Mutations in the valosin-containing protein (VCP) gene on chromosome 9p13-p12 recently have been shown to cause autosomal dominant inclusion body myopathy associated with Paget's disease of the bone and frontotemporal dementia. Here, we report the central nervous system autopsy findings in a 55-year-old German patient with inclusion body myopathy and frontotemporal dementia who harbors a heterozygous R155C missense mutation residing in the N-terminal CDC48 domain of VCP, which is involved in ubiquitin binding. We demonstrate that mutant VCP causes a novel type of frontotemporal dementia characterized by neuronal nuclear inclusions containing ubiquitin and VCP.

Williams-Beuren syndrome is a well-known microdeletion syndrome with a recognizable clinical phenotype. The subtle phenotype of the reciprocal microduplication of the Williams-Beuren critical region has been described recently. We report seven further patients, and a transmitting parent, with 7q11.23 microduplication. All our patients had speech delay, autistic features and facial dysmorphism consistent with the published literature. We conclude that the presence of specific dysmorphic features, including straight, neat eyebrows, thin lips and a short philtrum, in our patients with speech delay and autistic features provides further evidence that the children with 7q11.23 microduplication have a recognizable phenotype.

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