglobulin of lower vertebrates. Our observations suggest that sulfation of thyroglobulin was acquired in the early stages of thyroid evolution.

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