Abstract
Patients with an interstitial 13q deletion that contains the RB1 gene show retinoblastoma and variable clinical features. Relationship between phenotypic expression and loss of specific neighboring genes are unresolved, yet. We obtained clinical, cytogenetic and molecular data in 63 patients with an interstitial 13q deletion involving RB1. Whole-genome array analysis or customized high-resolution array analysis for 13q14.11q14.3 was performed in 38 patients, and cytogenetic analysis was performed in 54 patients. Deletion sizes ranged between 4.2 kb and more than 33.43 Mb; breakpoints were non-recurrent. Sequence analysis of deletion junctions in five patients revealed microhomology and insertion of 2-34 base pairs suggestive of non-homologous end joining. Milder phenotypic expression of retinoblastoma was observed in patients with deletions larger than 1 Mb, which contained the MED4 gene. Clinical features were compared between patients with small (within 13q14), medium (within 13q12.3q21.2) and large (within 13q12q31.2) deletions. Patients with a small deletion can show macrocephaly, tall stature, obesity, motor and/or speech delay. Patients with a medium deletion show characteristic facial features, mild to moderate psychomotor delay, short stature and microcephaly. Patients with a large deletion have characteristic craniofacial dysmorphism, short stature, microcephaly, mild to severe psychomotor delay, hypotonia, constipation and feeding problems. Additional features included deafness, seizures and brain and heart anomalies. We found no correlation between clinical features and parental origin of the deletion. Our data suggest that hemizygous loss of NUFIP1 and PCDH8 may contribute to psychomotor delay, deletion of MTLR1 to microcephaly and loss of EDNRB to feeding difficulties and deafness.