Intraflagellar transport proteins (IFT) play important roles in cilia formation and organ development. Partial loss of IFT80 function leads Jeune asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy (JATD) or short-rib polydactyly (SRP) syndrome type III, displaying narrow thoracic cavity and multiple cartilage anomalies. However, it is unknown how IFT80 regulates cartilage formation. To define the role and mechani...

Laurence-Moon-Bardet -Biedl syndrome is a rare congenital disorder, inherited in the autosomal recessive mode. The syndrome is characterized by five cardinal features, namely obesity (83% of cases), mental retardation (80%), polydactyly (75%), retinitis pigmentosa (68%) and hypogeni tali sm (60%).1 Renal invo lvement wi th progressive deterioration in renal function was recognized as a major ca...

Three sibs, the proband and two monozygotic twins, have a condition including mental retardation, postnatal somatic retardation, preaxial polydactyly of the feet, bifid third metacarpal, median cleft lip, fatty hamartomas on the dorsum of the tongue, conductive hearing loss, and unilateral or bilateral renal agenesis. This probably autosomal recessive syndrome could be a further example of the ...

A brother and sister with mental retardation, malformations of the cerebellar vermis, characteristic 'metronome' eye movements, lingual hamartomas, and postaxial polydactyly are described. The clinical overlap with the OFD group of syndromes, in particular OFD III and OFD VI, and Joubert's syndrome is discussed. If OFD III syndrome is to be recognised as a distinct entity, these two cases repre...

In 1866 Laurence and Moon reported ' Four cases of " retinitis pigmentosa" occurring in the same family and accompanied by general imperfections of development.' These imperfections included small stature, hypogenitalism, obesity and mental defect, although little emphasis was placed on the two last. Over fifty years later, Bardet (1920) added polydactyly to the syndrome, and in 1922 Biedl, rep...

The Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare genetically heterogeneous, autosomal recessive inherited disorder with wide variability in expression. It presents with varied clinical manifestations like retinitis pigmentosa, post-axial polydactyly, central obesity, mental retardation and renal dysfunction. Other rare manifestations include diabetes mellitus, heart disease, hepatic fibrosis and neuro...

The Greig cephalopolysyndactyly syndrome (GCPS) is a pleiotropic, multiple congenital anomaly syndrome. It is rare, but precise estimates of incidence are difficult to determine, as ascertainment is erratic (estimated range 1-9/1,000,000). The primary findings include hypertelorism, macrocephaly with frontal bossing, and polysyndactyly. The polydactyly is most commonly preaxial of the feet and ...

Oro-facial-digital syndrome type II (OFD-II) is characterized by frenulated tongue, midline cleft lip, high arched or cleft palate, micrognathia, syndactyly and polydactyly, bilateral reduplicated hallux, conductive hearing loss, choroidal coloboma and normal intelligence. There are nine forms of oro-facial-digital syndromes with different modes of inheritance. A young female with features of o...

Ellis-van Creveld syndrome is a genetic disorder that was first described by Richard Ellis and Simon van Creveld in 1940. The four principal characteristics are chondrodysplasia, polydactyly, ectodermal dysplasia and congenital heart defects. The orofacial manifestations include multiple gingivolabial musculofibrous fraenula, dental anomalies, hypodontia and malocclusion. The disease can be dia...