title: Investigation of NRXN1 deletions: clinical and molecular characterization.
abstract: Deletions at 2p16.3 involving exons of NRXN1 are associated with susceptibility for autism and schizophrenia, and similar deletions have been identified in individuals with developmental delay and dysmorphic features. We have identified 34 probands with exonic NRXN1 deletions following referral for clinical microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization. To more firmly establish the full phenotypic spectrum associated with exonic NRXN1 deletions, we report the clinical features of 27 individuals with NRXN1 deletions, who represent 23 of these 34 families. The frequency of exonic NRXN1 deletions among our postnatally diagnosed patients (0.11%) is significantly higher than the frequency among reported controls (0.02%; P = 6.08 × 10(-7) ), supporting a role for these deletions in the development of abnormal phenotypes. Generally, most individuals with NRXN1 exonic deletions have developmental delay (particularly speech), abnormal behaviors, and mild dysmorphic features. In our cohort, autism spectrum disorders were diagnosed in 43% (10/23), and 16% (4/25) had epilepsy. The presence of NRXN1 deletions in normal parents and siblings suggests reduced penetrance and/or variable expressivity, which may be influenced by genetic, environmental, and/or stochastic factors. The pathogenicity of these deletions may also be affected by the location of the deletion within the gene. Counseling should appropriately represent this spectrum of possibilities when discussing recurrence risks or expectations for a child found to have a deletion in NRXN1.
authors.affiliation: Signature Genomic Laboratories, PerkinElmer, Inc., Spokane, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Mindy Preston
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Dabell
authors.forename: Jill A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rosenfeld
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bader
authors.forename: Luis F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Escobar
authors.forename: Dima
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: El-Khechen
authors.forename: Stephanie E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Vallee
authors.forename: Mary Beth Palko
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Dinulos
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Curry
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tervo
authors.forename: Mark C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hannibal
authors.forename: Kiana
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Siefkas
authors.forename: Philip R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Wyatt
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Rosemarie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ellingwood
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lacassie
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stroud
authors.forename: Sandra A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Farrell
authors.forename: Pedro A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Lara
authors.forename: Linda M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Randolph
authors.forename: Dmitriy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Niyazov
authors.forename: Cathy A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: Cheri
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schoonveld
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Skidmore
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: MacKay
authors.forename: Judith H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Miles
authors.forename: Manikum
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moodley
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Huillet
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Neill
authors.forename: Jay W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Ellison
authors.forename: Blake C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Ballif
authors.forename: Lisa G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Shaffer
mesh_terms: D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000235:genetics; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D055028:Comparative Genomic Hybridization; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000235:genetics; D005091:Exons; D019066:Facies; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules; D019683:Penetrance; D010641:Phenotype; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; C539628:NRXN1 protein, human; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules