Josiane Souza

Clinical and epidemiological study of orofacial clefts

OBJECTIVE Cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL±P) or cleft palate (CP) are groups of malformations named orofacial clefts (OC), which are the second leading cause of birth defects. This study aimed to analyze clinical and epidemiological features of Brazilian patients with OC, studying cases treated in the reference center of the state of Paraná (PR). METHODS 2,356 charts were reviewed and 1,838 were evaluated by the same clinical geneticist. Data were collected in the reference center, and compared with those of the Health Department of the state of Paraná. Clinical characteristics, presence of other anomalies, and birth prevalence were evaluated. RESULTS 389 (21.2%) patients had CP, 437 (23.8%) had cleft lip (CL), and 1,012 (55%) had cleft lip and palate (CLP). Syndromic OC were identified in 15.3% of patients, 10.4% of patients with CL±P, and 33.9% of patients with CP. Common additional anomalies were: central nervous system, limbs, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal defects. The number of syndromic cases was lower when clinical evaluation was performed by other medical specialists when compared to that of the clinical geneticist. Birth prevalence was 1/1,010 live births. Lack of notification with the national birth registry was observed in 49.9% of CL±P. The present data suggests a decrease of 18.52% in the prevalence of non-syndromic OC after folic acid fortification in Brazil. CONCLUSION Better understanding of clinical and epidemiological aspects of OC is crucial to improve the understanding of pathogenesis, promote preventive strategies, and guide clinical care, including the presence of clinical geneticists in the multidisciplinary team for OC treatment.

Novel Mutations in IRF6 in Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip With or Without Cleft Palate: When Should IRF6 Mutational Screening be Done?

Novel Mutations in IRF6 in Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip With or Without Cleft Palate: When Should IRF6 Mutational Screening be Done? Fernanda Sarquis Jehee, Beatriz A. Burin, K atia M. Rocha, Roseli Zechi-Ceide, Daniela F. Bueno, Luciano Brito, Josiane Souza, Gabriela Ferraz Leal, Antonio Richieri-Costa, Nivaldo Alonso, Paulo A. Otto, and Maria Rita Passos-Bueno* Centro de Estudos do Genoma Humano, Departamento de Gen etica e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociencias, Universidade de S~ao Paulo, S~ao Paulo, SP, Brazil Departamento de Gen etica Cl inica, Hospital de Rehabilitac~ao de Anomalias Craniofaciais (HRAC), Universidade de S~ao Paulo, Bauru, Brazil Sobrapar, Instituto de Cirurgia Pl astica, Campinas, S~ao Paulo, Brazil CAIF, Centro de Atendimento Integral ao Fissurado L abio Palatal, Curitiba, Paran a, Brazil Centro de Atenc~ao aos Defeitos da Face do Instituto Materno-Infantil Prof. Fernando Figueira (CADEFI), Recife, Brazil Departamento de Gen etica e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociencias, USP, S~ao Paulo, Brazil

Auriculo-condylar syndrome: mapping of a first locus and evidence for genetic heterogeneity

Auriculo-condylar syndrome (ACS), an autosomal dominant disorder of first and second pharyngeal arches, is characterized by malformed ears (‘question mark ears’), prominent cheeks, microstomia, abnormal temporomandibular joint, and mandibular condyle hypoplasia. Penetrance seems to be complete, but there is high inter- and intra-familial phenotypic variation, with no evidence of genetic heterogeneity. We herein describe a new multigeneration family with 11 affected individuals (F1), in whom we confirm intra-familial clinical variability. Facial asymmetry, a clinical feature not highlighted in other ACS reports, was highly prevalent among the patients reported here. The gene responsible for ACS is still unknown and its identification will certainly contribute to the understanding of human craniofacial development. No chromosomal rearrangements have been associated with ACS, thus mapping and positional cloning is the best approach to identify this disease gene. To map the ACS gene, we conducted linkage analysis in two large ACS families, F1 and F2 (F2; reported elsewhere). Through segregation analysis, we first excluded three known loci associated with disorders of first and second pharyngeal arches (Treacher Collins syndrome, oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum, and Townes–Brocks syndrome). Next, we performed a wide genome search and we observed evidence of linkage to 1p21.1–q23.3 in F2 (LOD max 3.01 at θ=0). Interestingly, this locus was not linked to the phenotype segregating in F1. Therefore, our results led to the mapping of a first locus of ACS (ACS1) and also showed evidence for genetic heterogeneity, suggesting that there are at least two loci responsible for this phenotype.

High Dosage Folic Acid Supplementation, Oral Cleft Recurrence and Fetal Growth

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of folic acid supplementation on isolated oral cleft recurrence and fetal growth. Patients and Methods: The study included 2,508 women who were at-risk for oral cleft recurrence and randomized into two folic acid supplementation groups: 0.4 and 4 mg per day before pregnancy and throughout the first trimester. The infant outcome data were based on 234 live births. In addition to oral cleft recurrence, several secondary outcomes were compared between the two folic acid groups. Cleft recurrence rates were also compared to historic recurrence rates. Results: The oral cleft recurrence rates were 2.9% and 2.5% in the 0.4 and 4 mg groups, respectively. The recurrence rates in the two folic acid groups both separately and combined were significantly different from the 6.3% historic recurrence rate post the folic acid fortification program for this population (p = 0.0009 when combining the two folic acid groups). The rate of cleft lip with palate recurrence was 2.9% in the 0.4 mg group and 0.8% in the 4 mg group. There were no elevated fetal growth complications in the 4 mg group compared to the 0.4 mg group. Conclusions: The study is the first double-blinded randomized clinical trial (RCT) to study the effect of high dosage folic acid supplementation on isolated oral cleft recurrence. The recurrence rates were similar between the two folic acid groups. However, the results are suggestive of a decrease in oral cleft recurrence compared to the historic recurrence rate. A RCT is still needed to identify the effect of folic acid on oral cleft recurrence given these suggestive results and the supportive results from previous interventional and observational studies, and the study offers suggestions for such future studies. The results also suggest that high dosage folic acid does not compromise fetal growth.

A multicentric association study between 39 genes and nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate in a Brazilian population.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to use the TaqMan OpenArray system to evaluate associations between 39 genes and the etiology of nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate (NSCLP) in a Brazilian population. MATERIAL AND METHODS This case-control association study was designed with 80.11% statistical power according to logistic regression (GPOWER software). The case group had 182 patients with NSCLP enrolled in the Brazilian Database on Orofacial Clefts. The controls included 355 healthy individuals with no history of oral clefting in the past three generations. All samples were genotyped for 253 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) in 39 genes, including two that had recently been associated with this process. The association analysis was performed using logistic regression and stepwise regression. The results were corrected for multiple testing [Bonferroni correction and False Discovery Rate (FDR)]. RESULTS Twenty-four SNPs in 16 genes were significantly associated with the etiology of NSCLP, including MSX1, SPRY1, MSX2, PRSS35, TFAP2A, SHH, VAX1, TBX10, WNT11, PAX9, BMP4, JAG2, AXIN2, DVL2, KIF7, and TCBE3. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that 11 genes contributed to 15.5% of the etiology of NSCLP in the sample. CONCLUSION This is the first study to associate KIF7 and TCEB3 with the etiology of NSCLP. New technological approaches using the same design should help to identify further etiological susceptibility variants.

Implementing the Brazilian Database on Orofacial Clefts

Background. High-quality clinical and genetic descriptions are crucial to improve knowledge of orofacial clefts and support specific healthcare polices. The objective of this study is to discuss the potential and perspectives of the Brazilian Database on Orofacial Clefts. Methods. From 2008 to 2010, clinical and familial information on 370 subjects was collected by geneticists in eight different services. Data was centrally processed using an international system for case classification and coding. Results. Cleft lip with cleft palate amounted to 198 (53.5%), cleft palate to 99 (26.8%), and cleft lip to 73 (19.7%) cases. Parental consanguinity was present in 5.7% and familial history of cleft was present in 26.3% subjects. Rate of associated major plus minor defects was 48% and syndromic cases amounted to 25% of the samples. Conclusions. Overall results corroborate the literature. Adopted tools are user friendly and could be incorporated into routine patient care. The BDOC exemplifies a network for clinical and genetic research. The data may be useful to develop and improve personalized treatment, family planning, and healthcare policies. This experience should be of interest for geneticists, laboratory-based researchers, and clinicians entrusted with OC worldwide.

Preliminary Analysis of the Nonsynonymous Polymorphism rs17563 in BMP4 Gene in Brazilian Population Suggests Protection for Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip and Palate.

Cleft lip with or without palate (CL±P) is common congenital anomalies in humans. Experimental evidence has demonstrated that bone morphogenetic protein 4 gene (Bmp4) is involved in the etiology of CL±P in animal models. The nonsynonymous polymorphism rs17563 T>C (p.V152A) in the BMP4 gene has been associated to the risk of nonsyndromic CL±P in Chinese population and microforms from different ethnic backgrounds. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of BMP4 gene in CL±P in Brazilian sample using genetic association approach. Our sample was composed by 123 patients with nonsyndromic CL±P and 246 controls, in which absence of CL±P was confirmed in 3 generations. The rs17563 polymorphism was genotyped by PCR-RFLP technique. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate allele and genotype association. Our data showed statistical power to detect association (86.83%) in this sample. Logistic regression results showed significant association between C allele and CL±P (P = 0.00018, OR = 0.40, and 95% CI = 0.25–0.65), as well as CC genotype and CL±P (P = 0.00018, OR = 0.35, and 95% CI = 0.19–0.66). So, there is a strong association between nonsyndromic CL±P and BMP4 rs17563 polymorphism in our sample and the C allele had a protective effect against the occurrence of nonsyndromic CL±P.

Atypical copy number abnormalities in 22q11.2 region: report of three cases.

The 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS) is the most common microdeletion syndrome in humans, with a highly variable phenotype. This chromosomal region contains low copy repeat (LCR) sequences that mediate non-allelic homologous recombination which predispose to copy number abnormalities at this locus. This article describes three patients investigated for suspicion of 22q11.2DS presenting atypical copy number abnormalities overlapping or not with the common ∼3 Mb deletion. They were investigated by G-banding karyotype, Multiplex-ligation dependent probe amplification (MLPA) and array Genomic Hibridization (aGH). Clinical and molecular data were compared with literature, in order to contribute to genotype-phenotype correlation. Atypical chromosomal abnormalities were detected: 3.6 Mb deletion at 22q11.21-q11.23 between LCRs B-F in patient 1 and approximately 1.5 Mb deletion at 22q11.21-q11.22 between LCRs D-E in patients 2 and 3. The breakpoints detected in patient 1 have not been previously described. These findings exemplify the complexity and genetic heterogeneity observed in 22q11.2 region and corroborates the idea that genetic modifiers contribute to the phenotypic variability observed in proximal and distal 22q11.2 deletion syndromes.

Chromosome 19p13.3 deletion in a child with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, congenital heart defect, high myopia, learning difficulties and dysmorphic features: clinical and molecular characterization of a new contiguous gene syndrome

The Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is an autosomal-dominant hamartomatous polyposis syndrome characterized by mucocutaneous pigmentation, gastrointestinal polyps and the increased risk of multiple cancers. The causative point mutation in the STK11 gene of most patients accounts for about 30% of the cases of partial and complete gene deletion. This is a report on a girl with PJS features, learning difficulties, dysmorphic features and cardiac malformation, bearing a de novo 1.1 Mb deletion at 19p13.3. This deletion encompasses at least 47 genes, including STK11. This is the first report on 19p13.3 deletion associated with a PJS phenotype, as well as other atypical manifestations, thereby implying a new contiguous gene syndrome.

The Richieri-Costa and Pereira syndrome: Report of two Brazilian siblings and review of literature†

Richieri‐Costa and Pereira syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized specially by Pierre Robin sequence with cleft mandible and limb anomalies. There are a typical laryngeal anomaly which encompass short and round larynx, absent or abnormal epiglottis, and abnormal aryepiglottic folds. Most patients reported were from Brazil. We describe a brother and sister with Richieri‐Costa and Pereira syndrome on another Brazilian family documenting their physical findings and laryngeal defects. We also review the literature and discuss the main clinical characteristics and etiology.