Pre- and Postnatal Analysis of Chromosome 1q44 Deletion in Agenesis of Corpus Callosum.

Agenesis of corpus callosum (ACC) is one of the common brain abnormalities and also a common finding in children with mental disability. ACC is heterogeneous and can occur as an isolated condition or as part of a syndrome. ACC can be accurately identified by the absence of the cavum septum pallucidum and tear drop effect of the lateral ventricle after 18 weeks of pregnancy in an ultrasound scan. Genetic causes have been attributed to 30-45% of cases with ACC. Submicroscopic deletions of 1q43q44 have been reported in several cases of ACC. The AKT3 gene, mapped to 1q44, is required for the development of the callosum and brain size. It is considered to be a candidate gene for ACC. We studied a total of 22 cases with ACC, in pre- and postnatal samples using FISH probes. None of the samples showed a deletion in 1q44, implying that the AKT3 gene may not be associated with ACC.