Clinical description and mutational profile of a moroccan series of patients with rubinstein taybi syndrome

Background: Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RSTS; OMIM 180849) is a rare autosomal dominant developmental disorder with an estimated prevalence of one case per 125,000 live births. RSTS is characterized by typical face, broad thumbs and halluces, short stature, and intellectual disability. Facial dysmorphy is characteristic with microcephaly, low frontal hairline, arched eyebrows, long eyelashes, convex profile of nose, narrow palate, and micrognathia. RSTS is mainly due to mutations or microdeletions of the CREBBP gene (about 60%) and more rarely of the EP300 gene (8%). Objective: Clinical description and identification of mutations of patients with Rubinstein Taybi syndrome Methods: PCR and direct sequencing of CREBBP gene. Results: We report here, the clinical and molecular data of a series of six Moroccan patients with a phenotype of RSTS. The molecular study of the major gene CREBBP (by Sanger Sequencing followed by CGH array, if sequence normal) revealed point mutations in five patients. For the sixth patient, CGH array revealed a microdeletion carrying the CREBBP gene. Through this work, we emphasize the importance of clinical expertise in the diagnosis, management and genetic counseling in Rubinstein Taybi syndrome

An Integrated Toolkit for Modern Action Planning

Bützken M, Edelkamp S, Elalaoui A, et al. An Integrated Toolkit for Modern Action Planning. In: 19th Workshop on New Results in Planning, Scheduling and Design (PUK). 2005: 1-11.In this paper we introduce to the architecture and the abilities of our design and analysis workbench for modern action planning. The toolkit provides automated domain analysis tools together with PDDL learning capabilities. New optimal and suboptimal planners extend state-of-the-art technology. With the tool, domain experts assist solving hard combinatorial problems. Approximate or incremental solutions provided by the system are supervised. Intermediate results are accessible to improve domain modeling and to tune exploration in generating high quality plans, which, in turn, can be bootstrapped for domain inference

De novo mutations in SMCHD1 cause Bosma arhinia microphthalmia syndrome and abrogate nasal development

Bosma arhinia microphthalmia syndrome (BAMS) is an extremely rare and striking condition characterized by complete absence of the nose with or without ocular defects. We report here that missense mutations in the epigenetic regulator SMCHD1 mapping to the extended ATPase domain of the encoded protein cause BAMS in all 14 cases studied. All mutations were de novo where parental DNA was available. Biochemical tests and in vivo assays in Xenopus laevis embryos suggest that these mutations may behave as gain-of-function alleles. This finding is in contrast to the loss-of-function mutations in SMCHD1 that have been associated with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) type 2. Our results establish SMCHD1 as a key player in nasal development and provide biochemical insight into its enzymatic function that may be exploited for development of therapeutics for FSHD

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

A recurrent mutation in Moroccan patients with Dyggve-Melchior-Clausen syndrome: Report of a new case and review

Dyggve-Melchior-Clausen (DMC) syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. It is a spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia associated with mental retardation. Clinical manifestations include coarse facies, microcephaly, short trunk dwarfism, and mental retardation. Mutations in Dymeclin gene (DYM), mapped to chromosome 18q21.1, is responsible for DMC. We report here the observation of a consanguineous Moroccan patient having DMC syndrome. The molecular studies showed a previously reported homozygous mutation at c.1878delA of DYM gene. We discuss this recurrent mutation in Moroccan patients with DMC syndrome with a review

Characterization of a rare short arm heteromorphism of chromosome 22 in a girl with down-syndrome like facies

Chromosomal heteromorphisms are described as interindividual variation of chromosomes without phenotypic consequence. Chromosomal polymorphisms detected include most regions of heterochromatin of chromosomes 1, 9, 16 and Y and the short arms of all acrocentric chromosomes. Here, we report a girl with Down-syndrome such as facies and tremendously enlarged short arm of a chromosome 22. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with a probe specific for all acrocentric short arms revealed that the enlargement p arms of the chromosome 22 in question contained exclusively heterochromatic material derived from an acrocentric short arm. Parental studies identified a maternal origin of this heteromorphism. Cryptic trisomy 21 of the Down-syndrome critical region was excluded by a corresponding FISH-probe. Here, we report, to the best of our knowledge, largest ever seen chromosome 22 short arm, being ~×1.5 larger than the normal long arm

A recurrent mutation in Moroccan patients with Dyggve-Melchior-Clausen syndrome: Report of a new case and review

Dyggve-Melchior-Clausen (DMC) syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. It is a spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia associated with mental retardation. Clinical manifestations include coarse facies, microcephaly, short trunk dwarfism, and mental retardation. Mutations in Dymeclin gene (DYM), mapped to chromosome 18q21.1, is responsible for DMC. We report here the observation of a consanguineous Moroccan patient having DMC syndrome. The molecular studies showed a previously reported homozygous mutation at c.1878delA of DYM gene. We discuss this recurrent mutation in Moroccan patients with DMC syndrome with a review

Moroccan consanguineous family with Becker myotonia and review

Myotonia congenita is a genetic muscle disorder characterized by clinical and electrical myotonia, muscle hypertrophy, and stiffness. It is inherited as either autosomal-dominant or –recessive, known as Thomsen and Becker diseases, respectively. These diseases are distinguished by the severity of their symptoms and their patterns of inheritance. Becker disease usually appears later in childhood than Thomsen disease and causes more severe muscle stiffness and pain. Mutations in the muscular voltage-dependent chloride channel gene (CLCN1), located at 7q35, have been found in both types. We report here the case of a Moroccan consanguineous family with a myotonic autosomal-recessive condition in two children. The molecular studies showed that the patients reported here are homozygous for mutation p.Gly482Arg in the CLCN1 gene. The parents were heterozygote carriers for mutation p.Gly482Arg. This diagnosis allowed us to provide an appropriate management to the patients and to make a genetic counselling to their family

Mowat-Wilson syndrome in a Moroccan consanguineous family

Mowat-Wilson syndrome is a mental retardation-multiple congenital anomaly syndrome characterized by a typical facies, developmental delay, epilepsy, and variable congenital malformations, including Hirschsprung disease, urogenital anomalies, congenital heart disease, and agenesis of the corpus callosum. This disorder is sporadic and is caused by heterozygous mutations or deletions of the ZFHX1B gene located in the 2q22 region. We report here the first Moroccan patient, born to consanguineous parents, with Mowat-Wilson syndrome, due to a de novo, unreported mutation of the ZFHX1B gene

Mowat-Wilson syndrome in a Moroccan consanguineous family

Mowat-Wilson syndrome is a mental retardation-multiple congenital anomaly syndrome characterized by a typical facies, developmental delay, epilepsy, and variable congenital malformations, including Hirschsprung disease, urogenital anomalies, congenital heart disease, and agenesis of the corpus callosum. This disorder is sporadic and is caused by heterozygous mutations or deletions of the ZFHX1B gene located in the 2q22 region. We report here the first Moroccan patient, born to consanguineous parents, with Mowat-Wilson syndrome, due to a de novo, unreported mutation of the ZFHX1B gene