Heterozygous 17-bp deletion in the forkhead transcription factor gene, FOXL2, in a Japanese family with blepharophimosis-ptosis-epicanthus inversus syndrome.

We examined mutations in the forkhead transcription factor gene, FOXL2, in three members a Japanese family with autosomal dominant blepharophimosis-ptosis-epicanthus inversus syndrome (BPES) and in 100 healthy controls. The FOXL2 was analyzed by direct genomic sequencing. A novel 17-bp deletion at nucleotides 1092-1108 in FOXL2 was found in the three affected patients. No mutation was found in any of the 100 healthy controls. The 17-bp deletion in FOXL2 may be involved in the pathogenesis of BPES in Japanese patients.