An interstitial deletion of proximal 8q (q11-q13) in a girl with Silver-Russell syndrome-like features.

Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) is characterized by pre- and postnatal growth retardation, a fine, triangular face, a high frontal hairline and prominent forehead, clinodactyly of the fifth fingers, and sometimes asymmetry of face, trunk and extremities. In a 10-year-old girl referred for SRS, cytogenetic examination disclosed a microdeletion of band 8q12. Dosage analysis of Southern blots hybridized to 8q markers revealed a deletion of three loci: MOS, D8S96 and D8S108, all mapping to 8q11-q12, however the deletion did not include PLAT (8q12-q11). PCR analysis of the D8S166 microsatellite (8q11-q12) showed the lack of paternal inheritance, indicating that the deletion occurred in the paternal chromosome. The patient showed prenatal and postnatal growth retardation, mild developmental delay, microcephaly, a triangular face with high frontal hairline, shallow supraorbital ridges, hypoplastic alae nasi, small and prominent ears, prominent lateral palatine ridges, clinodactyly and brachymesophalangy of the fifth fingers. There were normal female genitalia and no asymmetry or detectable malformations. Screening of 19 other patients with the SRS for a similar cytogenetic and/or molecular deletion at 8q12 and for uniparental disomy 8 was negative. However, 8q12 still remains as one potential locus for a gene whose mutations may cause the clinical findings of SRS and which could be included in a larger deletion in a proband who has additional mild mental retardation.