A 5.8 Mb interstitial deletion on chromosome Xq21.1 in a boy with intellectual disability, cleft palate, hearing impairment and combined growth hormone deficiency.

BACKGROUND

Deletions of the long arm of chromosome X in males are a rare cause of X-linked intellectual disability. Here we describe a patient with an interstitial deletion of the Xq21.1 chromosome.

CASE PRESENTATION: In a 15 year boy, showing intellectual disability, short stature, hearing loss and dysmorphic facial features, a deletion at Xq21.1 was identified by array-CGH. This maternally inherited 5.8 Mb rearrangement encompasses 14 genes, including BRWD3 (involved in X-linked intellectual disability), TBX22 (a gene whose alterations have been related to the presence of cleft palate), POU3F4 (mutated in X-linked deafness) and ITM2A (a gene involved in cartilage development).

CONCLUSION

Correlation between the clinical findings and the function of gene mapping within the deleted region confirms the causative role of this microrearrangement in our patient and provides new insight into a gene possibly involved in short stature.