Molecular genetics of holoprosencephaly.

Molecular characterization of breakpoints in patients with holoprosencephaly and definition of the HPE2 critical region 2p21.

Holoprosencephaly (HPE) is a common developmental defect involving the brain and face in humans. Cytogenetic deletions in patients with HPE have localized one of the HPE genes (HPE2) to the chromosomal region 2p21. Here we report the molecular genetic characterization of nine HPE patients with cytogenetic deletions or translocations involving 2p21. We have determined the parental origin of the ...

Autosomal recessive alobar holoprosencephaly with essentially normal faces.

Holoprosencephaly is associated with a diagnostic face approximately 80% of the time. We report three siblings with alobar holoprosencephaly and essentially normal faces. A similar family was reported by Khan et al. [1970: Dev Med Child Neurol 12:71-76]. Alobar holoprosencephaly with essentially normal faces has also been observed in infants of diabetic mothers [Barr et al., 1983: J Pediatr 102...

Another holoprosencephaly locus at 7q21.2?

NOTCH, a new signaling pathway implicated in holoprosencephaly.

Genetics of Holoprosencephaly (HPE), a congenital malformation of the developing human forebrain, is due to multiple genetic defects. Most genes that have been implicated in HPE belong to the sonic hedgehog signaling pathway. Here we describe a new candidate gene isolated from array comparative genomic hybridization redundant 6qter deletions, DELTA Like 1 (DLL1), which is a ligand of NOTCH. We ...

Zic2-associated holoprosencephaly is caused by a transient defect in the organizer region during gastrulation.

The putative transcription factor ZIC2 is associated with a defect of forebrain development, known as Holoprosencephaly (HPE), in humans and mouse, yet the mechanism by which aberrant ZIC2 function causes classical HPE is unexplained. The zinc finger domain of all mammalian Zic genes is highly homologous with that of the Gli genes, which are transcriptional mediators of Shh signalling. Mutation...