Mutations in COL27A1 cause Steel syndrome and suggest a founder mutation effect in the Puerto Rican population

Osteochondrodysplasias represent a large group of developmental structural disorders that can be caused by mutations in a variety of genes responsible for chondrocyte development, differentiation, mineralization and early ossification. The application of whole-exome sequencing to disorders apparently segregating as Mendelian traits has proven to be an effective approach to disease gene identification for conditions with unknown molecular etiology. We identified a homozygous missense variant p.(Gly697Arg) in COL27A1, in a family with Steel syndrome and no consanguinity. Interestingly, the identified variant seems to have arisen as a founder mutation in the Puerto Rican population.