Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is of universal biological significance1-3. It has emerged as an important global RNA, DNA and translation regulatory pathway4. By systematically sequencing 737 genes (annotated in the Vertebrate Genome Annotation database) on the human X chromosome in 250 families with X-linked mental retardation, we identified mutations in the UPF3 regulator of nonsense transcripts homolog B (yeast) (UPF3B) leading to protein truncations in three families: two with the Lujan-Fryns phenotype5,6 and one with the FG phenotype7. We also identified a missense mutation in another family with nonsyndromic mental retardation. Three mutations lead to the introduction of a premature termination codon and subsequent NMD of mutant UPF3B mRNA. Protein blot analysis using lymphoblastoid cell lines from affected individuals showed an absence of the UPF3B protein in two families. The UPF3B protein is an important component of the NMD surveillance machinery8,9. Our results directly implicate abnormalities of NMD in human disease and suggest at least partial redundancy of NMD pathways.

Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome was among the first of the X-linked mental retardation syndromes to be described (in 1944) and among the first to be regionally mapped on the X chromosome (in 1990). Six large families with the syndrome have been identified, and linkage studies have placed the gene locus in Xq13.2. Mutations in the monocarboxylate transporter 8 gene (MCT8) have been found in each of the six families. One essential function of the protein encoded by this gene appears to be the transport of triiodothyronine into neurons. Abnormal transporter function is reflected in elevated free triiodothyronine and lowered free thyroxine levels in the blood. Infancy and childhood in the Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome are marked by hypotonia, weakness, reduced muscle mass, and delay of developmental milestones. Facial manifestations are not distinctive, but the face tends to be elongated with bifrontal narrowing, and the ears are often simply formed or cupped. Some patients have myopathic facies. Generalized weakness is manifested by excessive drooling, forward positioning of the head and neck, failure to ambulate independently, or ataxia in those who do ambulate. Speech is dysarthric or absent altogether. Hypotonia gives way in adult life to spasticity. The hands exhibit dystonic and athetoid posturing and fisting. Cognitive development is severely impaired. No major malformations occur, intrauterine growth is not impaired, and head circumference and genital development are usually normal. Behavior tends to be passive, with little evidence of aggressive or disruptive behavior. Although clinical signs of thyroid dysfunction are usually absent in affected males, the disturbances in blood levels of thyroid hormones suggest the possibility of systematic detection through screening of high-risk populations.

Of the chronic mental disabilities of childhood, autism is causally least well understood. The former view that autism was rooted in exposure to humorless and perfectionistic parenting has given way to the notion that genetic influences are dominant underlying factors. Still, identification of specific heritable factors has been slow with causes identified in only a few cases in unselected series. A broad search for genetic and environmental influences that cause or predispose to autism is the major thrust of the South Carolina Autism Project. Among the first 100 cases enrolled in the project, abnormalities of chromosome 15 have emerged as the single most common cause. The four abnormalities identified include deletions and duplications of proximal 15q. Other chromosome aberrations seen in single cases include a balanced 13;16 translocation, a pericentric inversion 12, a deletion of 20p, and a ring 7. Candidate genes involved in the 15q region affected by duplication and deletion include the ubiquitin-protein ligase (UBE3A) gene responsible for Angelman syndrome and genes for three GABA(A) receptor subunits. In all cases, the deletions or duplications occurred on the chromosome inherited from the mother.

Although many of the phenotypic features of our patients are rather nonspecific in cohorts of individuals with syndromic and nonsyndromic mental retardation, the proneness to infection is quite striking because the patients had normal growth and were not physically debilitated. Although the etiology of the infections is not understood, we recommend considering MECP2 dosage studies and a genetics referral in individuals with severe developmental delay and neurologic findings, especially when a history of recurrent respiratory ailments has been documented.

Objectives Mucolipidoses II and III alpha/beta (ML II and ML III) are lysosomal disorders in which the essential mannose-6-phosphate recognition marker is not synthesized onto lysosomal hydrolases and other glycoproteins. The disorders are caused by mutations in GNPTAB, which encodes two of three subunits of the heterohexameric enzyme, N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase. Clinical, biochemical, and molecular findings in 61 probands (63 patients) are presented in order to provide a broad perspective of these mucolipidoses. Methods GNPTAB was sequenced in all probands and/or parents. Activity of several lysosomal enzymes was measured in plasma, and GlcNac-1-phosphotransferase was assayed in leukocytes. Thirty-six patients were studied in detail, allowing extensive clinical data to be abstracted. Results ML II correlates with near total absence of phosphotransferase activity resulting from homozygosity or compound heterozygosity for frameshift or nonsense mutations. Craniofacial and orthopedic manifestations are evident at birth, skeletal findings become more obvious within the first year, and growth is severely impaired. Speech, ambulation, and cognitive function are impaired. ML III retains a low level of phosphotransferase activity due to at least one missense or splice site mutation. The phenotype is milder with minimal delays in milestones, the appearance of facial coarsening by early school age, and slowing of growth after age four years. Conclusions Fifty-one pathogenic changes in GNPTAB are presented, including 42 novel mutations. Ample clinical information improves criteria for delineation of ML II and ML III. Phenotype-genotype correlations suggested in more general terms in earlier reports on smaller groups of patients are specified and extended.