New gene discoveries in skeletal diseases with short stature.

In the last decade, the widespread use of massively-parallel sequencing has considerably boosted the number of novel gene discoveries in monogenic skeletal diseases with short stature. Defects in genes playing a role in the maintenance and function of the growth plate, the site of longitudinal bone growth, are a well-known cause of skeletal diseases with short stature. However, several genes involved in extracellular matrix composition or maintenance as well as genes partaking in various biological processes have also been characterized. This review aims to describe the latest genetic findings in spondyloepiphyseal and spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasias and in some monogenic forms of isolated short stature. Strategies on how to successfully characterize novel skeletal phenotypes with short stature and genetic approaches to detect and validate novel gene-disease correlations will be discussed in detail. Finally, novel genetic mechanisms in the field of skeletal diseases, including variants affecting miRNAs and disrupting the chromatin structure, will be described. In summary, we discuss the latest gene discoveries underlying skeletal diseases with short stature and emphasize the importance of characterizing novel molecular mechanisms for genetic counseling, optimal management of the disease and for therapeutic innovations.